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Keira Christina Knightley (; born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received several accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, three BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, and a Laurence Olivier Award. In 2018, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama and charity.Born in London to actors Will Knightley and Sharman Macdonald, Knightley obtained an agent at age six and initially worked in commercials and television films. Following a minor role as Sabé in the space opera Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), her breakthrough came when she played a tomboy footballer in Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and co-starred in the romantic comedy Love Actually (2003). She went on to achieve global recognition for playing Elizabeth Swann in the swashbuckler fantasy series Pirates of the Caribbean (2003–2017).
For her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in the period romance Pride & Prejudice (2005), Knightley was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She starred in several more period films, playing a complex love interest in Atonement (2007), trendsetter Georgiana Cavendish in The Duchess (2008), troubled psychoanalyst Sabina Spielrein in A Dangerous Method (2011), and the titular socialite in Anna Karenina (2012). She then forayed into contemporary pieces, appearing as a hopeless romantic in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012), an aspiring musician in Begin Again (2013), and a medical student in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). Knightley returned to historical films playing Joan Clarke in The Imitation Game (2014), earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later starred as the eponymous writer in Colette (2018) and American journalist Loretta McLaughlin in Boston Strangler (2023).
On stage, Knightley has appeared in two West End productions: The Misanthrope in 2009, which earned her an Olivier Award nomination, and The Children’s Hour in 2011. She also starred as the titular heroine in the 2015 Broadway production of Thérèse Raquin. Knightley is known for her outspoken stance on social issues and has worked extensively with Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Comic Relief. She is married to musician James Righton, with whom she has two daughters.