Keira Knightley (born March 26, 1985, Teddington, London) is a British actress, the daughter of playwright Sharman McDonald and actor Will Knightley. She has lived most of her life in Richmond upon Thames.

She followed in her parents' footsteps quite early, making her film debut at the age of nine in A Village Affair (1994). Her first major part was Sabé in The Phantom Menace, Padmé Amidala's decoy. Knightley was presumably cast because of her uncanny resemblance to headliner Natalie Portman.

Keira Knightley is best known for her breakthrough roles in Bend It Like Beckham and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Bend It Like Beckham especially was physically demanding for Knightley in terms of the intense soccer training she underwent but opened the way for her into Hollywood. The blockbuster Pirates, which was highly successful at the box office, cemented Knightley's up and coming position in international cinema.

While Knightley has recently appeared in the blockbuster King Arthur, her dedication to developing herself as an actress rather than a movie star was noted by TIME magazine in a 2004 feature. In July 2004, Knightley was voted by readers of Hello! magazine as the movie industry's most promising teen star. Additionally, Knightley was voted the sexiest movie star of all time by the readers of Empire magazine, leaving behind some of the hottest Hollywood stars like Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts, Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot.

In 2005, Knightley began the year with the independent film The Jacket, which notably marks the first time she appears nude. This occurs during a lovemaking scene with the film's main character, Adrien Brody.