Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves is a Canadian actor who has spent more than three decades moving between comedy, science fiction, action and drama, creating some of the most recognisable characters in modern cinema along the way. Born Keanu Charles Reeves on September 2, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon, Reeves was raised primarily in Toronto, Canada. He began acting professionally during the 1980s, appearing in television productions and films before gradually establishing himself in Hollywood. One of his most important early roles came in the dark teenage drama River's Edge in 1986, but it was a considerably sillier character who helped turn Reeves into a star. In 1989, he played Ted “Theodore” Logan alongside Alex Winter's Bill S. Preston, Esq. in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. The time-travelling comedy became a cult favourite, and Reeves returned for Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey in 1991. Then he got on a bus. Reeves became a major action star with 1994's Speed, playing LAPD officer Jack Traven opposite Sandra Bullock. The brilliantly simple premise—a bus that will explode if its speed drops below 50 mph—helped make the film one of the decade's defining action movies. But an even bigger role was waiting. In 1999, Reeves starred as Thomas Anderson, better known as Neo, in The Matrix. Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, the groundbreaking science-fiction action film became a cultural phenomenon and changed how Hollywood filmed and presented action sequences. Reeves returned as Neo for The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions in 2003, before once again stepping into the role nearly two decades later for The Matrix Resurrections in 2021. His career has also included films such as Point Break, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Much Ado About Nothing, The Devil's Advocate, Constantine, A Scanner Darkly and The Day the Earth Stood Still. Then, in 2014, Reeves found himself at the centre of another action franchise. John Wick cast him as a retired assassin dragged back into the criminal underworld following a particularly bad encounter with a group of gangsters and one very unfortunate dog. What began as a relatively modest action movie developed into a hugely successful franchise, with Reeves returning as Wick across multiple sequels. The films became particularly celebrated for their elaborate stunt work, fight choreography and Reeves' commitment to performing much of the physical action himself. Reeves has also returned repeatedly to characters from earlier in his career. Alongside his comeback as Neo, he reunited with Alex Winter for Bill & Ted Face the Music in 2020, almost 30 years after Bogus Journey. Away from acting, Reeves has worked as a producer and has also been involved in music, most notably as the bassist for the rock band Dogstar. Few actors have reinvented themselves as successfully across different generations of moviegoers. For one generation, Keanu Reeves will always be Ted Logan. For another, he's Neo. And for another, he's John Wick. Throw in Johnny Utah from Point Break and Jack Traven from Speed, and that's one hell of a movie career.