Born in London, England to actor Will Knightley and playwright Sharman Macdonald, Keira Knightley requested an agent at age 3 (which she got when she was 6), and earned her first TV acting role at age 7 in "Royal Celebration" (1993). Her first film role came at age 9 as Natasha Jordan in A Village Affair (1994). Small parts followed in the British TV shows "The Bill" and "Treasure Seekers," as well as a substantial role as the young Judith Dunbar in the TV movie Coming Home (1998), where she acted alongside Peter O' Toole.

The first time Star Wars fans discovered Knightley was when she played Sabé -- Queen Amidala's loyal decoy in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace (1999). After her role in The Phantom Menace, she continued to act in various TV movies such as Alan Bleasdale's Oliver Twist (1999) and in Disney's Princess of Thieves (2001), and roles in the thriller The Hole (2001) and the comedy Thunderpants (2002). But it was her breakout role as a sassy soccer player in the smash-hit Bend It Like Beckham (2002) that got the film world's attention.

With her newfound success, Knightley continued to act in various films such as Pure (2002), The Seasons Alter (2002), New Year's Eve (2002), and in the TV mini-series "Doctor Zhivago" (2002) co-starring with actor Sam Neill. Film audiences and critics were once again impressed with her small role as a newlywed in Love Actually (2003). But it wasn't until she shared the big screen with actors Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Geoffrey Rush in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) that made her a household name.

Later Knightley would go on to star as Guinevere in King Arthur (2004) with Clive Owen, co-staring with Adrien Brody in the mind-bending thriller The Jacket (2005), showing her action skills as the model-turned-bounty hunter Domino (2005) and as Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (2005) alongside actors Matthew MacFadyen, Donald Sutherland and Judi Dench.

Currently, the busy actress is reprising her role as the feisty Elizabeth Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and the third in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.