Keanu Reeves
The action star who defined a generation.
Keanu Charles Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 2, 1964, to a costume designer mother and a father of Native Hawaiian, Chinese, English, and Portuguese descent.[1]
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Keanu Charles Reeves
- Born
- 2 September 1964
- Birthplace
- Beirut, Lebanon
- Occupation
- Actor; musician
- Citizenship
- Canada
- Years active
- 1984–present
- Relatives
- Paul Aaron (step-father)
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Reeves's mother moved the family to Sydney, Australia, and then to New York City after her 1966 divorce.[2] Reeves formed the alternative rock band Dogstar in 1991, playing the bass guitar.[3] He starred in the 1994 action thriller Speed, which grossed $350 million from a $30 million budget.[4] In 1999, Reeves portrayed Neo in the critically acclaimed science fiction film The Matrix.[5]
Reeves played the title role in the 2014 action thriller John Wick, a retired hitman seeking vengeance.[6] Reeves's first acting role came in 1984 when he appeared in a single episode of the TV series Hangin' In.[7] The martial arts film Man of Tai Chi, released in 2013, marked Reeves's first time directing a feature.[8]
What the cited sources add
A Vulture review of Man of Tai Chi notes that Reeves, assisted by action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping, lets shots run and keeps his cutting and camera movements fluid.[9] The same review states that Reeves makes a solid bad guy, giving himself mostly clipped, generically stoic lines.[9] A Christian Science Monitor article reports that Reeves spent five years developing the storyline for Man of Tai Chi, based loosely on Matrix stuntman Tiger Chen.[10] That article also notes the film was made in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin, filmed in China and Hong Kong.[10]
The Monitor quotes Reeves saying, "I loved the responsibility of telling a story".[10]
References
- Wikipedia, "Keanu Reeves" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; "Keanu Reeves", Hollywood Walk of Fame, October 25, 2019; Solski, "Reading with Canadian Celebrities", S&S Learning Materials, 2010, p. 43; Roberts, "#77 Royal Descents, Notable Kin, and Printed Sources: An Assortment of Famous Actors", americanancestors.org, December 17, 2014; Caines, "Inbetweeners – Social & cultural studies", The Times Literary Supplement, August 17, 2018; Reimann, "Everything You Didn't Know About Keanu Reeves", Collider, April 17, 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Keanu Reeves" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Shapiro, "Keanu Reeves' Excellent Adventure – An Unauthorized Biography", Riverdale Avenue Books, 2020, p. 6, 9, 15, 23, 28; "Keanu Reeves and the Unique Childhood That Shaped Him > CULTURS — lifestyle media for cross-cultural identity", June 7, 2022; Shapiro, "Keanu Reeves' Excellent Adventure – An Unauthorized Biography", Riverdale Avenue Books, 2020, p. 6, 9, 15, 23, 28 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Keanu Reeves" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Bram Stoker's Dracula", Box Office Mojo; Salt, "Top 10 worst movie accents – Movies – Virgin Media", February 23, 2014; McGovern, "Francis Ford Coppola remembers 'Dracula,' firing his special effects crew, and Keanu Reeves' accent", October 16, 2015; "The 65th Academy Awards 1993", Oscars.org Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, October 4, 2014; "Film in 1994 BAFTA Awards", awards.bafta.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Keanu Reeves" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ansen, "Goodbye, Airhead", Newsweek, June 12, 1994; "Speed", Box Office Mojo; "The 67th Academy Awards 1995", Oscars.org Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, October 5, 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Keanu Reeves" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Matrix (1999): Reviews", Metacritic (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Keanu Reeves" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Keanu Reeves plays hitman in 'John Wick' – Surprises with unexpected use of artillery in action scenes", Inquirer Movies, December 19, 2014; Kilday, "Bridget Moynahan Joins Keanu Reeves Thriller 'John Wick'", The Hollywood Reporter, October 14, 2014; Lowe, "'John Wick': Film Review", The Hollywood Reporter, October 22, 2014; Catsoulis, "Pet's Slaughter Uncorks a Latent Inner Assassin", The New York Times, October 23, 2014; "John Wick", Box Office Mojo (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Keanu Reeves" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: YouTube clip , CBC RetroBites: Keanu Reeves. Retrieved October 22, 2014.; "Keanu Reeves from Stars' First Roles", E! Online; "Leah Posluns Theatre School Performances", Mr-Reeves, July 1, 2014; "Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia – Leah Posluns Theatre", www.canadiantheatre.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Keanu Reeves" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ebiri, "Ebiri on Keanu Reeves's Man of Tai Chi: Neo Becomes Agent Smith", Vulture, November 1, 2013; Davidson, "Keanu Reeves spent five years on his latest film: Why?", The Christian Science Monitor, May 20, 2013; Davidson, "Keanu Reeves makes director debut with modern Kung Fu film", Reuters, May 20, 2013; "Man of Tai Chi (2013)", Kung-fu Kingdom, April 1, 2014; Ebiri, "Ebiri on Keanu Reeves's Man of Tai Chi: Neo Becomes Agent Smith", Vulture, November 1, 2013; Abele, "Review: Keanu Reeves, as director, gives 'Man of Tai Chi' zip", Los An en.wikipedia.org
- Ebiri, "Ebiri on Keanu Reeves's Man of Tai Chi: Neo Becomes Agent Smith", Vulture, November 1, 2013. facts only, no text reused. vulture.com
- Davidson, "Keanu Reeves spent five years on his latest film: Why?", The Christian Science Monitor, May 20, 2013. facts only, no text reused. csmonitor.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Keanu Reeves (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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