Keanu Reeves' Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990) Ted Logan

Main Movie Roles 2009 - The Private Lives of Pippa Lee 2008 - Street Kings 2008 - The Day the Earth Stood Still 2006 - A Scanner Darkly 2006 - The Lake House 2005 - Constantine 2005 - Ellie parker 2005 - Thumbsucker 2003 - The Matrix Reloaded 2003 - Something's Gotta Give 2003 - The Matrix Revolutions 2003 - The Animatrix 2003 - Kid's Story 2001 - Sweet November 2001 - Hard Ball 2000 - The Replacements 2000 - The Gift 1999 - The Matrix 1999 - Me and Will 1997 - The Last Time I Committed Suicide 1997 - The Devil's Advocate 1996 - Chain Reaction 1996 - Feeling Minnesota 1995 - A Walk in the Clouds 1995 - Johnny Mnemonic 1994 - Speed 1993 - Even Cowgirls Get the Blues 1993 - Freaked 1993 - Much Ado About Nothing 1992 - Bram Stoker's Dracula 1991 - My Own Private Idaho 1991 - Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey 1991 - Point Break 1990 - Tune in Tomorrow... 1990 - I Love You to Death 1989 - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure 1989 - Parenthood 1988 - The Prince of Pennsylvania 1988 - The Night Before 1988 - Dangerous Liaisons 1986 - River's Edge 1986 - Youngblood

BIOGRAPHY:

One of the most inscrutable actors to ever hit it big, Keanu Reeves has been by turns adored, reviled, and grudgingly respected by the movie-going public. As the controversy over his talent rages on, his career choices and paychecks show him inching toward A-list status. Reeves, whose first name means "cool breeze over the mountains" in Hawaiian, was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1964. His mother, Patricia, was a showgirl; his father, Samuel Nowlin Reeves, a geologist. After their marriage dissolved, Keanu moved with his mother and younger sister Kim to New York City, then Toronto. Stepfather #1 was Paul Aaron, a stage and film director - he and Patricia divorced within a year, after which she went on to marry (and divorce) rock promoter Robert Miller and hair salon owner Jack Bond. Reeves never reconnected with his biological father, who is now in prison on charges of cocaine possession. In high school, Reeves was lukewarm toward academics but took a keen interest in ice hockey (as team goalie, he earned the nickname "The Wall") and drama. He eventually dropped out of school to pursue an acting career.

After a few stage gigs and a handful of made-for-TV movies, he scored a supporting role in the Rob Lowe (I) hockey flick Youngblood (1986), which was filmed in Canada. Shortly after the production wrapped, Reeves packed his bags and headed for Hollywood. Reeves popped up on critics' radar with his performance in the dark adolescent drama River's Edge (1986), but his first popular success was the role of totally rad dude Ted Logan in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989). The wacky time-travel movie became something of a cultural phenomenon, and audiences would forever confuse Reeves's real-life persona with that of his doofy on-screen counterpart. Over the next few years, Reeves tried to shake the Ted stigma with a series of highbrow projects. He played a slumming rich boy opposite River Phoenix's narcoleptic male hustler in My Own Private Idaho (1991), an unlucky lawyer who stumbles into the vampire's lair in Dracula (1992), and Shakespearean party-pooper Don Jon in Much Ado About Nothing (1993).

In 1994, the understated actor became a big-budget action star with the release of Speed (1994/I). Its success heralded an era of five years in which Reeves would alternate between largely unwatched small films, like Feeling Minnesota (1996) and The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997), and unwatched big films like Johnny Mnemonic (1995) and Chain Reaction (1996). After all this Reeves did the unthinkable and passed on the Speed sequel, but he struck box-office gold again a few years later with the Wachowski brothers' cyberadventure The Matrix (1999). Despite his deadpan delivery style and reputation as an oaf, Reeves continues to reel in choice roles and fat paychecks. Whatever he knows, he's not telling the public--his self-deprecating interview tactics and mysterious private life provide little insight into his artistry. As far as Reeves is concerned, it seems, he's just a regular guy who rides a motorcycle, plays in a band (Dogstar), and shows up every now and then for a movie shoot.


TRIVIA:

• Was a good friend to the late Anthony Quinn. They starred together in A Walk in the Clouds (1995).
• His best friend is his sister.
• Read the script of _Constantine (2005)_ (qv) while filming _The Matrix Revolutions (2003)_ (qv).
• Auditioned for the Etobicoke School of the Arts in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; but was rejected.
• His best friend was actor 'River Phoenix' (qv). He is also friends with River's brother 'Joaquin Phoenix' (qv).
• An avid fan of Formula 1 and IndyCar racing.
• (October 1997) Ranked #23 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
• Took a 90% pay cut on his salary on _The Replacements (2000)_ (qv) so 'Gene Hackman' (qv) could be cast. Previously, he had deferred $2 million of his salary so that 'Al Pacino' (qv) could be cast on _The Devil's Advocate (1997)_ (qv).