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Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). He had his breakthrough role in the science fiction comedy ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' (1989), and he reprised his role in its sequels. He gained praise for playing a hustler in the independent drama ''My Own Private Idaho'' (1991) and established himself as an action hero with leading roles in ''Point Break'' (1991) and ''Speed'' (1994).

Following several box office failures, Reeves's performance in the horror film '' The Devil's Advocate'' (1997) was well received. Greater stardom came for playing Neo in the science fiction series ''The Matrix'', beginning in 1999. He played John Constantine in ''Constantine'' (2005) and starred in the romantic drama '' The Lake House'' (2006), the science fiction thriller ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' (2008), and the crime thriller '' Street Kings'' (2008). Following another commercially down period, Reeves made a successful comeback by playing the titular assassin in the ''John Wick'' film series, beginning in 2014.

In addition to acting, Reeves has directed the film ''Man of Tai Chi'' (2013). He has played bass guitar for the band Dogstar and pursued other endeavours such as writing and philanthropy.

Early life

Keanu Charles Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 2, 1964, the son of Patricia (née Taylor), a costume designer and performer, and Samuel Nowlin Reeves Jr. His mother is English, originating from Essex. His American father is from Hawaii, and is of Native Hawaiian, Chinese, English, Irish, and Portuguese descent. His grandmother from his father's side is Chinese Hawaiian. His mother was working in Beirut when she met his father, who abandoned his wife and family when Reeves was three years old. Reeves last met his father on the Hawaiian island of Kauai when he was 13.

After his parents divorced in 1966, his mother moved the family to Sydney, and then to New York City, where she married Paul Aaron, a Broadway and Hollywood director, in 1970. The couple moved to Toronto, Canada, and divorced in 1971. When Reeves was nine, he took part in a theatre production of ''Damn Yankees''. Aaron remained close to Reeves, offering him advice and recommending him a job at the Hedgerow Theater in Pennsylvania, United States. Reeves' mother married Robert Miller, a rock music promoter, in 1976; the couple divorced in 1980. She subsequently married her fourth husband, a hairdresser named Jack Bond; the marriage lasted until 1994. Reeves and his sisters grew up primarily in the Yorkville neighbourhood of Toronto, with a nanny caring for them frequently. Because of his grandmother's ethnicity, he grew up with Chinese art, furniture, and cuisine. Reeves watched British comedy shows such as ''The Two Ronnies'', and his mother imparted English manners that he has maintained into adulthood.

Describing himself as a "private kid", Reeves attended four different high schools, including the Etobicoke School of the Arts, from which he was expelled. Reeves said he was expelled because he was "just a little too rambunctious and shot my mouth off once too often...I was not generally the most well-oiled machine in the school". At De La Salle College, he was a successful ice hockey goalkeeper. Reeves had aspirations to become a professional ice hockey player for the Canadian Olympic team but decided to become an actor when he was 15. After leaving De La Salle College, he attended Avondale Secondary Alternative School, which allowed him to get an education while working as an actor. He dropped out of high school when he was 17. He obtained a green card through his American stepfather and moved to Los Angeles, United States three years later. Reeves holds Canadian citizenship by naturalization.

Career

1984–1990: Early work

In 1984, Reeves was a correspondent for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) youth television program '' Going Great''.YouTube clip
, CBC RetroBites: Keanu Reeves. Retrieved October 22, 2014. That same year, he made his acting debut in an episode of the television series, called ''Hangin' In''. In 1985, he played Mercutio in a stage production of '' Romeo and Juliet'' at the Leah Posluns Theatre in North York, Ontario. He made further appearances on stage, including Brad Fraser's cult hit ''Wolfboy'' in Toronto. He also appeared in a Coca-Cola commercial in 1983, and in the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) coming-of-age, short film ''One Step Away''.

Reeves made a foray into television films in 1986, including NBC's '' Babes in Toyland, Act of Vengeance'' and '' Brotherhood of Justice''. He made his first motion picture appearances in Peter Markle's '' Youngblood'' (1986), in which he played a goalkeeper, and in the low-budget romantic drama, '' Flying''. He was cast as Matt in ''River's Edge'', a crime drama about a group of high school friends dealing with a murder case, loosely based on the 1981 murder of Marcy Renee Conrad. The film premiered in 1986 at the Toronto International Film Festival to a largely positive response. Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' describes the performances of the young cast as "natural and credible", with Reeves being described as "affecting and sympathetic".

Towards the end of the 1980s, Reeves starred in several dramas aimed at teen audiences, including as the lead in '' The Night Before'' (1988), a comedy starring opposite Lori Loughlin, '' The Prince of Pennsylvania'' (1988) and '' Permanent Record'' (1988). Although the latter received mixed reviews, ''Variety'' magazine praised Reeves' performance, "which opens up nicely as the drama progresses". His other acting efforts included a supporting role in ''Dangerous Liaisons'' (1988), which earned seven nominations at the 61st Academy Awards, winning three: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design. This was followed by ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' (1989), in which he portrays a slacker who travels through time with a friend (portrayed by Alex Winter), to assemble historical figures for a school presentation. The film was generally well received by critics and grossed $40.5 million at the worldwide box office. Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 79% approval rating with the critical consensus: "Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are just charming, goofy, and silly enough to make this fluffy time-travel Adventure work".

In 1989, Reeves starred in the comedy-drama '' Parenthood'' directed by Ron Howard. Nick Hilditch of the BBC
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