Keanu Reeves has gone through a renaissance to become one of the most famous actors in Hollywood. Reeves is famous for his roles in movies such as John Wick, The Matrix, and Speed. Keanu Reeves is also famous for being extremely private.
Since Keanu Reeves’ career in the entertainment industry began in the 1980s, he’s starred in dozens of films. Not every project he’s starred in has succeeded, but Reeves’ acting skills stand out even when a movie does not. Despite nearly 40 years in the business, Keanu Reeves’ life remains a mystery, and there are several things you do not know about him.
1. Keanu Reeves’ Former Stepfather Helped Him Break Into Acting
Keanu Reeves’s birth father abandoned his family when he was three, and Reeves has not seen him since he was 13. However, Reeves’ mother, Patricia, remarried when Keanu was six. Reeves’ stepfather was Hollywood director Paul Aaron. Aaron also directed Broadway productions. Though his mother and stepfather were only married for one year, Reeves and Aaron maintained a close bond.
Paul Aaron continued offering acting advice to Keanu Reeves throughout his childhood and recommended Reeves for a job. Keanu Reeves’s first acting gig came when he was only nine and starred in Damn Yankees. It wasn’t a major theater production in the grand scheme of theater productions, but the role was a start for Reeves.
2. Reeves Changed His Future Career Goals to Become An Actor
Following his theater debut at the age of nine, Keanu Reeves did continue to act. However, Reeves pursued athletics more seriously. Throughout his childhood, Reeves played competitive ice hockey. He was good enough to pursue his goal of becoming a professional ice hockey player. Reeves’ main goal was to play professional ice hockey for the Canadian Olympic team. It was Keanu Reeves’ dream to play professionally until he turned 15 and decided his love of acting trumped his love of sports.
3. Reeves Attended A High School That Worked Around His Acting Career
When Reeves gave up hockey for acting, he began taking his career seriously. He chose to attend a high school that allowed him to do his schoolwork while attending auditions and acting. It was called the Avondale Secondary Alternative School. It seemed Reeves had it all going for him at the time, being able to work on his high school diploma and his acting career, but it wasn’t what he wanted. Keanu Reeves quit high school at 17 and began acting full-time.
4. Reeves’s Career Began With More Teen-Oriented Roles
The onset of Keanu Reeves’ career was aimed primarily at teenagers in the late 1980s. Movies such as The Night Before, Permanent Record, and even Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure were all fun roles for the up-and-coming actor. While critics didn’t particularly love the movies Reeves starred in, they did speak highly of his performances in most roles. His 1988 role in Dangerous Liaisons began to change the game for Reeves by forcing audiences to see him as more than an actor who made movies for teens.
5. Reeves’ Performance in Point Break Earned Him One Of His Most Famous Roles To Date
The early 90s brought a new level of success to Keanu Reeves’ career. He starred in movies with more mature audiences and more critical acclaim. However, his role in Point Break in 1991 landed him one of the biggest roles of Reeves’ career. Director Jan de Bont loved Keanu Reeves in Point Break, and Bont chose to forgo offering the role of Jack Traven to any of the more famous actors who were on the shortlist because Bont wanted Reeves. Bont’s love of Reeves in Point Break is how Reeves ended up cast in the hit movie Speed alongside famed actress Sandra Bullock. Speed remains one of Keanu Reeves’ most famous movies.
6. Reeves Put Off Filming The Matrix Sequels Because Of Personal Tragedy
It was 1999 when Keanu Reeves starred in The Matrix. One of the biggest movie franchises of all time, The Matrix is one of Reeves’ most famous movies. Reeves spent months training with professional martial artists using a rigorous training program before filming began. When it was time to film The Matrix sequels, Reeves had to push back the start of filming. Reeves did not work in 2002.
On Christmas Eve 1999, Keanu Reeves’ girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth to a stillborn daughter. Reeves and Syme ultimately ended their relationship following the loss of their daughter. The couple ended up reconciling, but Syme was killed in a tragic car accident on April 2, 2001. Keanu Reeves buried his girlfriend next to their unborn daughter. Though he was meant to begin filming the sequel to The Matrix shortly after, he could not return to work. He needed more time after suffering two devastating losses.
7. Reeves Founded Several Companies And Donates Generously To Charity
Keanu Reeves lost his sister to leukemia. Following this heartbreaking loss, Reeves decided to found a cancer foundation. His foundation provides funds to children’s hospitals for cancer research. Reeves is a generous donor to many other charities and campaigns, though he tends to spend most of his time and money on children’s cancer research.
In addition to his generosity, Reeves is also a founding member of a production company. He co-founded Company Films, and he co-founded Arch Motorcycle Company. Finally, Keanu Reeves is also the co-founder of a publishing company called X Artists’ Books.
Read Next: The Reason Keanu Reeves Didn’t Return for Speed 2
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