Keanu Reeves
In 1964, the world welcomed Keanu Reeves, one of the most famous, gifted, kind-hearted and generous actors to have ever graced the Silver Screen. However, Keanu’s life was wrought with failures, most of which were completely out of his control and his hands. To say that Keanu suffered through a monumentally-difficult upbringing would be an understatement.
In fact, nothing about Keanu’s life was straightforward, nor was it common. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, where his mother, who is of English descent from Essex, met his father, an American from Hawaii, while working in the country. At the age of 3-years old, however, his father abandoned the family. Reeves kept in touch with him for the next few years, but then didn’t see him again until he was 13-years old.
His childhood was spent in multiple locations. Initially, it was in Australia, but then, he was led to Canada. His mother had married and divorced 4 times and he had been to four separate high schools in a 5-year period. When he was 17-years old, he dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles, obtaining a green card through his stepfather, Paul Aaron, a Hollywood director.
In 1998, Reeves married Jennifer Syme with whom he fathered a baby, who unfortunately was stillborn at eight-months old, which led to the disintegration of the couple’s relationship. Tragically, 18 months after the relationship ended, Syme died in a car accident.
Reeves starred in numerous minor roles in films prior to his breakthrough role in River’s Edge, which led to the role in the widely-popular film, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Ultimately, however, it was his role in the 1999 blockbuster movie, The Matrix, that resulted in an unprecedented rise to fame.
