Ah, Keira Knightley. She’s a perennial favorite on our Top 99 Most Desirable Women lists (she ranked No. 12 in 2006 , No. 4 in both 2005 and 2004), and for good reason: Keira is an elegant, talented actress with classic features and a stunning presence. She was extremely visible in 2007, appearing in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Atonement and Silk, so it's no surprise to find her ranking at No. 2 in 2007. Though she has expressed a desire to take some time off, she managed to complete The Duchess and The Edge of Love, both due for release in 2008. Keira Christina Knightley was born in the South London suburb of Richmond on March 26th 1985. The daughter of actor Will Knightley and playwright Sharman Macdonald. After she requested an agent at the age of three, her parents allowed her to work on productions in her summer holidays. Her first role was at the age of 9, in Moira Armstrong's A Village Affair (1995) . However, Knightley's first high profile role came in 1999, as Sabe, Decoy Queen to Natalie Portman's Queen Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace . Since then she has completed an impressive array of films including The Hole (2001), tomboy footballer Jules Paxton in Gurinder Chadha's Bend It Like Beckham (2002),in the Delta's Choice award winning Love Actually (2003), Keira played Juliet, a newlywed whose husband's Best Man is secretly besotted with her. She played the lead role of Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bennet in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (2005) another Delta's Choice Award winner, but she is probably best known for the part of Elizabeth Swann in Disney's blockbuster trilogy Pirates of the Caribbean (2003, 2006 & 2007) Awards 2008 People's Choice Awards - Favorite Female Action Star 2007 Delta 99 Most Desirable Women #2 People's Choice Awards - Favorite On-Screen Match-Up for: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Shared with: Johnny Depp Teen Choice Awards - Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure for: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Teen Choice Awards - Choice Movie: Liplock for: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Shared with:Orlando Bloom 2006 Delta 99 Most Desirable Women #12 Teen Choice Awards - Movie - Choice Scream for: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Teen Choice Awards - Movies - Choice Hissy Fit for: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Character and Morality in Entertainment Awards - Camie for: Pride & Prejudice 2005 Delta 99 Most Desirable Women #4 British Independent Film Awards - Entertainment Personality Award 2004 Delta 99 Most Desirable Women #4 Hollywood Film Festival - Hollywood Breakthrough Award - Breakthrough Actress Irish Film and Television Awards - Audience Award Best International Actress for: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Also for King Arthur. Teen Choice Awards - Choice Movie Chemistry for: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Shared with: Orlando Bloom Teen Choice Awards - Choice Movie Liplock for: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) Shared with:Orlando Bloom 2003 London Critics Circle Film Awards - ALFS Award British Newcomer of the Year for: Bend It Like Beckham 2002 Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema - Golden Wave Best Actress (Meilleure Comédienne Long Métrage) for: Bend It Like Beckham |