Keanu Reeves is a Canadian actor who was born on September 2, 1964. Reeves, who was born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, began his acting career in theatre and television before starring in Youngblood (1986). He made his film debut in the science fiction comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), which he reprised in the sequels. With prominent parts in Point Break (1991) and Speed (1994), he established himself as an action hero.
His performance in the horror thriller The Devil’s Advocate (1997) was positively acclaimed after many box office failures. Beginning in 1999, he rose to greater fame as Neo in the science fiction series The Matrix. He starred in the romance drama The Lake House (2006), the science-fiction thriller The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), and the crime thriller Street Kings as John Constantine (2008). Following a string of critically panned and low-grossing films, Reeves made a comeback in 2014 by starring as the titular assassin in the John Wick film series.
He has directed the film Man of Tai Chi in addition to acting (2013). He has also dabbled in writing and philanthropy while playing bass guitar for the band Dogstar.
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Table of Contents
Early Life
Keanu Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon. His father Samuel is from Hawaii, while his mother Patricia is from Essex, England. While working as a costume designer in Beirut, Reeves’ mother met his father.
After his father abandoned the family when he was three years old, he spent much of his early life globetrotting with his mother, eventually settling in Toronto and becoming a Canadian citizen in 1971. Reeves’ education was hampered by dyslexia. He got kicked out of several high schools.
On the ice, though, he made up for his poor grades by leading his high school hockey team to victory. Reeves quit hockey and school to pursue a career in acting after performing in a school production of Romeo and Juliet and discovering his love of the stage.
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Career
Beginning with tiny appearances on Canadian television, commercials, and stage performances, Keanu Reeves made his big-screen debut in 1986 with Youngblood. He went on to have several co-starring roles, including a more significant part in the critically praised River’s Edge. With the 1989 big movie Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Reeves had an unexpected box office success, grossing over $40 million domestically. Keanu Reeves went on to star in several major and independent films, including the drama Point Break and the cult classic My Own Private Idaho.
With the success of the 1994 action film Speed, Reeves was catapulted into A-list fame, earning two Academy Awards and grossing $350.5 million worldwide and domestically. Reeves went on to star in The Matrix trilogy, a $1.6 billion science fiction action picture franchise. His performance as Neo was well-received and applauded, and the films were hugely successful.
Keanu Reeves was cast as the titular character in the action film “John Wick” in 2014, in which he played a former hitman. The films were critically praised and box office hits. He went on to play the same character in two more films. His John Wick film franchise has grossed more than $500 million worldwide. After accounting for inflation, Keanu’s films have made more than $4.6 billion worldwide as of this writing.
“KeanuCon,” Europe’s first Keanu Reeves film festival, was held in Glasgow, Scotland in 2019. It took place on April 27th and 28th and featured nine of his films throughout the two days.
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Keanu Reeves: Net Worth
Keanu Reeves has a net worth of $380 million as an actor, singer, producer, and philanthropist. He has appeared in dozens of films throughout the years, some of which have grossed billions of dollars at the box office. He is possibly most remembered for his roles in The Matrix and John Wick.
Earning From The Movie, The Matrix
After Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix, Keanu secured the job. His first compensation was set at $10 million. He was also awarded a piece of the backend, which resulted in total earnings of $35 million for the first film, thanks to the film’s unexpected success. After inflation, that equates to roughly $53 million. Warner Bros. announced the fourth Matrix installment in August 2019.
Keanu’s backend bonuses would eventually make him the highest-paid actor of all time for a single franchise, thanks to DVD sales (The Matrix was one of the best-selling DVDs of all time) and the massive box office success of the second and third films. From the second and third films, Keanu earned at least $120 million in bonuses. As of this writing, his total earnings from The Matrix from all sources exceed $200 million.
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Personal Life
On December 24, 1999, Jennifer Syme, Reeves’ girlfriend during the 1990s, gave birth to their stillborn daughter, Ava Archer Syme-Reeves. The sadness harmed their relationship, and they split up a few weeks later. Jennifer died in an automobile accident in April 2001, and she died instantly. Reeves needed time to deal with the situation because he was slated to begin filming The Matrix sequels back-to-back at the moment. He dated China Chow in 2008. He has never been married and is infamous for keeping his personal life private. Although Reeves is not religious, he is interested in Buddhism and considers himself spiritual.
In 2014, two stalkers broke into Keanu’s Hollywood Hills house. The first was on September 12, when he awoke to a stalker in his library, telling him she was waiting for him. After carefully speaking with her, he phoned the cops. Three days later, a second stalker entered his home through a gate that Reeves’ cleaners had left unlocked. Before swimming naked in his pool, the stalker stripped and took a shower in his bathroom. Although Reeves was not at home at the time, the cleaning team informed the authorities, and the stalker was removed.
He established a cancer foundation but decided not to put his name on it. He is a supporter of PETA, Stand Up to Cancer, and SickKids.
In addition to acting, Reeves spent several years in the 1990s playing bass guitar with the band Dogstar. He’s also a motorcycle enthusiast who co-founded Arch Motorcycle Company, which makes custom motorcycles. He also co-founded Firm Films, a production company. Reeves is the founder of X Artists’ Books, a small publishing house. Ode to Happiness and Shadows are his two published works.
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Keanu Reeves’ Daughter: Ava Archer Syme Reeves
Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Syme, the actor’s ex-girlfriend, had a daughter named Ava Archer. Her death was not only tragic, but it also changed the lives of her parents, who never fully recovered from her untimely death.
Both parents were excited for their daughter, Ava Archer Syme-Reeves, to arrive.
When the parents realized they wouldn’t be able to see their daughter grow up, their excitement and delight came to a halt. Ava Syme was a stillborn baby who was born in her ninth month. Even though her parents had given her a name, the true cause of her death is still unknown.
Who Was Jennifer Syme?
Jennifer Maria Syme was an American actress, personal assistant, and record label executive who lived from December 7, 1972, through April 2, 2001. She had a relationship with actor Keanu Reeves that lasted from 1998 to early 2000 when their daughter was stillborn. In 2001, the pair reunited. Syme died in a vehicle accident on April 2, 2001, at the age of 28.
Her Early Life And Career
Jennifer Syme grew up in Laguna Beach after being born in Pico Rivera, California. Maria St. John and Charles Syme, a retired California highway patrol officer, divorced shortly after Syme was born.
Jennifer Syme and her mother relocated to Los Angeles when she was set to start high school when she developed an interest in filmmaking, particularly David Lynch’s films. She was 16 years old when she stepped into Lynch’s office, according to actor and filmmaker Scott Coffey. Coffey remarked, “She was a huge fan and wanted to do anything on Twin Peaks.” She secured a job as an intern at Lynch’s production firm, Asymmetrical Productions, where she stayed for five years.
Scott Coffey directed Jennifer Syme in five indie short films, the most recent of which, Ellie Parker, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2001. Syme went on to work for a record label. She was also a personal assistant to Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro and then the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
She made her film debut in David Lynch’s Lost Highway in 1997, in a tiny role credited as “junkie girl.” She had a brief appearance in Scott Coffey’s film Ellie Parker, released in 2005, credited as a “casting chick,” replicating the role she had in the 2001 short film of the same name. She was enrolled in a film supervision school at UCLA and worked as a record label executive when she died in 2001.
Jennifer Syme met actor Keanu Reeves in 1998 at a party organized for Reeves’ rock band, Dogstar, and the two began dating, according to sources. Maria St. John, Jennifer’s mother, refuted the accusations, claiming that the two had known each other for a decade and that she was with Jennifer when she met Reeves, and that it was not at a party.
