In 1999, the groundbreaking, mind blowing science-fiction/action movie, The Matrix. was first released in theaters. After earning a mind-blowing $463.5 million at the box office and winning four Academy Awards, the story of The Matrix is a happy one. But, this story isn’t about the movie; it’s about the franchise’s star, Keanu Reeves. Now 51, Keanu’s life has been full of more tragedy than you would expect from a celebrity. Despite each setback, he’s kept pushing forward.
Keanu was born on September 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon, the son of Patricia Bond and Samuel Nowlin Reeves, Jr. His mother is from Essex, England and his father, an American from Hawaii, has Native Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, and English ancestry. Keanu has said: “My grandmother is Chinese and Hawaiian, so I was around Chinese art, furniture and cuisine when I was growing up.” He has also spoken of his English ancestry via his mother, mentioning his happy watching of The Two Ronnies comedy show when he was younger, and how his mother taught him English Manners that he maintained into adulthood.
When Keanu was only three, his father left their family. They stayed in contact until he was six. After his parents’ divorce, their family moved from city to city. Because they moved so frequently, Keanu attended four high schools. He also struggled with dyslexia, so school was challenging for him. He eventually left high school without receiving a diploma, but is an avid reader today.
Keanu’s adult life has also been marked by tragedy. In 1993, his best friend River Phoenix died of a drug overdose at the age of 23. Then in 1998, Keanu met Jennifer Syme. The two fell in love and, by 1999, she was pregnant with their daughter. But, at eight-months pregnant their child was stillborn. The two were torn apart by the death of their daughter, but still remained close friends. Just 18 months after the death of their daughter, Syme died in a car accident.
Rather than being paralyzed by these incredible losses, Keanu persevered. He’s starred in a variety of blockbuster movies and has become a wealthy man. Perhaps the pain of his losses has made him feel indifferent about money. Keanu is extremely charitable.
He’s known in Hollywood for giving far more than was asked of him to the people who helped make his career possible. While most actors will give some token of appreciation to the crew when filming wraps, after the success of The Matrix and its sequels, Reeves gave an estimated $80 million of his $114 million earnings to the special effects and makeup staff. He also voluntarily took pay cuts on films like The Replacements and The Devil’s Advocate so that actors like Gene Hackman and Al Pacino would agree to be in the films, while keeping the film within budget.
There are also a few personal accounts from people who have experienced Keanu’s kindness first-hand. Redditor Kahi made the following comment about the Sad Keanu meme:
“A family friend builds movie sets, doesn’t design, is one of the poor dudes that just builds. Anyways he worked on the set for the Matrix and Keanu heard about family trouble he was having and gave him a $20,000 Christmas bonus to help him out. He also was one of the only people on the set that genuinely wanted to know people’s names, would say hello and mean it, and would talk to people as if they were his peers and not below him just because they were practically making nothing to build a set. I’ve never heard anyone say Keanu is a douche, seems like the nicest person in Hollywood from a second hand experience.”
Keanu Reeves is probably worth well over $100 million, yet he decides to ride the subway like a normal person. Maybe he’s trying to decrease his carbon footprint, or he wants to connect with people. Either way, it shows how incredibly down-to-earth he is. Someone even took some video of him giving up his seat to a woman on the subway. What a nice guy!
Keanu also takes care of his family and is a philanthropist. He became the caretaker for his sister, Kim, after she was diagnosed with leukemia. During his sister’s decade-long battle, he donated privately and publicly to numerous cancer charities, research centers, and hospitals. He even set up his own charity but decided against attaching his name to it. Some of the charities he supports are Stand Up To Cancer and the Sick Kids Foundation.
Keanu is also known as being a very wise man. When he was asked how it is that, through all of his pain, he has maintained his status as one of the nicest guys in the business and stayed so grounded, he said, “It’s easy to stay grounded. The ground is very close and we walk on it every day.” So true, Keanu. So true.
The post The Heartbreaking And Inspiring Life Of Keanu Reeves appeared first on Daily Vibes.