Best known for his role in the Matrix, Keanu Reeves credits his acting to learning to cope with his dyslexia in school. Reeves remarks that his acting career probably stemmed from his act often put on in school. A dyslexic, Reeves says he often pretended to understand school because it was his way of “coping with the fact that I didn’t really fit in.” (Source: DyslexiaHelp)
So many tragedies. So much success.
If life is like a rollercoaster ride, Keanu Reeves certainly had his share of ups and downs. But the acclaimed celebrity did not let the downs keep him down, however difficult they were.
One of the kindest, most respected actors in the business, Reeves is an optimist. As he himself said, “You have to change your life if you’re not happy, and wake up if things aren’t going the way you want. The person who was holding me back from my happiness was me.”
– Keanu R
From Speed to no stopping him
How appropriate that Reeves’ breakthrough film was Speed in 1994. Recognized by his fans worldwide as the superhero of the Matrix series which propelled him to stardom, as well as so many other iconic roles, Keanu hasn’t slowed down since.
However, as successful as his career is, Reeves’ personal struggles and tragic experiences are well documented, in spite of his reluctance to dwell on them.
A father’s abandonment
As a child, Reeves’ first disillusionment could be attributed to his father’s abandonment.
“In 1967, Samuel Nowlin Reeves abandoned his family – his wife Patricia Taylor, and two children Keanu and Kim. Keanu was only 3. They lived in Lebanon, Australia and New York, before settling down in Toronto.
Keanu visited his father occasionally until he was 6. After he turned 13, he visited him one last time at his Hawaiian farm. In a 2000 Rolling Stone interview, Keanu said, “Jesus, man. No, the story with me and my dad’s pretty heavy.
It’s full of pain and woe and f*cking loss and all that sh*t”.
Source: AnonHQ
A dyslexic and a school dropout
His school days were no walk in the park either. Like most children with dyslexia, Reeves struggled with traditional schooling. It didn’t help that Reeves lived in four different parts of the world before his mother made a more permanent home in Toronto, Canada. He eventually left high school without even receiving a diploma.
“Keanu’s sister Kim, counts among her childhood memories Keanu gleefully taking apart furniture with his toolset. A bigger headache for his mother must have been that both children were dyslexic.
They later became proficient readers, but it seems possible that dyslexia left some psychic scars, and may have led Keanu to be more visual and physical than verbal.” Source: Telegraph.
Coping with loss
These early challenges were only the beginning of a series of events that probably would have defeated a weaker man.
In 1993, he lost his best friend, fellow actor, River Phoenix, just 23, to an overdose of drugs. Over two decades later, Reeves commented, “He was a remarkable human person and actor. We got along very well, and I miss him. I think of him often.”
In 1998 Life seemed to be looking up. Reeves met Jennifer Syme, fell in love and got married. Soon, the pair looked forward to the birth of their first child. Tragically, in 2000, the baby girl was stillborn.
The marriage couldn’t survive the trauma of this loss and Keanu and Jennifer had an amicable divorce.
A year later, Syme died in a car accident. “Grief changes shape, but it never ends. People have a misconception that you can deal with it and say, ‘It’s gone, and I’m better’.
They’re wrong. When the people you love are gone, you’re alone. I miss being a part of their lives and them being part of mine.
I wonder what the present would be like if they were here – what we might have done together. I miss all the great things that will never be,” Keanu said in a 2006 Parade magazine interview. Source: AnonHQ
Keanu’s best friend, his sister, battles leukemia
Keanu’s sister, Kim, fell ill due to her decade long battle with leukemia. The cancer eventually fell into remission, but she is still fighting the disease. How did Keanu respond? He donated privately and publicly to numerous cancer charities, research centers, and hospitals.
He has set up his own charity and also supports Stand Up to Cancer and the SickKids Foundation.
A lesson to be learned
Few of us have been put to the test as often as Keanu Reeves. Yet this incredible human being has earned a well-deserved reputation as a truly good man, not by the success he’s enjoyed in his chosen profession, but by the humility he maintains, the causes he supports and the optimism he exudes despite all the tragedies he has faced.
The mark of a true superhero is not how many times he’s down, it’s how he copes. As Keanu puts it, “I’ve crashed a few times, ruptured my spleen – but I won’t give up.”
Keanu Reeves Facts
Background
- Keanu Charles Reeves (/kiˈɑːnuː/ kee-AH-noo) was born September 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon
- Mother: Patricia (née Taylor), a costume designer and performer, and father: Samuel Nowlin Reeves, Jr.[7]
- Father abandoned his wife and family when Reeves was three years old, but Reeves knew him until he was six. They last met on the island of Kauai when Reeves was 13.
- moved around the world frequently as a child, (Sydney, Australia, New York City, Toronto) and lived with various stepfathers
- Reeves attended four high schools, including the Etobicoke School of the Arts, from which he was expelled.
- Excelled more in sports than in academics, as his educational development was challenged by dyslexia.
Early career: 1980–1986
- Reeves began his acting career at the age of nine, appearing in a theatre production of Damn Yankees.[citation needed]
- At 15, he played Mercutio in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet at the Leah Posluns Theatre.[28]
- Reeves made his screen acting debut in an episode of Hangin’ In. In the early 1980s, he appeared in commercials (including one for Coca-Cola), short films including the NFB drama One Step Away[29] and stage work such as Brad Fraser‘s cult hit Wolfboy in Toronto.
- In 1984, he was a correspondent for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation TV youth program Going Great.[30]
- First studio movie appearance was Youngblood (1986)
- 1986 – a minor role in drama film River’s Edge,
- The 1980s – appeared in a number of movies aimed at teenage audiences, including the lead roles in Permanent Record and the unexpectedly successful 1989 comedy, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, along with its 1991 sequel, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. The same year he had a breakout role in the movie Parenthood.
Career
- Canadian actor, director, producer, and musician.
- Starred in several blockbuster films, including comedies from the Bill and Ted franchise(1989–1991); action thrillers Point Break (1991), Speed (1994), and the John Wick franchise (2014–2019); psychological thriller The Devil’s Advocate (1997); supernatural thriller Constantine (2005); and science fiction/action series The Matrix (1999–2003).
- Appeared in dramatic films, such as Dangerous Liaisons (1988), My Own Private Idaho (1991), and Little Buddha (1993), as well as the romantic horror Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992).
- Played bass guitar for the bands Dogstar and Becky.
- Played onstage as Prince Hamlet for the Manitoba Theatre Centre‘s production of Hamlet.
- Wrote the text for a picture book, Ode to Happiness, illustrated by Alexandra Grant.
- Produced a documentary, Side by Side, and directed the martial arts film Man of Tai Chi.
Private life
- On December 24, 1999, Reeves’ girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth eight months into her pregnancy to Ava Archer Syme-Reeves, who was stillborn.
- The strain put on their relationship by their grief resulted in their breakup several weeks later.
- On April 2, 2001, Syme died in a car accident.
Philanthropy and business
- Reeves set up a cancer charity, choosing not to attach his name to the organization;
- he has also supported PETA, the SickKids Foundation and Stand Up to Cancer.
- In 2014, he said in an interview that his sister Kim had battled leukemia for more than a decade.
- Co-founded a production company, Company Films. The company helped produce Henry’s Crime, a film in which Reeves stars.
- Co-founded Arch Motorcycle Company, which builds and sells custom motorcycles.