Keira Knightley: A British Bombshell Quiz

Answer: Christina

Keira Christina Knightley was born on March 26, 1985, in Teddington, Middlesex, England, UK. Sharman Knightley is Keira's mother's name. Her mother was a famous playwright. Jules is the character's name in "Bend It Like Beckham," which is probably the role that Keira was best know for.

Answer: True

Keira has said in interviews that she was dyslexic, though it's not official since she was never tested by the British Dyslexia Association. She overcame the problem when she was a teenager by working hard and wearing special glasses to help her read.

Answer: True

Keira was born second, after a brother, Caleb, born in 1979.

Answer: Fifteen

Keira was only 15 when she did her first nude scene, although by the time the movie was released, she was 16. It was for the movie "The Hole," in which Keira plays Frankie, a student at a British private school.

Answer: Pride and Prejudice

Keira played the role of Elizabeth Bennet in 2005's "Pride and Prejudice" opposite Matthew MacFayden as Mr. Darcy. The director, Joe Wright, didn't initially like the idea of Keira playing this role. He thought she might be too attractive to play the heroine, but obviously changed his mind. Elizabeth is one of the five Bennet daughters, the second oldest and considered the cleverest.

Answer: Food poisoning

Keira was suffering from food poisoning when she auditioned for this role. Since the character she was trying out for was supposed to suffer from alcoholism, the director thought Keira was perfect for the role.

Answer: New Year's Eve

"Stories of Lost Souls" was compiled of six short stories. Keira starred in the segment "New Year's Eve," written and directed by Colin Spector and co-starring Philip Herbert ("Sabotage!") and Stephen Mangan ("Billy Elliot"). It followed the story of a middle-class man who, at a New Year's Eve party, found himself attracted to a gorgeous young woman (Knightley).

She told him that she was 17, though she was much younger. Keira's role in this short film was small but she managed to catch the eye.

Answer: Bend It Like Beckham

When released in the United States, "Bend it Like Beckham" was far from a box-office hit. Upon the release of "Pirates of the Caribbean," distributors of "Bend it Like Beckham" realized that one of its two stars was garnering interest for her role as Elizabeth Swann. They quickly took the unusual step of rereleasing "Bend it Like Beckham" in the US where it jumped from number 26 to number 12.
"Bend it Like Beckham" explores the world of women's football (soccer) and follows the story of two 18 year olds, Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) and Jules Paxton (Knightley).

Answer: Bend it Like Beckham

Keira won this award as the British Newcomer of the Year in 2003 for her role in "Bend it Like Beckham." For that same role, Keira also won the 2002 Golden Wave award at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema for Best Actress, for which she tied with co-star Parminder Nagra.

Answer: Pride & Prejudice

In 2005, Keira was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for the 2006 Golden Globe Awards for her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennett in the film adaptation of Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice."