Keanu Reeves
From WhatRumors: The Celebrity Gossip Wiki
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An actor and musician, Keanu Reeves became a household name thanks to his gift at playing clueless but sweet guys and his ability to utter the word "woah" in a mesmerizing way.
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Career
Reeves wasn't always cast as the dimwitted stoner character that he became famous for. His first acting role was at age 9 in a stage production of Damn Yankees and he appeared on a Canadian comedy show called Hangin' In in 1979. He worked hard as as a teen, doing commercials for Coke and appearing in any role he could land.
His first big screen shot was a gig he got because he was in the right place at the right time and knew how to play hockey. A Rob Lowe hockey movie was filming in Canada and Reeves was cast as a goalie. When the movie, Youngblood, hit the theaters and Reeves headed to Hollywood in his used Volvo. Thanks to a connection from his former stepfather Paul Aaron, a stage and tv director, he was able to find an agent. Aaron convinced Erwin Stoff to be his manager site unseen and before Keanu stepped foot in California; an agent who still represents Keanu to this day.
Stoff was able to find plenty of work for Keanu but most of the roles were small. But Keanu was determined and finally a role came along that would change his life. Reeves was cast as Ted, one half of the time traveling stoner duo, in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. The movie was a huge success in early 1989. His next big role was playing yet another lovable stoner in Parenthood in late 1989. The movie was his second big screen hit and people began to confuse Keanu's on-screen personality with who he was off-screen. His next few roles, including the sequel to Bill and Ted, only helped drive this home.
Reeves made the change from lovable moron to action hero when he starred in 1991's Point Break. The movie was trashed by most critics but loved by the public and became a cult classic. By following this up with Speed, Reeves was back in the public but as an action star this time.
That wasn't satisfying for Reeves though. He wanted to be taken seriously as an actor and his range to consist of more than action star or doofus. Before Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, he was on that track. He co-starred in Dangerous Liasons, a period piece about slutty Victorians. After Bill and Ted, he took on one of the main roles in the remake of Much Ado About Nothing and in the indie hit My Own Private Idaho with the late River Phoenix. Directors remembered this range but many of these "serious" roles didn't turn into box office gold.
When Reeves was offered Speed 2: Cruise Control, he declined and many people considered his career over. These critics changed their mind once seeing the catastrophe that was Speed 2 and praised Reeves for ability to see the movie as the piece of crap it was. His next big role was in The Matrix as Neo. The movie was one of the biggest surprise hits of 1999 and solidified Keanu's spot on the A-list. His next roles were either in romantic comedies or sci-fi movies. While not every movie has made the blockbuster list, Reeves is still considered a profitable star. He is consistently in top ten fan favorite lists and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005.
Music
Keanu Reeves decided to give music a try in 1992 by filling in for a friend's band, the Vandals, and playing bass. This led to Reeves becoming one of the many Hollywood stars who try their hand at being in a band. His band, Dogstar, became tabloid and entertainment news magazine show fodder. Reeves was the bass player and while the band toured for some time, they are now "in hibernation" according to Reeves. He then moved onto playing for the band Becky with some of his former Dogstar bandmates and appeared in an Anthrax video. In 2005, Keanu made the decision to put all his musical aspirations on hold and devote his time to acting.
Personal Life
Early Life
Reeves never had an easy life growing up. He was born in 1964 to Patricia Taylor and Samuel Nowlin Reeves, Jr. They met in Beruit and were married though it was a troubled relationship. His father decided when Keanu was 13 to leave the family for good, which included Keanu's younger sister Alice and his mother. Until Keanu became famous, his father did not attempt to make contact. In 1992, his father was caught dealing cocaine at the airport in Hilo, Hawaii. He was sentenced to 10 years and tried to reach out to his famous son with no success.
Keanu's life with his mother wasn't one of ease. Patricia Taylor was married 4 times throughout Keanu's childhood. While his mother would pursue another marriage, Keanu and his sister were left with his grandparents or forced to move around. When his mother married Paul Aaron, the whole family moved from New York to Canada and Keanu became a Canadian citizen. But the relationship ended quickly and the family stayed in Canada. Acting was something Keanu felt he had to do and dropped out of high school at 17. It was Paul Aaron who had the longest relationship with Keanu and was the first person Keanu turned to when he moved to Hollywood to pursue acting.
Personal Relationships
Keanu is an actor who has tried to enjoy life out of the public eye. His relationships rarely are public and he stays on the move to keep the paparazzi away. He lived in hotels or rented homes. He's also lived on a long-term basis as the infamous Chateau Marmont. Despite all his fame and success, he didn't purchase his own place in Hollywood until 2003. He also bought an apartment in Hollywood during this time.
His dating life, that of which the media knows little of, is filled with heartbreak. Keanu has never been married but came close to doing so while dating Jennifer Syme. In 1999, the two were thrilled to be expecting a child. The child, a daughter they named Ava Archer Syme Reeves, was born in December 1999. She was stillborn and the couple buried their child in Hollywood and mourned her death in private. The stress from losing the child was hard on their relationship and the two split up right after Ava's death but reconciled a short time later. Less than 2 years later, tragedy struck again for the two as Jennifer was in an auto accident in late March 2001. Jennifer was still suffering through major depression from the loss of Ava and was given clonazepam to help with anxiety problems. The hospital that treated her after the wreck prescribed the powerful muscle relaxer cyclobenzaprine to help with back pain. On April 1, 2001, Jennifer attended a party held by Marilyn Manson's Hollywood home. While there, she attempted to ease her pain with alcohol and cocaine. Manson had an associate drive Jennifer home but she decided to return to his home to party. She ran into 3 parked cars while behind the wheel and was thrown from her vehicle. She was pronounced dead on the scene by the authorities on April 2, 2001.
Reeves told the police that the two were together while they investigated the accident. He served as a pallbearer at Jennifer's service. She was buried by their daughter Ava in a Hollywood cemetery. Her funeral was attended by David Lynch and Dave Navarro, both who served as pallbearers with Reeves. Jennifer's family sued Marilyn Manson after the police released the factors contributing to her accident as well as two rolled up dollar bills covered in white powder. Reeves has only spoken vaguely about the death of Jennifer and their daughter to the media. While doing press for The Matrix trilogy in 2003, Keanu was asked about fate. He told the reporter that he hasn't adopted his character Neo's zen-like philosophy: "People say everything happens for a reason. I don't buy that."
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