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Keira Knightley is one of the most successful actresses on the planet, ranking 2nd on Forbes’ Highest Paid Actress listing in 2008. She’s consistently ranked highly on lists of the sexiest women in the world (FHM, Maxim, Vanity Fair, AskMen). She’s been in the spotlight for almost a decade, and while she didn’t start out there, she’s definitely worked hard to get to where she is today.

The British actress is the daughter of an award-winning playwright (her mother) and a theater and television actor (her father), so it’s probably safe to say that showbiz is in her blood. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that she worked her butt off to “make it” in Hollywood. In fact, she started out doing TV commercials and small guest roles.
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BBC via People
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She struggled with dyslexia as a child, but learned to read at the age of 6 after her mother promised to reward her with an agent if she did (she had been asking for one since the age of 3). Within a year she had scored a role in the British TV movie “Royal Celebration”
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Twentieth Century Fox
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Geeks started to take notice of Knightley in 1999 when she appeared as Sabe, the decoy for Queen Amidala in “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.” While it wasn’t a lead role, it did bring Knightley just a little bit further into the spotlight. Ironically, she was selected for the role solely based on her resemblance of Natalie Portman. Portman’s voice was even dubbed over Knightley’s to keep the surprise secret until the end of the movie.
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Fox Searchlight Pictures
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But her first real breakthrough role came in 2002 with the surprise success of “Bend It Like Beckham.” In this particular film she plays an 18-year-old profession soccer hopeful. In order to prepare for the role, Knightley underwent a grueling 20 weeks of soccer practice. Talk about dedication!
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Disney
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It was just a year later when she landed the role that she is best known for today; Elizabeth Swann in “Pirates of The Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” This role proved to be pivotal to her career, as the movie grew into a $4 billion franchise. She appeared in the first two sequels, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” (2007). It was at this point that men everywhere began to sit up and take notice. It was also during this time that she was named “the sexiest woman in the world” by an FHM magazine poll.
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Focus Features
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During the same time that pirates (read: men) everywhere were fighting over Elizabeth Swann, Knightley starred in a role that more women could relate to and appreciate. It was 2005 and the movie was “Pride and Prejudice,” based, of course, on the Jane Austen novel of the same name. Finally, Knightly had landed herself a lead role as Elizabeth Bennet, the central character of the story. It marked the first time, but definitely not the last.
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Focus Features
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During the first few years following her success with “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Keira Knightly appeared in several movies as well as TV and video shorts, but none of which achieved anywhere near the same level of success. Her most recent endeavor, which opens today, does look promising. In “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World,” Knightly stars as Penny, a neighbor who decides to help Dodge (Steve Carell) find his high school love in the face of an impending asteroid apocalypse. However, as the journey progresses, it is Penny that Dodge discovers his connection with.
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So while you check out the trailer for her latest film below, just remember … she’s come a long way from her first role for British TV in 1993!
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Official Synopsis: Set in a too-near future, a man searches for a meaningful connection as humanity’s last days are at hand. Can he find his greatest love at the worst possible time? As the respective journeys of Dodge and Penny converge, the two spark to each other and their outlooks – if not the world’s – brighten.