Keanu Charles Reeves, whose first name means "cool breeze over the mountains" in Hawaiian, was born September 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is the son of Patricia Taylor, a showgirl and costume designer, and Samuel Nowlin Reeves, a geologist. Keanu's father was born in Hawaii, of British, Portuguese, Native Hawaiian, and Chinese ancestry, and Keanu's mother is originally from England. After his parents' marriage dissolved, Keanu moved with his mother and younger sister, Kim Reeves, to New York City, then Toronto.

Reeves never reconnected with his biological father. In high school, Reeves was lukewarm toward academics but took a keen interest in ice hockey and drama. He eventually dropped out of school to pursue an acting career.

After a few stage gigs and a handful of made-for-TV movies, he scored a supporting role in the Rob Lowe hockey flick "Youngblood" (1986), which was filmed in Canada. His first popular success was the role of totally rad dude Ted "Theodore" Logan in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure' (1989).

Following several box office failures, Reeves's performance in the horror film "The Devil's Advocate" (1997) was well received. Greater stardom came for playing Neo in the science fiction series "The Matrix", beginning in 1999.

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