Tragedies in the life of Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves: a difficult life
The story of Keanu Reeves
Keanu was abandoned as a child
The relocation of Keanu and his mother
Uprooted
Keanu did not have an easy childhood
Keanu Reeves: hockey player
Keanu Reeves: hockey to acting
Keanu Reeves: early acting
Keanu Reeves didn't finish high school
Keanu Reeves: Hangin' in
Keanu Reeves: Youngblood
Keanu's friendship with River Phoenix
My Own Private Idaho
A love story that scarred him for life
Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Syme
A terrible tragedy for the young couple
Keanu and Jennifer break up
Misfortune continues
Mourning
Keanu Reeves: not the first choice for The Matrix
Reeves vs. Depp, Kilmer, Cruise, DiCaprio...
Keanu Reeves' success as Neo
Stardom obscures Keanu Reeves' personal tragedy
Keanu Reeves: altruistic and supportive
Keanu Reeves: philanthropist
A quiet life
Keanu Reeves as John Wick
Keanu Reeves returns to the peaks of Hollywood
An inspiring story
To Keanu Reeves, money is not important
Happiness
Keanu Reeves: a difficult life

Actor Keanu Reeves is known for his 'chill' personality and calm demeanor. His life has been far from easy though. Take a look at his story!

The story of Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves was born in 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon, where his parents, Patricia Taylor (English) and his father Samuel Norlin Reeves Jr. (Hawaiian and Chinese descent) had met.

Keanu was abandoned as a child

When Keanu was only three years old, Samuel left them.

The relocation of Keanu and his mother

From then on, Patricia (Keanu's mother) started working as a fashion designer and the family moved to Hawaii, Australia, New York and Canada.

Uprooted

During his childhood and adolescence, Keanu Reeves attended numerous schools and institutes because of his family's many moves.

Keanu did not have an easy childhood

Keanu also suffered from dyslexia, so his time in school was not easy at all.

Keanu Reeves: hockey player

Keanu never stood out as a good student, but he did draw attention as a brilliant hockey player at De La Salle College in Toronto.

Keanu Reeves: hockey to acting

However, his dream of playing hockey professionally for Canada was shattered by a severe injury that prevented him from playing again. That's when he began to focus on his career as an actor.

Keanu Reeves: early acting

His experience as an actor had begun at the age of nine in the theatrical production 'Da** Yankees'.

Keanu Reeves didn't finish high school

When he was 17, he dropped out of high school without a diploma and moved to Los Angeles.

Keanu Reeves: Hangin' in

It was there, in California, where he debuted in an episode of the series 'Hangin' in' and appeared in several TV commercials.

Keanu Reeves: Youngblood

The first time he appeared in a studio film was in 'Youngblood' (1986), where he played a doorman from Quebec.

Keanu's friendship with River Phoenix

In 1991, Keanu got his first major role in the film 'My own private Idaho,' directed by Gus Van Sant. While shooting it, the actor met River Phoenix, who would eventually become one of his best friends.

My Own Private Idaho

Two years later, River Phoenix died from an overdose at the age of 23, leaving Keanu Reeves shattered. The actor would later lament in interviews that he "could have done more to prevent it".

A love story that scarred him for life

A few years after the death of his best friend, in 1997, Keanu Reeves met one of the big loves of his life. It would be a tragic romance, though.

Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Syme

Behind Keanu Reeves in the photo is Jennifer Syme, his new love in 1997. She was David Lynch's assistant director and also did some acting. There aren't many photos of her available, however.

A terrible tragedy for the young couple

Keanu and Jennifer fell madly in love and after two years she became pregnant. On December 24, 1999, she gave birth to the premature baby Ava Archer Syme-Reeves. Unfortunately, the girl was stillborn.

Keanu and Jennifer break up

The tragedy marked their relationship. The couple could not overcome their sadness and broke up soon after.

(Image: still from the movie 'Hardball')

Misfortune continues

The misfortunes did not end. A year and a half later, Syme died in a car accident while returning from a party at Marilyn Manson's house. She was just 28 years old.

Mourning

In 2006, Keanu said to Parade Magazine that these tragic events marked his life. "Grief changes shape, but it never ends. People have a misconception that you can deal with it, but they are wrong. When the people you love are gone, you're alone."

Keanu Reeves: not the first choice for The Matrix

In 1999, before the loss of his daughter, Keanu Reeves had started filming 'The Matrix'. He had not been the first choice for the Wachowski sisters, the directors of the film.

Reeves vs. Depp, Kilmer, Cruise, DiCaprio...

The names of Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Ewan McGregor, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Nicolas Cage had been called to play Neo, but they all rejected the role.

 

Johnny Depp: an icon in free fall

Keanu Reeves' success as Neo

The role of Neo established Keanu's career and made him one of the most acclaimed actors of the moment. He was at the level of stars like Johnny Depp or Tom Cruise.

Stardom obscures Keanu Reeves' personal tragedy

However, his moment of stardom (which would be prolonged during the Matrix trilogy and later films) was clouded by all the drama of the actor's personal life at that time.

Keanu Reeves: altruistic and supportive

The tragedies never prevented the actor from showing his most altruistic and supportive side. Some say that he renegotiated his contract for the Matrix sequels to donate 75 million dollars to the wardrobe and special effects department of the film, because he thought they were the real stars.

Keanu Reeves: philanthropist

The other part of the movie's profits Keanu sent to institutions researching cancer and leukemia, a disease suffered by his sister.

A quiet life

Between 2004 and 2014, Keanu Reeves participated in only 12 films, and they did not get a lot of media attention either. Many suspected that the actor's lack of professional activity was related to the traumatic events that had occurred in his life at the beginning of the decade.

Keanu Reeves as John Wick

In 2014 Keanu immersed himself in the production of the film 'John Wick', of which he was also the protagonist. It began as a low-budget action film, but in the end it became a cult phenomenon.

Keanu Reeves returns to the peaks of Hollywood

We can say that Keanu Reeves has returned as a successful actor. Since 2014, he has made more films than in the entire decade before that.

An inspiring story

The actor has managed to cope with his personal tragedies by being one of the most "zen" actors of Hollywood.

To Keanu Reeves, money is not important

In an interview with GQ magazine, Keanu said: "Money means nothing to me. I could live for the next few centuries with what I have already earned."

Happiness

"My idea of happiness is related to sleeping with the person I love, sharing a dinner with friends or riding a motorcycle. It has nothing to do with a multi-digit bank balance."

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