KEANU REEVES, both the name and the star, offer a unique and intriguing combination of qualities, a  rare blend of the exotic and the familiar.  "Keanu" is Hawaiian, meaning "cool breeze over the mountains", and indicative of the half Hawaiian, half Chinese heritage of his father.  "Reeves", albeit his father's surname, points out that he has western European roots as well.  His mother Patricia was English.  Born 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon, Keanu has also lived  in Australia, New York City, and Toronto, Canada.  His mother and father divorced when he was a child.  He has two younger sisters, Kim and Karina.

After moving to Hollywood in 1986, Keanu developed a lengthy and increasingly impressive list of credits including: Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Parenthood (1989), Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989),  Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), Point Break (1991), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Little Buddha (1993), A Walk in the Clouds (1995), Chain Reaction (1996), Feeling Minnesota (1996) and the Devil's Advocate (1997). 

Photo by Brian Hamill - Warner Brothers

Photo by Jasin Boland - Warner Brothers

He has worked with major stars including Glenn Close, Morgan Freeman, Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Anthony Quinn.  But perhaps his most noted star turn was for 1994's box office smash hit "Speed" with Sandra Bullock, and now for 1999's mega-hit "The Matrix" with Lawrence Fishburne.  After only 5 weeks of release, "The Matrix" has scored as Reeve's highest grossing film to date, expected to top $160 million in the U.S. alone. Amid all his box office success, Keanu still manages to perform and tour with his band, Dogstar.  He plays the bass guitar.