No other actor in Hollywood today has quite the appeal of The Matrix Resurrections star Keanu Reeves. The 57-year-old Canadian actor's career began with iconic classics like Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure (1981), Point Break (1991) and the box office hit Speed (1994) before reaching stardom with his role as the computer hacker turned rebellion saviour, Thomas Anderson aka Neo, in 1999's groundbreaking blockbuster The Matrix.
Twenty years later Reeves puts on the trench coat and sunglasses one more time as he stars in The Matrix Resurrections (out now at Malaysian cinemas). Today, fans know Reeves not only as Hollywood royalty but also as one of the kindest personalities around. His genuine acts of kindness in public and dedication to his work has earned the respect of critics and fans. This has also made him the subject of many Internet memes, with netizens praising him as an example of the best in humanity.
But this is just the surface of what we know about Reeves. It's time to take the red pill and dive deeper with five facts you may not have known about Keanu Reeves.
Reeves is the son of Chinese Hawaiian farmer, Samuel Nowlin Reeves Jr and Canadian costume designer Patricia Taylor. Both parents divorced in 1966 when Reeves was two which caused a massive rift between father and son. In addition Samuel admitted to Honolulu Star Bulletin in 2001 of struggling with drug abuse during his son's formative years. Keanu Reeves told Rolling Stone in 2000: "The story with me and my dad's pretty heavy. It's full of pain and woe." Shortly after the divorce, Reeves and his mum moved to Canada to start a new life. Despite his Asian roots, Reeves told People magazine he didn't feel fit being a "spokesperson" for the Asian community as he is only half-Asian.
Known for his intellectual opinions on life, Reeves was allowed to express his more artistic side with visual artist and partner Alexandra Grant, 48, in the book Ode To Happiness. The book, published in 2011, contains humourous poems by Reeves and illustrations by Grant. In 2015 the artistic couple co-wrote another book Shadows, an examination of one's own shadow. "I thought it was fantastic," Reeves told BBC in 2011 on the release of Ode To Happiness. "Holding it, I just had this moment of looking at it and going, 'Wow, if I'd like to have this, then other people would like to have this,' so we tried to make it a work as a book."
In 2013, Reeves collaborated with Chinese martial artist and Matrix stunt performer Tiger Hu Chen in Man From Tai Chi. This film marks the first time the actor has sat in the directors chair. The film also stars Reeves as a leader of an illegal fight club who recruits Tiger (played by Chen) to be his best fighter.
In the 1990s while staring in multiple high profile films Reeves took time to explore his musical side with the rock band Dogstar. Dogstar formed in 1991 and disbanded in 2002, comprised Reeves on bass, Robert Mailhouse on drums and Bret Domrose on guitar and vocals. The band attained moderate success but received significant media attention due to Reeves' celebrity status.
Reeves has established his own charitable organisation. It is likely that the actor made the decision to start one after one of his sisters, Kim Reeves, was diagnosed with leukemia in the 1990s. "My brother is my prince, He listens to every word, to every comma after every word, that you are saying," she told People in 2001 about Reeves.
“I have a private foundation that’s been running for five or six years, and it helps aid a couple of children’s hospitals and cancer research,” Reeves revealed during an interview with Ladies Home Journal back in 2009. “I don’t like to attach my name to it, I just let the foundation do what it does.”
In the past, Reeves has supported organisations such as PETA and Stand-Up To Cancer.
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