Keira Christina Knightley (IPA: [ˌkerəˈnaɪtlɪ]; born 26 March 1985) is a Golden Globe-, BAFTA-, and Academy Award-nominated English film and television actress and former fashion model. She began her career as a child and came to international prominence in 2003 after co-starring in the films Bend It Like Beckham and Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.Keira Knightley has appeared in several Hollywood films and earned an Academy Award nomination for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice and has received critical praise for her newest role as Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, in The Duchess.
As of 2008, Forbes claims Keira Knightley to be the second highest paid actress in Hollywood (behind Cameron Diaz), having reportedly earned $32 million in 2007, making her the only non-American person on the list of highest paid actors or actresses. Keira Knightley, however has denied such a figure.