Keanu Reeves has become one of the stars that is referenced time and time again in pop culture, and mimicked in animated shows, but is now rarely seen. He has been a star for many decades with major blockbuster hits such as the Bill and Ted franchse, Speed, My Own Private Idaho and of course The Matrix under his belt. In terms of celebrity there are few as unique as Keanu Reeves who is not shy about sharing his thoughts and opinions about life, regardless of how strange they seem to some. He has been through much more than most realize, and there is so much more to him than the fact that he is a celebrity. He has said before: “I’m Mickey Mouse. They don’t know who’s inside the suit.” So, get to know him better with these 10 interesting facts:
10. Parents
Keanu Charles Reeves was born on September 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon to Patricia Bond and Samuel Nowlin Reeves Jr. Reeves gets English, Hawaiian, Chinese and Portuguese heritage from his parents, who named him after his uncle Henry Keanu Reeves, while the name Keanu is a derivation of his great-great uncle’s name Keaweaheulu which means “the soft breeze rising” in Hawaiian. His mother was a costume designer and a performer who worked with many rock stars including Alice Cooper, while his father was a geologist. Reeves’ father abandoned his family when Keanu was only three, and he last saw his dad on the island of Kauai when he was 13. His father ended up being imprisoned in Hawaii for two years in 1994 after being caught selling heroin at the Hilo International Airport. Keanu went on to live with various stepfathers including Paul Aaron, a Broadway and Hollywood director, and Robert Miller, a rock promoter. Despite moving frequently, Keanu was mostly raised in Yorkville, a neighborhood in Toronto, Canada.
Michael Germana/Everett Collection