Will Knightley
Encyclopedia
Will Knightley is an English
actor.
He has primarily worked in on the stage, and is a founder member of London
's Half Moon Theatre
. In addition to acting, he has performed voice-over work. He has had TV stints in The Bill
, Frost, Midsomer Murders and various adverts. In 2009 he appears in the BBC drama A Short Stay In Switzerland.
In 2004, he appeared on the British series Rosemary & Thyme
in the episode 'Orpheus in the Undergrowth' as character Jeremy Pearson. He is the father of actress Keira Knightley
.
, England
where he has lived ever since. Knightley grew up in east London along with his older brother Colin. He is a fan of West Ham United FC. He always pursued the stage (he often starred in school plays and small town drama theatricals). He made his professional debut in the 1969 Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood when he was 23.
Knightley trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama
. He is married to Sharman Macdonald Knightley
, a Scottish
dramatist. The couple have two children, son Caleb (born 1979) and daughter Keira
(born 1985); both their children are professional actors.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actor.
He has primarily worked in on the stage, and is a founder member of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Half Moon Theatre
Half Moon Theatre
The Half Moon Theatre Company was formed in 1972 in a rented synagogue in Alie Street, Aldgate, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Half Moon Passage was the name of a nearby alley...
. In addition to acting, he has performed voice-over work. He has had TV stints in The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, Frost, Midsomer Murders and various adverts. In 2009 he appears in the BBC drama A Short Stay In Switzerland.
In 2004, he appeared on the British series Rosemary & Thyme
Rosemary & Thyme
Rosemary & Thyme is a British television mystery series that starred Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris as gardening detectives Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme. The show began on ITV in 2003, and the third series ended in August 2007...
in the episode 'Orpheus in the Undergrowth' as character Jeremy Pearson. He is the father of actress Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
.
Background
He was born to Violet and William Francis Knightley in the spring of 1946 in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he has lived ever since. Knightley grew up in east London along with his older brother Colin. He is a fan of West Ham United FC. He always pursued the stage (he often starred in school plays and small town drama theatricals). He made his professional debut in the 1969 Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood when he was 23.
Knightley trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
. He is married to Sharman Macdonald Knightley
Sharman Macdonald
Sharman Macdonald is a Scottish playwright, screenwriter, and former actress. She is the mother of Academy Award-nominee Keira Knightley.-Career:...
, a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
dramatist. The couple have two children, son Caleb (born 1979) and daughter Keira
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
(born 1985); both their children are professional actors.
Selected credits
- Calendar GirlsCalendar GirlsCalendar Girls is a 2003 comedy film directed by Nigel Cole. Produced by Buena Vista International and Touchstone Pictures, it features a screenplay by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi based on a true story of a group of Yorkshire women who produced a nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia...
(2009, stage play) - Flight Path (2007, stage play)
- Cinderella (2005-6, stage pantomimePantomimePantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
) as Baron Hardup - Lone Star Mark Three (2005, stage play)
- The Permanent WayThe Permanent WayThe Permanent Way is a play by David Hare first performed in 2003.In 1991 the British government decided to privatise the country's railways. David Hare recounts the development through the powerful first-hand accounts of those most intimately involved...
(2005, stage play) as - The Brief (2004, TV series) as Gerry Graham
- Rosemary & Thyme (2004, TV series) as Jeremy Pearson
- Our God's Country (2002, stage play) as Captain Arthur Phillip
- The School for ScandalThe School for ScandalThe School for Scandal is a play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on May 8, 1777.The prologue, written by David Garrick, commends the play, its subject, and its author to the audience...
(1996-7, stage play) as Sir Peter Teasle - Woman In Mind (1994, stage play) as Andy
- Hush (1992, stage play) as Colin
- Diplomatic Waves (1989, stage play) as John
- Wild HoneyWild Honey (play)Wild Honey is a 1984 adaptation by British playwright Michael Frayn of an earlier play by Anton Chekhov. The original work, a sprawling five-hour drama from Chekhov's earliest years as a writer, has no title but it is usually known in English as Platonov, from its principal character "Mikhail...
(1984, stage play) - Epsom DownsEpsom Downs (play)Epsom Downs is a 1977 play by Howard Brenton. Taking its name from the racecourse at which it is set, the play presents a panorama of race-goers, horse-owners, bookies, jockeys, etc...
(1977, stage play) - Afternoon Theatre: Only A Game (1976, radio play)