Geologist Samuel Reeves (half-Chinese and half-Hawaiian) and Patricia (English) welcomed the birth of their son in Beirut, Lebanon in 1964. They named their boy Keanu, which means "cool breeze over the mountains" in Hawaiian. The Reeves family moved to Austrailia, and in 1966 Keanu's sister Kim was born. Unfortunately the marriage didn't survive much longer and Keanu, Kim and Patricia moved once again. It was to New York this time.

Patricia met and married Broadway and Hollywood director, Paul Aaron. Toronto, Canada was the next place that Keanu would call home with his family, Keanu still retains his Canadian citizenship. Divorce followed less than a year later, but Keanu, Kim and Patricia remained in Toronto. He attended Jesse Ketchum Public School from kindergarten through grade eight. His mother would remarry twice. First to rock-and-roll promoter Robert Miller in 1976, with whom Keanu's half-sister Karina was born. Then to Jack Bond, a hair salon owner whom she divorced in 1994. Keanu has described himself as "A bourgeois, middle-class white boy with an absent father, a strong -willed mother, and two beautiful younger sisters."

Keanu began acting in High School but at the age of seventeen he dropped out of the school system completly. His passions were hockey and the theater, and was able to combine the two by reciting Shakespeare while tending goal at a hockey game. His love for hockey was very helpful in landing a roll in "Young Blood" (1986) with Rob Lowe. Keanu decided it was time to leave Canada and pursue his acting career full force. He was off to New York in his old Volvo and $3000 in his pocket.

With the help from ex-stepfather, Paul Aaron, Keanu landed a roll in "River's Edge" in 1987 where he played a misunderstood teenager. From there, his career continued to grow and soon he was catching the attention of more mainstream directors. Being cast in "Dangerous Liaisons", "Bram Stoker's Dracula", "Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure ", and "Little Buddha" gained him the recognition he deserved.

He hit the jackpot in 1994's mega-hit "Speed" where he starred opposite Sandra Bullock. It grossed close to $300 million at the box office world-wide. Suddenly Keanu Reeves was a hot commodity in Hollywood and was reportedly offered up to $7 million for his services. His rolls in "Chain Reaction" and "The Devils Advocate" catapulted him to stardom.

Currently you can catch Keanu in his new Sci-fi action thriller "Matrix", where he thinks he is living a normal life in 1999. He eventually discovers, after having flashbacks of being in a lab, that he, along with the rest of humanity, is living in a computer-generated world far in the future. He finds that computers are using humans as their energy source.

One can only guess at what makes Keanu Reeves the successful actor that he is. Perhaps it began with his exposure to different cultures in his early years or his melting pot of nationalities. Possibly the variety of father figures and experiences gives him his versatility. His good looks certainly haven't hindered his success either. In the end, it's simply his raw talent and unmistakable style that makes Keanu the star he is.