<Tr> <Th> Parent (s) </Th> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Will Knightley </Li> <Li> Sharman Macdonald </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> Will Knightley </Li> <Li> Sharman Macdonald </Li> </Ul> <P> Keira Christina Knightley (/ ˌkɪərə ˈnaɪtli /; born 26 March 1985) is an English actress . She began acting as a child on television and made her film debut in 1995 . After having worked in supporting roles in various films, Knightley gained recognition with the comedy - drama Bend It Like Beckham in 2002 . She achieved international fame after landing the role of Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series . One of the highest - paid actresses of Hollywood, Knightley has won an Empire Award, and has garnered multiple nominations for the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award . </P> <P> Knightley became known for starring in period dramas such as Pride & Prejudice (2005), for which she earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress; Atonement (2007), for which she was nominated again for a Golden Globe; Silk (2007); The Duchess (2008); A Dangerous Method (2011); and Anna Karenina (2012). She has also appeared in a variety of other genres, including the romantic comedy Love Actually (2003), as Guinevere in the historical action King Arthur (2004), the psychological thriller The Jacket (2005), biographical action Domino (2005), the historical romantic drama The Edge of Love (2008), the film noir London Boulevard (2010), the dystopian science fiction Never Let Me Go (2010), the romantic drama Last Night (2010), and the dark comedy Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012). </P>

Who played the girl in pirates of the caribbean 5