50 reasons why you’re right to love Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves is fifty. His career spans nearly 30 years. He has played characters ranging from Le Chevalier Raphael Danceny in Dangerous Liaisons to Theodore “Ted” Logan in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Neo in The Matrix. He appears younger than his years.

Unlike many Hollywood actors, Reeves is respected as much for his character as his acting. He maintains a reputation for humility and professionalism. These fifty facts explain why he remains a cultural icon.

Origins and early career

• His first name means “cool breeze over the mountains” in Hawaiian.
• Early in his career, his agent thought his name was too exotic. He was credited in some films as K.C. Reeves, Norman Kreeves or Chuck Spadina.
• He loves ballroom dancing.
• His English mother, Patricia Taylor, designed costumes for rock stars including Alice Cooper.
• He reportedly wrestled with Alice Cooper as a child. His childhood friend said Alice tied them up like a human knot.
• He was best friends with River Phoenix, who passed away in 1993.

Generosity and dedication

• He is not concerned with his earnings. He took pay cuts on The Replacements (90%) and The Devil’s Advocate ($2 million) so Gene Hackman and Al Pacino could be cast.
• He gave $50 million of his $70 million earnings from The Matrix sequels to the special effects and makeup staff. He stated that money is the last thing he thinks about and he could live on his current wealth for centuries.
• He is dedicated to his craft. He learned over 200 martial arts moves for The Matrix Reloaded.
• He remains good friends with Alex Winter from the Bill & Ted movies.
• He is also still good friends with Speed co-star Sandra Bullock.

Personal interests and habits

• The Simpsons’ Jimbo Jones is based on his character from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
• He still owns the coat from The Matrix.
• He played bass in the bands Dogstar and Becky.
• He is left-handed but plays the bass right-handed.
• He played an on-and-off hockey game for 10 years with strangers he met on the street.
• He played ice hockey in high school.
• His hockey nickname was “The Wall”.
• He has a sense of humor about the Sad Keanu meme. He found his first experience with memes funny.

Character and convictions

• He speaks French.
• He has ridden motorcycles for years.
• He claimed to see a ghost as a child. He saw a white double-breasted suit with no body enter the room before disappearing.
• He became his sister’s caretaker when she was diagnosed with leukemia.
• He has donated millions of dollars to cancer research and hospitals.
• He remains diplomatic in debates. When asked if he prefers cats or dogs, he replied that it depends on the individual animal.
• He rides the subway and gives up his seat for others.

• He once gave the stunt crew of The Matrix Harley Davidsons.
• He turned down a role in Heat to play Hamlet at a small theater in Canada.
• He wrote the text for the picture book Ode to Happiness.
• Some observers suggest he is immortal.

Professional choices

• He turns down roles he considers too violent, such as the lead in Platoon.
• His films inspired hobbies including horseback riding and surfing.
• He hand-delivered the film treatment for My Own Private Idaho to River Phoenix by riding his motorcycle from Canada to Florida.
• He lost his daughter Ava, who was stillborn, in 2000.
• He lost his ex-girlfriend in a car crash the following year. He noted that grief changes shape but never ends.
• He starred in a Coca-Cola commercial at age 16.

• He used one of Bruce Lee’s signature moves in The Matrix.
• Despite having dyslexia, he is a voracious reader.
• He is humble about his appearance and has stated he does not consider himself handsome.
• He directed Man of Tai Chi in 2013.
• He gave the Holy Shotgun prop from Constantine to director Francis Lawrence as a gift.
• He initially turned down Speed because the script resembled Die Hard. He joined after Joss Whedon revised it.
• He spent time with New York defense attorneys to prepare for The Devil’s Advocate.
• He performed the scene in The Matrix where Neo climbs out of an office window 34 stories up.