The Heartbreaking Life of Keanu Reeves

The Heartbreaking Life of Keanu Reeves

Some of you may know him as the totally excellent slacker from “Bill & Ted,” while others will have admired his action chops in “Point Break” and “The Matrix.” Or maybe you’ve just heard that he’s the nicest guy ever. But whenever you do hear something about actor Keanu Reeves, there’s always a sense of mystery about whether or not it’s true. And that’s mainly because his past is so veiled in intrigue, a lot of which revolves around some deeply saddening points in his personal life. Welcome to WatchMojo and in this video, we explore the Heartbreaking Life of Keanu Reeves, from his whoas, to his woes.





Although Reeves has been acting on stage since he was nine years old, it wasn’t until the early ‘80s that he made his screen debut in an episode of the Canadian sitcom, “Hangin' In.” But given that his step-father, or at least one of his step-fathers, was a Broadway and Hollywood director, it’s a wonder why his break didn’t come sooner. Well, like most of Reeves’ early years, unpredictability had a lot to do with it. Born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1964, Reeves’ parents split after his dad abandoned his family when he was just three years old. What soon followed were multiple re-marriages by his mother and numerous relocations to places like Sydney and New York. Most of his childhood however, was spent in Toronto.







Due to his somewhat diverse youth, Reeves attended four high schools in just five years, one of which he was expelled from due to his “rambunctious” behavior, as he puts it. He’s also spoken out about how he struggled with dyslexia while studying. And although he had a rather successful stint as an ice hockey goalkeeper, he decided to shelve his Olympic ambitions and set his sights on acting at the age of 15. Ultimately, he dropped out of high school when he was 17 and didn’t obtain his high school diploma. But determined to follow his dream of being an actor, he moved to L.A. when he was 20, and got his first gig on the aforementioned “Hangin' In” sitcom. Oh, and who can forget his appearance in this ‘80s Coca-Cola commercial!





His first significant movie role came in 1986’s “River’s Edge,” and thanks to its critical success, many other roles followed, including two huge breakout roles in 1989’s “Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure” and “Parenthood.” Slowly but surely, Reeves was climbing up the pecking order as one of Hollywood’s big up-and-coming talents. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, however, as Reeves spent a lot of his time in the early ‘90s caring for his sister Kim, who was diagnosed with leukemia. Since then, Reeves has done a lot to help further cancer research, donating large chunks of his salary to the effort - and a bunch of other charities too.






With 1991’s “Point Break” and 1994’s “Speed,” Reeves managed to defy critics’ typecast expectations and become a bona fide action hero. And during his ascension to A-list fame, Reeves became extremely close friends with River Phoenix - an actor of a similar age and outlook to himself. They famously co-starred alongside each other in “My Own Private Idaho.” But sadly, Phoenix suddenly died in 1993 from a drug overdose. Reeves was absolutely devastated - but determined to stay positive and not fall into the ever-present toils of young, astray actors.




Reeves has never been one to be motivated by money, with numerous stories being told about how he’s basically given away his earnings. But his ambition to delve deeper into his acting and self-fulfillment was embodied in the mid-’90s when he refused to return for the “Speed” sequel, despite being reportedly offered a huge $11 million paycheck. Instead, Reeves opted to tour with his band “Dogstar” and take on the leading role of “Hamlet” in a stage production. Unfortunately for Reeves, 20th Century Fox didn’t like that he’d shunned the sequel, reportedly blacklisting the actor from any of its productions for around 10 years.




1999 was arguably the biggest year of Reeves’ movie career - in the 20th century at least - as it saw him star as Neo in the blockbuster hit “The Matrix.” Coincidently, it also saw some inspiring hope for his sister Kim, who thankfully went into remission after her decade-long fight with cancer. But... the year still wasn't without suffering for Keanu. In December, Reeves’ then- girlfriend Jennifer Syme sadly gave birth to their stillborn eight-month child. This devastation put a lot of strain on Reeves and Syme’s relationship, and the couple broke up several weeks later. And Reeves suffered more heartache when Syme was involved in a tragic car accident in early 2001, which saw her thrown from the car and killed instantly.





In the new millennium, Reeves’ acting career and personal life has come under a lot of scrutiny. His lack of what some may deem as a typical Hollywood persona has thrown some people off, with some assuming his humble and grounded lifestyle is indicative of an actor that’s washed-up. In fact, to add insult to injury, he found himself being sued for over $700,000 by a photographer in 2008, who claimed Reeves injured him with his car. The photographer lost the suit, after a jury quickly dismissed any wrongdoing on Reeves’ behalf. Reeves’ quest for self-expression hasn’t dwindled, though. From the mid-noughties onwards, he’s starred in a highly eclectic list of movies, from “The Day the Earth Stood Still” to B-movies like “Henry’s Crime.” He’s even dabbled in documentary filmmaking, literature, and directing with 2013’s “Man of Tai Chi.”




On the surface, Reeves’ career can seemingly be summed up as a young actor who’s slowly grown out of cheesy ‘90s roles to become a bit of a hit and miss action star. But when you look at his personal life, you realize that that’s clearly not the full story. He’s faced turmoil some of us could only imagine in our worst nightmares. And yet, despite all of the emotional battery he’s taken, he has remained focused, level-headed, positive, and extremely humble - 2019’s so-called Keanuaissance had plenty of evidence of that. So it’s not that surprising that Keanu is commonly referred to as the nicest, most sincere guy in Hollywood.


And that… is the heartbreaking life of Keanu Reeves. He’s had plenty of reason over the years to go off the rails, but we’re glad he’s remained the likeable legend he is today.