Keira Knightley was born in Teddington, London, England, the daughter of Sharman Macdonald, an award-winning playwright, and Will Knightley, a theatre and television actor.Her father is English, and her mother is Scottish and of half Welsh ancestry. Keira Knightley has an elder brother, Caleb, who was born in 1979. Knightley lived in Richmond, attending Stanley Junior School, Teddington School and Esher College. Keira Knightley has dyslexia, but nevertheless was successful in school and was thus permitted to acquire a talent agent and pursue an acting career. Keira Knightley requested an agent as early as the age of three and got one when she turned six, from her mother as a reward for studying hard. Knightley has noted that she was "single-minded about acting" during her childhood. Keira Knightley performed in a number of local amateur productions, including After Juliet (written by her mother) and United States.
