The Canadian National Newspaper: Toronto's Keanu Reeves supports many charitable causes

His first name refers to a cool breeze over the mountains (Or 'coolness') in Hawaiian. The deeper meaning is "one who is constantly absorbed in God consciousness," while the magazine Time refers to him as the embodiment of "freon-cool satori."

Keanu was born in Beirut, Lebanon on September 2, 1964 to a British mother and a father of Hawaiian-Chinese decent. His name in Hawaiian means cool breeze over the mountains. When Keanu's parents divorced he moved with his mother to New York where she met director Paul Aaron. They all moved to Toronto, and became Canadian citizens (which Keanu still is). Keanu has lived in Lebanon, Australia, New York, Toronto, and now California.

Reeves gained the notice of the critics in 1986's River's Edge, but his first major film role was in 1986, in the hockey movie YoungBlood, starring Rob Lowe. Reeves's first popularly successful film was Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, in 1989. Indeed, and perhaps unfortunately for Reeves, much of his subsequent portrayal in the press has been influenced by his comically airheaded character Ted in that film.

His work in diverse roles span from small independent movies such as My Own Private Idaho to major blockbusters like The Matrix. Reeves reprised his starring role from that movie for the sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both box-office hits.

In December 1999, Reeves' girlfriend, gave birth to his stillborn daughter who was named 'Ava Archer Reeves'.

On January 31, 2005, Keanu Reeves was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his achievements in the entertainment industry. Usually this honor is tied with a recent project from the artist, Reeves' was his latest film Constantine.

Reeves is reported to be very generous with his time and money, lending both to a variety of causes. He took a significant amount of the profits from his Matrix series and treated the 12 hard-working stuntmen to motorcycles, among other things. He does not have (by 'Hollywood' standards) many possessions and keeps his life uncluttered. He began playing bass with the rock band Dogstar, which has now gone "into hibernation". More recently, he played bass in a band called Becky with former Dogstar drummer Rob Mailhouse, guitarist Paulie Costa and singer Rebecca Lord. In early 2005, he announced that he left the band and his musical career for good.

Unlike many actors of today, Reeves is known to defer salaries if it means getting another actor for the film. He deferred his salary for The Devil's Advocate so Al Pacino could be cast, and The Replacements for Gene Hackman.

Reeves once managed a pasta shop in Toronto. (Source: The Book of Useless Information, page 18, published 2002.)

He is reportedly fond of chess, motorcycles, ice hockey, and plays a ferocious game of ping-pong.

When he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, several ads were published congratulating Reeves on receiving his star, one of them was signed as Sandy B. as in Sandra Bullock his Speed Co-star, she congratulated him and expected him to do the same when she got hers... A few weeks later Sandra received her star and she got her one page congrat ad from "Neo" himself.