Happy Birthday Keanu Reeves: Lesser-known fact about the John Wick actor
Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves turned 61 on September 2. From being babysat by Alice Cooper to nearly being renamed “Chuck Spadina,” here are some fascinating lesser-known facts about the John Wick star.
Still a Canadian Keanu Reeves was born on September 2, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon. After his mother Patricia married her second husband, he, along with his mother, moved to Sydney, Australia, New York City, and finally Toronto. Keanu, who was born with Chinese, English, Irish, Native Hawaiian, and Portuguese ancestry, has remained connected to the Canadian roots where he spent most of his childhood before gaining a green card from his American stepfather. Even now, the actor continues to hold his Canadian citizenship despite his success in America.
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Babysat by Alice Cooper Keanu Reeves’ mother worked as a costume designer in Toronto, occasionally collaborating with well-known figures in the rock 'n' roll industry when Keanu was a child. She also designed costumes for Alice Cooper, who is now a rock musician. However, during an interview with Jimmy Fallon in 2017, Keanu revealed that he doesn't exactly remember it happening, but he has been told that rock musician Alice Cooper has babysat him before.
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Injury led to the end of ice hockey dreams Keanu Reeves fell in love with ice hockey when he was young and played as a goalie throughout his youth in Toronto and briefly in Los Angeles. He had the chance to try out for the Windsor Spitfires, an Ontario Hockey League hockey team, but he rejected the offer because he thought performing was his future. Keanu’s ice hockey career ended tragically due to an injury, leading him to focus on acting.
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First gig in a Coca-Cola commercial In the 1980s, Keanu earned a role as a cyclist in a Coke commercial after receiving roles on stage and Canadian television. During his 2018 appearance on The Late Late Show, hosted by James Corden, Keanu recalled the shooting of the commercial that continued for three days. During the shooting, he drank “so many Coca-Colas” and even shaved his legs to look more believable as a cyclist.
Almost renamed as Chuck Spadina During the initial phase in the entertainment industry, Keanu realised that some of the casting directors were reluctant to bring him in for auditions because his first name, which translates to "cool breeze over the mountains," was difficult to pronounce and appeared to be too exotic. To overcome this obstacle, Keanu started using ‘K.C. Reeves,’ ‘Chuck Spadina,’ and ‘Page Templeton III’ instead.
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Defer his salary to get other actors in his movies Keanu has worked with some of the prominent names in the industry over the years, including Al Pacino (1997’s The Devil’s Advocate), Gene Hackman (2000’s The Replacements), and Jack Nicholson (2003’s Something’s Gotta Give). The actor has voluntarily postponed his payment for the productions to free up some of their budget to be able to afford the actors.
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Might be married to Winona Ryder Keanu shared a screen with Winona Ryder in 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and had a scene in which their characters got married. Winona later revealed that director Francis Ford Coppola used a real priest in the scene and that both actors said their vows, hinting they might actually be married.
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Dyslexia diagnosis Keanu Reeves was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was a child and was forced to drop out of high school due to the challenges of traditional schooling. He later overcame his learning disabilities and found a passion for acting and storytelling in spite of these obstacles, which eventually drove his lucrative acting career.
Lost stillborn daughter and girlfriend Keanu Reeves' longtime girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, passed away tragically in a car accident in 2001, just 18 months after their daughter was stillborn around Christmas 1999. Although the couple remained friends, the stillbirth was a devastating loss that resulted in their permanent separation. Keanu and other friends carried Syme's coffin to her funeral after she died in a car accident at the age of 28 following a party.
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Collect vintage Typewriters Besides being a bike lover, Keanu also loves to collect vintage Typewriters. In a 2017 interview with Women's Health magazine, the actor admitted, “I like the sound and feel of the keys. There's something satisfying about having a thought, then seeing it on the page.”
![Almost renamed as Chuck Spadina During the initial phase in the entertainment industry, Keanu realised that some of the casting directors were reluctant to bring him in for auditions because his first name, which translates to "cool breeze over the mountains," was difficult to pronounce and appeared to be too exotic. To overcome this obstacle, Keanu started using ‘K.C. Reeves,’ ‘Chuck Spadina,’ and ‘Page Templeton III’ instead.](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2025/09/20250902071258_5.png "Almost renamed as Chuck Spadina During the initial phase in the entertainment industry, Keanu realised that some of the casting directors were reluctant to bring him in for auditions because his first name, which translates to "cool breeze over the mountains," was difficult to pronounce and appeared to be too exotic. To overcome this obstacle, Keanu started using ‘K.C. Reeves,’ ‘Chuck Spadina,’ and ‘Page Templeton III’ instead.")
