Image via Paul Bird / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Keira Knightley in 2012.
Keira Knightley is a spy again. All six episodes of Black Doves season 2 landed on Netflix on Thursday 5 November 2026. She is back as Helen Webb, the wife of a British politician who secretly sells state secrets to a spy ring. This time her husband Wallace, played by Andrew Buchan, is about to become prime minister. That puts Helen closer to power and in far more danger.
It is the biggest TV role of her career. The first season earned her a Golden Globe nomination. The second season adds Neve Campbell as Cecile Mason, a US defence envoy, alongside Ben Whishaw as Sam Young and Sarah Lancashire as Reed. Knightley is 41 now. She has been acting since she was a child, and she has moved from pirate films to period dramas to spy thrillers without ever chasing the same role twice.
A child actor from Teddington
Keira Christina Knightley was born on 26 March 1985 in Teddington, in south-west London. Her father is the actor Will Knightley. Her mother is the playwright Sharman Macdonald. Her older brother Caleb is a musician. Acting was the family trade, and she wanted in early. She asked her parents for an agent when she was three. She got one when she was six.
School was hard for her. She was diagnosed with dyslexia at six and found reading very difficult. Her parents helped her work through it with extra reading practice, and she has said she had it under control by the time she was 11. She made her TV debut at seven in a programme called Royal Celebration. Her first film role came in Innocent Lies in 1995. At 14 she played Sabé, the handmaiden double of Queen Amidala, in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
The breakout years
Her big break came in 2002 with Bend It Like Beckham. She played Jules, a football-mad teenager from a strict family. The film was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. A year later she was Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, opposite Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. She also played Juliet in Love Actually in 2003. She was 18, and suddenly she was in two of the biggest films of the year.
The Pirates films kept coming. Dead Man's Chest followed in 2006 and At World's End in 2007. Between them she played Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice in 2005. That role earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. She was 20, one of the youngest Best Actress nominees ever. She then played Cecilia Tallis in Atonement in 2007, which brought another Golden Globe nomination.
Image via GabboT / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Knightley at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014.
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Innocent Lies | Celia |
| 1999 | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Sabé |
| 2002 | Bend It Like Beckham | Juliet "Jules" Paxton |
| 2003 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Elizabeth Swann |
| 2003 | Love Actually | Juliet |
| 2005 | Pride & Prejudice | Elizabeth Bennet |
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Elizabeth Swann |
| 2007 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | Elizabeth Swann |
| 2007 | Atonement | Cecilia Tallis |
| 2008 | The Duchess | Georgiana Cavendish |
| 2011 | A Dangerous Method | Sabina Spielrein |
| 2012 | Anna Karenina | Anna Karenina |
| 2013 | Begin Again | Gretta James |
| 2014 | Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit | Cathy Muller |
| 2014 | The Imitation Game | Joan Clarke |
| 2015 | Everest | Jan Hall |
| 2018 | Colette | Colette |
| 2019 | Official Secrets | Katharine Gun |
| 2023 | Boston Strangler | Loretta McLaughlin |
| 2025 | The Woman in Cabin 10 | Lo Blacklock |
The serious actress years
After the blockbusters, Knightley picked smaller and harder roles. She played the Duchess of Devonshire in The Duchess in 2008 and Anna Karenina in 2012. She sang in Begin Again in 2013. Then came The Imitation Game in 2014, where she played Joan Clarke, the codebreaker who worked with Alan Turing. Benedict Cumberbatch played Turing in the same film. The role earned her a second Oscar nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actress.
She also went back to the stage. She played Karen Wright in The Children's Hour in London's West End in 2011. In 2015 she made her Broadway debut as Thérèse Raquin in New York. She has kept working in film too: Colette in 2018, Official Secrets in 2019, Boston Strangler in 2023, and The Woman in Cabin 10 on Netflix in October 2025. She also wrote and illustrated a children's book, I Love You Just the Same, published in 2025.
Black Doves and the spy turn
Black Doves started on Netflix in December 2024. Knightley plays Helen Webb, who looks like a normal politician's wife and secretly works for a spy ring that sells secrets to the highest bidder. The show was created by Joe Barton, who also made Giri/Haji. Critics liked it, and Knightley picked up a Golden Globe nomination for the first season.
Season 2 picks up with Wallace about to move into 10 Downing Street. Helen's double life gets harder to hide as the cameras follow her everywhere. The new season was filmed in London and Paris. The Times reports that Netflix has given a soft green light to a third season, and Barton and Knightley are already working on ideas for it. For now, all six episodes of season 2 are streaming.
| Year | Show or stage | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Screen One: Royal Celebration (TV) | TV debut |
| 1999 | Oliver Twist (TV film) | Rose Fleming |
| 2002 | Doctor Zhivago (TV miniseries) | Lara Antipova |
| 2011 | The Children's Hour (West End stage) | Karen Wright |
| 2015 | Thérèse Raquin (Broadway stage) | Thérèse Raquin |
| 2024– | Black Doves (Netflix) | Helen Webb |
| Quick Facts | Keira Knightley |
|---|---|
| Full name | Keira Christina Knightley |
| Born | 26 March 1985, Teddington, London |
| Age | 41 |
| Nationality | English |
| Zodiac | Aries |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Profession | Actress |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Education | Teddington School; Esher College (A-levels, left early to act) |
| Parents | Will Knightley (actor) and Sharman Macdonald (playwright) |
| Siblings | Older brother Caleb |
| Spouse | James Righton (married 2013) |
| Children | Two daughters, Edie (b. 2015) and Delilah (b. 2019) |
| Net worth | About $80 million (Celebrity Net Worth estimate) |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Academy Awards | Best Actress | Pride & Prejudice | Nominated |
| 2006 | BAFTA Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Pride & Prejudice | Nominated |
| 2006 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress (Musical or Comedy) | Pride & Prejudice | Nominated |
| 2008 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress (Drama) | Atonement | Nominated |
| 2015 | Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | The Imitation Game | Nominated |
| 2015 | BAFTA Awards | Best Supporting Actress | The Imitation Game | Nominated |
| 2015 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress | The Imitation Game | Nominated |
| 2018 | OBE | Officer of the Order of the British Empire | Services to drama and charity | Appointed |
| 2025 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress (TV Drama) | Black Doves | Nominated |
Image via The Standard / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Knightley at a BAFTA event in New York in 2015.
Marriage and family
Knightley married the musician James Righton in 2013. Righton played keyboards in the band Klaxons. They met in 2011 and married on 4 May 2013 in Mazan, in the south of France, in a small ceremony with eleven guests. They have two daughters. Edie was born in May 2015 and Delilah in September 2019. The family lives in north London.
She keeps her family life private. She has talked in interviews about the pressure of fame in her twenties, when paparazzi followed her everywhere. These days she picks her projects carefully and spends much of her time at home with her children. She has also spoken up for better childcare support for working parents in the UK.
What is Keira Knightley's net worth?
Celebrity Net Worth puts her net worth at about $80 million. That is an estimate, not a filed figure. Wealthy Gorilla lists the same $80 million figure. Her money comes from three decades of film work, including the Pirates franchise, and from endorsement deals. She has been the face of Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle perfume for years. At her peak, in 2007 and 2008, she earned a reported $32 million in two years.
FAQs
How old is Keira Knightley? She was born on 26 March 1985, so she is 41.
Who is Keira Knightley's husband? James Righton, a musician who played keyboards in Klaxons. They married on 4 May 2013 in France.
How many children does Keira Knightley have? Two daughters, Edie (born 2015) and Delilah (born 2019).
How tall is Keira Knightley? She is listed at 5 ft 7 in (170 cm). Some listings say 5 ft 6 in. She has joked that she is 5 ft 7 in the morning and 5 ft 6 in the evening.
Was Keira Knightley nominated for an Oscar? Yes, twice. Best Actress for Pride & Prejudice in 2006 and Best Supporting Actress for The Imitation Game in 2015. She has not won one yet.
Is Black Doves season 2 out? Yes. All six episodes dropped on Netflix on 5 November 2026. Knightley returns as Helen Webb, now the wife of the incoming prime minister.
Read More: Benedict Cumberbatch Biography
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