Keanu Reeves’ Uplifting Tragic Life Story & His Charities Towards Humanitarian Causes Set Him Apart Than Most Actors

The tragic yet inspiring life of 53-year-old Canadian actor Keanu Reeves has been quite uplifting for many. The actor makes headlines regardless of not making headlines in the conventional way. Having a troubled childhood, a stillborn child and losing his ex-girlfriend in a tragic accident to creating blockbuster hits in many Hollywood movies such as The Matrix, his life is both compelling and striking that in turn makes headlines. He is one of the very few celebrities who has his feet in the ground despite being one of the most successful actors in the industry. He achieved super stardom with his sci-fi classic Matrix in 1999. But like many, irrespective of wealth and status, Keanu endured profound hardships along the way. Here are few instances that distinguishes Keanu Reeves from other actors.

Tragic Personal Life

Reeves endured a tough childhood lacking emotional stability. Keanu’s mother was a stripper and his father abandoned them when he was just a toddler. But his father was in touch with him till the age of 13. In his childhood, the actor attended four different high schools and struggled with dyslexia. Back in 1993, one of Reeve’s closest pal, River Phoenix died of combined drug intoxication at the age 23. The two became close when they acted together in My Own Private Idaho. His friend’s death left a lasting impact on Keanu’s life and no one could talk to him about it.

After his mega hit The Matrix in 1999, the unthinkable happened. Reeves was expecting a child with the love of his life, Jennifer Syme. The couple was devastated after the baby was stillborn. This tragedy costed Keanu his relationship. Keanu and Jennifer remained close friends. But eighteen months later, his ex-girlfriend met with a car accident and was dead on spot. It took a long time for Keanu to get over the incident. Keanu’s sister Kim Reeves was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1991. Keanu supported his sister throughout her illness and she was in remission as of 1999. As reported, Kim was fighting with the disease till 2015.

Charities Towards Humanitarian Causes

Reeves has always pushed on even with those incredible tragedies. He has starred in a variety of blockbusters and is a wealthy man, but the pain of his losses has changed how he perceives about money. He is known to be one of the most charitable actors of Bollywood. After the grand successes of The Matrix and its sequels, Reeves donated whooping 80 million dollars of his 114 million earnings to the special effects and make-up staff of the films. This demonstrated the actor’s open-handedness and his sentiment that the whole production was a fraternity of equals. He took pay cuts on the films The Replacements and The Devil’s Advocates so big stars like Gene Hackman and Al Pacino would agree to be in the film while keeping casting within the designated budget.

After his sister suffered from leukaemia, Reeves donated millions for cancer research. Wanting to remain anonymous, he reportedly has never attached his name to the non-profit foundation that he set up to fund cancer research and care for children in hospitals. In an interview, he asserted that he doesn’t like to attach his name to the private foundation, and he just lets the foundation do what it does. He also donates to SCORE (Spinal Cord Opportunities for Rehabilitation Endowment), a charity founded in support of hockey players with spinal injuries.

The actor is likely to be worth about 100 million dollars, but Keanu has often been seen standing in ques and riding the subway. He has also seen wearing 25-year-old shoes on numerous occasions. Unlike most actors Keanu likes to keep everything low-key and thus doesn’t boast about his good work or charities. Keanu Reeves is the epitome of a stellar person who even the face of tragedies, thrives despite all the odds thrown at him.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 21, 2018 04:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).