The 15 Best Keira Knightley Roles

Keira Knightley has built a filmography that stretches from intimate period dramas to large-scale adventure franchises, with roles spanning real historical figures, classic literary heroines, and contemporary originals. Across these projects she has collaborated with filmmakers such as Joe Wright, James Marsh, Gavin Hood, Wash Westmoreland, and Gore Verbinski, while appearing opposite co-stars including Matthew Macfadyen, James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Ralph Fiennes.

This list gathers standout movies and shows that demonstrate the range of characters she has portrayed on screen. You’ll find details on each project’s premise, creative team, notable accolades, box-office performance where relevant, and the place each role holds within Knightley’s broader career.

‘Pride & Prejudice’ (2005) – Elizabeth Bennet

Keira Knightley portrays Elizabeth Bennet in a feature adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel directed by Joe Wright, with a screenplay by Deborah Moggach and additional dialogue by Emma Thompson. The production was shot at English locations such as Chatsworth House, Burghley House, and Groombridge Place, and co-stars Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, Donald Sutherland, and Brenda Blethyn.

The film earned Knightley an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and brought multiple nominations at major British awards ceremonies. It was a commercial success internationally and is frequently cited in discussions of modern screen versions of Austen’s work for its cinematography by Roman Osin and Dario Marianelli’s score.

‘Atonement’ (2007) – Cecilia Tallis

In Joe Wright’s adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel, Knightley plays Cecilia Tallis opposite James McAvoy and Saoirse Ronan. The production features extended long-take camerawork on the Dunkirk beach sequence and a score by Dario Marianelli that incorporates typewriter rhythms tied to narrative motifs.

The film received multiple Academy Award nominations and won for Best Original Score, with additional recognition from BAFTA and the Golden Globes. Knightley’s role is central to the story’s multi-decade structure, which tracks the consequences of a pivotal accusation across shifting timelines.

‘The Imitation Game’ (2014) – Joan Clarke

Knightley appears as cryptanalyst Joan Clarke in the Alan Turing biographical drama directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Graham Moore. The cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, and Mark Strong, and dramatizes the work at Bletchley Park during the Second World War.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and received multiple nominations, including Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Knightley. It also reached strong global box-office totals for a historical drama and brought renewed public attention to Clarke’s contributions to codebreaking.

‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ (2003) – Elizabeth Swann

Gore Verbinski directs the first installment of the seafaring adventure franchise inspired by a Disney theme-park attraction. Knightley’s character, Elizabeth Swann, shares the screen with Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow and Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner in a plot that centers on a cursed Aztec gold hoard and the crew of the Black Pearl.

The film became a major worldwide hit and launched a multi-film series, introducing recurring roles, ship sets, and large-scale practical effects work blended with then-cutting-edge CGI. It received multiple Academy Award nominations in technical and acting categories and established the ensemble that returned for sequels.

‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End’ (2007) – Elizabeth Swann

This third entry, directed by Gore Verbinski, escalates the franchise’s alliance and rivalry dynamics among the East India Trading Company, pirate lords, and the supernatural. Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann takes on expanded responsibilities within the narrative as the story moves across locations that include Singapore, Shipwreck Cove, and the edge of the afterlife.

The production is noted for large ensemble set-pieces, complex stunt coordination, and extensive visual effects sequences involving massive naval battles. The film ranked among the year’s highest-grossing releases worldwide and concluded the initial trilogy’s arc before later follow-ups.

‘Colette’ (2018) – Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette

Knightley leads this biographical drama directed by Wash Westmoreland about the French author Colette, focusing on the early ‘Claudine’ novels and the authorship disputes with her husband, Henry Gauthier-Villars (Willy). The film explores the Paris literary scene, performance art, and publishing practices of the time.

Costume design, production design, and music support a period portrait that tracks Colette’s evolution as a writer and stage performer. The release played at major festivals and prompted renewed interest in Colette’s bibliography and its publication history, including later reclaiming of authorship.

‘Anna Karenina’ (2012) – Anna Karenina

Directed by Joe Wright with a screenplay by Tom Stoppard, this adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel employs a theatrical staging concept, shifting scenes on a proscenium that transforms into varied settings. The ensemble includes Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Alicia Vikander.

The film received Academy Award recognition for Costume Design and additional nominations in craft categories. Its approach foregrounds choreography, set transitions, and music to present the novel’s intersecting social spheres, placing Knightley’s character at the center of those interwoven relationships.

‘The Duchess’ (2008) – Georgiana Cavendish

Saul Dibb directs this historical drama about Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, with a cast that includes Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell, and Charlotte Rampling. The narrative covers marriage, political affiliations, and social influence, set across estates associated with the Cavendish family.

The film won the Academy Award for Costume Design and drew attention to the historical figure’s personal life and public role. Location work at sites such as Chatsworth House and Kedleston Hall contributes to the period authenticity presented on screen.

‘Official Secrets’ (2019) – Katharine Gun

Based on real events, this film directed by Gavin Hood dramatizes the actions of Katharine Gun, a British intelligence translator who leaked a memo concerning a United Nations resolution. The cast features Matt Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Rhys Ifans, and Conleth Hill, and follows the legal and journalistic processes surrounding the disclosure.

The production combines newsroom procedures with courtroom developments, referencing the Official Secrets Act and media standards. It premiered at festivals before a theatrical rollout and streaming availability, bringing the underlying case back into public discussion.

‘Never Let Me Go’ (2010) – Ruth

Adapted from Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel and directed by Mark Romanek, the film stars Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightley as students from a secluded school who later confront the purpose of their upbringing. The screenplay by Alex Garland structures the story in three stages, tracking relationships over time.

The production blends period-appropriate design with understated science-fiction elements, focusing on characters’ choices within a controlled system. It received recognition for its performances, cinematography, and fidelity to the novel’s tone, and has been used in discussions of bioethics and narrative structure.

‘Begin Again’ (2013) – Gretta

Written and directed by John Carney, this music-drama co-stars Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld, and Adam Levine. Knightley’s character is a songwriter who collaborates with a down-on-his-luck record executive on an album recorded at outdoor and on-location spots around New York City.

The film features original songs performed within the narrative, with a soundtrack release that charted in multiple territories. Its production schedule utilized live-recording techniques for certain sequences and highlighted a blend of indie and mainstream music industry settings.

‘Bend It Like Beckham’ (2002) – Jules Paxton

Gurinder Chadha directs this sports coming-of-age story about two young women pursuing football while navigating family expectations. Knightley plays Jules, who recruits a talented friend to join a local women’s club coached by a former semi-pro player.

The film’s international distribution brought strong box-office returns relative to its budget and helped expand opportunities for women’s football stories on screen. It later inspired a stage musical adaptation, demonstrating the property’s cross-media appeal.

‘Boston Strangler’ (2023) – Loretta McLaughlin

This crime drama, written and directed by Matt Ruskin, centers on journalist Loretta McLaughlin at the Boston ‘Record American’ as she investigates a series of murders with colleague Jean Cole. The film recreates newsroom processes, police interaction, and the evolving understanding of the case.

Production design and wardrobe reconstruct mid-century Boston, while the narrative follows published articles, editorial challenges, and sourcing issues journalists face. The release was positioned as a streaming premiere and added to a long line of screen treatments of the case with a focus on reporting.

‘Doctor Zhivago’ (2002–2002) – Lara Antipova

Knightley appears as Lara Antipova in this television miniseries adaptation of Boris Pasternak’s novel, with Hans Matheson in the title role. The series updates the novel’s events for a contemporary audience while maintaining the narrative’s trajectory across revolution, war, and displacement.

Broadcast as a limited series, it was produced for television with location work that supports the story’s historical scope. The project expanded Knightley’s early screen credits in long-form storytelling ahead of her subsequent feature breakthroughs.

‘Love Actually’ (2003) – Juliet

Written and directed by Richard Curtis, this ensemble holiday film interweaves multiple stories set in London, with Knightley as Juliet in a thread shared with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Andrew Lincoln. The production features a large cast including Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, and Bill Nighy.

The film became a perennial seasonal title in broadcast and home-entertainment rotations and produced charting soundtrack singles. Its multi-story structure has been referenced in later ensemble films, and cast reunions and specials have revisited certain characters and moments.

Share your favorite Keira Knightley role in the comments and tell us which performance you’d add to the list!