Keanu Reeves

Keanu Charles Reeves was born in 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon; his mother moved with him through Sydney and New York before settling in Toronto when he was a young child. His formative years, schooling and early performing all happened in Toronto, distinct from his birthplace.

"The Wall"

Reeves attended a succession of Toronto schools, including Jesse Ketchum Junior and Senior Public School, North Toronto Collegiate Institute, and De La Salle College "Oaklands," a private Catholic school, where he played goalie for the hockey team and earned the nickname "The Wall." He has said he hoped to play hockey for Canada at an Olympic level before turning fully to acting.

Early acting in Toronto

Reeves began performing at age nine, and at fifteen played Mercutio in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet at the Leah Posluns Theatre in Toronto. He left high school at seventeen without graduating to focus on acting, and his feature debut came five years later in the Toronto-shot hockey film Youngblood (1986), which drew directly on both his acting training and hockey background.

Sources

• The Canadian Encyclopedia — Keanu Reeves
• Narcity Toronto — Keanu Reeves Dished on His Toronto Roots