Keanu Reeves

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, The Cardinal will feature prominent and historical Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders, living or dead, who have worked toward change, advancement, and/or world peace. Some of them are heroes, and some are unsung heroes, who deserve recognition, and have made a contribution to society.

Belen Alonso, Staff Writer

May 29, 2025

Keanu Reeves is a famous actor who has been in many classics such as The Matrix and the John Wick movie series.

Keanu means “cool breeze” or “cool breeze over a mountain” in Hawaiian. Reeves’s father, Samuel Reeves, is of Native Hawaiian and Chinese descent. His mother is of English, Irish, and Native American descent. Reeves was born on September 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon and was raised in Canada. Not only does Reeves act but he also plays in a band called Dogstar wherein he plays the bass.

Reeve’s upbringing was a stark contrast to his lifestyle now. Reeve had to move around frequently and within the span of five years, he moved four times due to his parents divorce and his mothers three engagements, in which Reeves has three step fathers and is estranged to his biological father.

Reeves has dyslexia so he dropped out of high school. Although Reeves struggled with his education, the passion for acting never faltered and at one point he was working as a production assistant. In the 90s, Reeves started a relationship with Alexandria Grant, and she became pregnant. Unfortunately, his daughter Ava Archer Syme-Reeves was stillborn on December 24, 1999 and in 2001 Grant was fatally injured in a car collision. Reeves doesn’t speak about his culture often but he is an example to the AAPI community and the world that you can overcome struggles even when it seems impossible. From a tumultuous upbringing, learning disability, divorced parents and extreme personal loss Reeves has not only overcome all these life challenges but he has focused on his work and excelled in all aspects of life.

About the Contributor

Belen Alonso, Staff Writer

Belen Alonso is a junior. She wants to do something in business and she likes to stay active. Sports is something she connects with and something she enjoys a lot. She thinks that the conditioning part of it is hard but also shows herself how much she’s committed to that sport. Her music taste has stayed the same since freshman year, classical and Chinese music. Ivan Cornejo is still her favorite artist and on replayed ALL the time. To change the world Belen thinks she has to be herself since currently people usually follow the cross and trends. As for society Belen has nothing to say to them, she believes that trying to change society is more hard work than victory but she will continue to speak her voice even when society acts like a fool.