Along with Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley is one of Hollywood's brightest young actresses and has the world of Hollywood at her feet. She's starred opposite the likes of Orlando Bloom, Johnny Depp and has even been in a Star Wars film and she's only just out of her teens.

But it wasn't an easy ride to the top. Keira's parents were against their daughter following them into their profession and insisted that she take her education seriously, which for Keira meant a lot of hard work as she has dyslexia to contend with. So she worked on productions through the summer holidays and had to fit her acting around school in the early days.

The hard work soon paid off, however, and not long after her film debut, aged nine, she landed the part of Queen Amidala's decoy in Star Wars Episode One back in 1999. What really made her a household name, however, was her role as tomboy footballer Jules Paxton in Bend It Like Beckham, which was a massive hit around the world. Since then, roles in blockbusting films have flooded in, from the swashbuckling swordsmanship of Pirates of the Caribbean to the historic epic King Arthur. This year looks to be no different, with a starring role in the Pride and Prejudice adaptation and Pirates of the Caribbean 2.