With at least 75 films under his belt, it is nearly impossible not to be curious about how Keanu Reeves went from acting at a local theatre in Canada to an American household name.
Keanu Reeves did not attend a university or college equivalent. At the age of 17 or 18, Reeves knew he wanted to be an actor. In lieu of pursuing higher education, he moved from Toronto to Hollywood in 1986 to jump-start his career in film.
Read on to find out the different ways Reeves gained an education while still following his dream of becoming an actor.
Early Education
Reeves was born in Beirut, the largest city in Lebanon, a country located in the Middle East. At age 3, his mother Patricia Nee Taylor and father Samuel Nowlin Reeves Jr. divorced. Reeves and his mother moved to Sydney and New York City before eventually settling in Toronto in 1971.
While living his formative years in Canada, Reeves jumped around between high schools, one being De La Salle College. In Canada, high schools are oftentimes referred to as colleges, though they’re not the educational equivalent of a university in the United States.
The Canadian term “college” refers to a trade school where students receive a specifically designed curriculum toward their field. Given they were in Toronto, it was here that Reeves decided he wanted to be a professional ice hockey goalkeeper.
It was an injury that threw him out of the game for good, but in retrospect, it was the fall that pushed him toward his career in acting.
So, one could correctly say that Reeves did attend college, but not in the way that most Americans use the term. His college was instead a liberal arts school for primary education. But just because he attended a Canadian college, does not mean he graduated from one.
Studying to Become an Actor
Reeves got his first acting gig at a summer camp when he was 9 where he was a part of the ensemble for Damn Yankees. He then began assisting in films and developing a love for theatre. Once in high school, a friend suggested he audition for the performing arts school, Etobicoke School of the Arts, and Reeves was thrilled when he received an invitation to attend.
The door to acting had officially been swung open. In an interview for the book The New Breed: Actors Coming of Age, Reeves stated that he was “just a little too rambunctious” for school, which rang true as he eventually was expelled from Etobicoke. This led to Reeves ultimately dropping out of high school, moving to LA, and pursuing a full-time acting career.
It wasn’t until after the conclusion of Hanging Inn, CBC, Toronto, and Wolf Boy, that he decided he was too big-a-fish for the Toronto sized pond. With a Hollywood zip code and an agent to aid in the search, Reeves was able to expand his job pool significantly, though that didn’t halt his education.
He attended night acting classes throughout his time back in Canada, while continuing to indulge in other forms of learning. Because acting was his one true passion, Reeves searched for all he could learn in order to become the best.
Studying didn’t necessarily mean textbooks and essays, but rather testing the waters with sense memory method acting and other nomadic approaches, Reeves tells Kevin J. Koffler in the same interview with The New Breed: Actors Coming of Age. Almost nothing was off-limits when it came to honing new skills. Nowadays, his well sought after art form is saved exclusively for scripts that make him feel enlightened.
Though his passion for the arts trumps not only a college but a high school degree, it’s unlikely you’d find someone that would argue he’s a failure. His humble beginnings are part of the reason Reeves is such a well-loved celebrity, even still in 2020.