Keanu Reeves Through the Years: From ’90s Heartthrob to Sci-Fi Action Star

The Matrix, directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, made Reeves a global action star. The film spawned three sequels, a documentary, an animated movie and several video games.

Syme died in a car accident at age 28. Reeves served as a pallbearer at her funeral, and Syme was buried next to their daughter.

After taking a short from acting following Syme’s death, Reeves returned as Neo in The Matrix Reloaded.

Reeves reunited with Bullock for The Lake House. Years later, the duo separately admitted that they both had crushes on each other while filming Speed, though they never dated.

A photo of Reeves sitting alone on a park bench eating a sandwich went viral and became known as “Sad Keanu.” In 2021, the actor told Stephen Colbert he wasn’t actually sad at the time — just hungry.

Reeves starred as the titular hitman in the first John Wick film.

Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key starred in a film called Keanu about two men who infiltrate a gang to retrieve their stolen pet kitten, named Keanu. Reeves had a cameo as the voice of the cat.

Reeves and girlfriend Alexandra Grant went public with their romance after cofounding a publishing company in 2017. Career-wise, he voiced Duke Kaboom in Toy Story 4 and played himself in Always Be My Maybe.

Nearly 20 years after The Matrix Revolutions, Reeves reprised his role as Neo in The Matrix Resurrections.

Matthew Perry made headlines when he asked in his memoir why Reeves “still walks among us” when River Phoenix is dead. Phoenix, who was close friends with Reeves, died in 1993 at age 23. The Friends alum later publicly apologized to Reeves, saying that he’s a “big fan” of the Johnny Mnemonic star.

Reeves appeared in John Wick: Chapter 4, which was released days after costar Lance Reddick’s unexpected death at age 60. “Lance was a beautiful person, a special artist, a man of grace and dignity and such a passion for his craft,” Reeves told Deadline at the film’s premiere. “It f–king sucks he’s not here.”