Keanu Reeves, the modest actor who experienced many tragedies in life

Keanu Reeves has experienced a series of serious and tragic events in his life, before and after he became a popular star all over the world.

The actor became famous in the eighties and nineties through iconic roles in films such as "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989) and The Matrix (1999), but his personal life has been accompanied by quite painful events.

His father abandoned him when he was very young

Keanu was born in Beirut, Lebanon. His mother is British, while his father is of Chinese-Hawaiian origin. Samuel Nowlin Reeves abandoned his family when the actor was very young, while it is said that he had contact with him until he was 13 years old.

He changed four secondary schools and suffered from dyslexia, which made learning very difficult

During an interview for Daily Mail in 2008, Reeves revealed that he had changed four high schools in five years. While in an edition of Vanity Fair in 1995 Keanu and his sister, Kim, were said to be dyslexic.

Dyslexia, as a general term, refers to disorders that involve difficulties in learning to read or interpret words, letters and other symbols, but that do not affect general intelligence.

When he was 23, his best friend, River Phoenix, died of a drug overdose

Actor River Phoenix, whom Reeves had known for years and had become good friends while starring in "My Own Private Idaho" together, died in October 1993 outside a club in Los Angeles of intoxication from the combination of some types of drugs.

The love of his life, Jennifer Syme, became pregnant, but the child was stillborn

In 2000, the news was confirmed by the magazine People, while the couple had baptized the baby girl with the name Ava. The fetus was stillborn after eight months of pregnancy, and the pain was too much for the couple, and they separated a few weeks later.

After 18 months, Jennifer died in a car accident

Even after the split, Reeves and Syme remained close. However, in April 2001, she had an accident in Los Angeles, colliding with three parked cars, her vehicle rolled several times, and Jennifer was thrown out and died on the spot. In her car, the police found anti-depressants and narcotic substances. Her loss had devastated Keanu even more.

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The actor's sister had suffered from leukemia. After her recovery, he donated 70 percent of the profits from "The Matrix" to hospitals treating leukemia.

Kim Reeves, who is younger than Keanu, was diagnosed with leukemia in 1991. She battled the disease for nearly a decade and had the support of her famous brother all the while. At the time, it was reported that the actor had donated 70 percent of the profits from "The Matrix" to hospitals dealing with leukemia treatment. Although there are no records confirming the exact amount of money donated, Reeves is a constant contributor to charitable causes. The actor has a private foundation that helps children's hospitals and cancer research institutes, but does not want to make his donations public.

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood cells, where abnormal blood cells are produced in the bone marrow. Usually, in leukemia, abnormal leukocytes (white blood cells) – which are responsible for fighting infections – are produced.

He does not own luxurious residences like other stars and does not buy expensive things

The actor has an average house in the Hollywood Hills (compared to other celebrities), while he is rarely seen in expensive clothes, unlike his colleagues.

He has a fortune of about 350 million dollars, but he travels by public transport

Reeves owns several classic motorcycles and is occasionally seen driving his Porsche, but is often seen commuting on the subway, like all ordinary citizens.

"It is a cliché that money does not buy happiness. However, they buy the freedom to live life the way you want," said Keanu Reeves in 2008. /Telegraph/