Keeley Hawes has become a household name thanks to role in TV shows like Spooks, Line of Duty, Bodyguard, The Durrells and Finding Alice to name but a few.
Her very impressive CV spans everything from comedy and drama to theatre and music videos, and she is even an expert behind the camera, having created some of the biggest shows on TV with her production company Buddy Club.
But what else do we know about Keeley Hawes? Here are several things you probably don't know...
1. Keeley isn't her real name
Keeley, as she is now known, was named Clare Julia Hawes when she was born in London in 1976. She grew up in a council flat in Marylebone and there weren't any actors in her family, in fact both her dad and her brother drive black cabs in the city.
2. She was scouted by a modelling agent
While Keeley was at sixth form college she was approached by a scout from Select Model Management while she was shopping on London's Oxford Street. She was soon signed up to their books, but it wasn't long before she swapped modelling fashion for writing about it when she landed a job on Cosmopolitan magazine.
Keeley told The Big Issue that it was while she was in the shoe cupboard at Cosmo that she got the call inviting her to her first audition... "The audition turned out to be for Dennis Potter's last work, Karaoke. And I got it. There was a lot of publicity surrounding it and from there I got an agent and my career began. I was suddenly an adult with a proper job."
3. Her best friend from school is a Spice Girl
Keeley explored her passion for acting after landing a grant for the Sylvia Young Theatre School. While she was there she became close friends with Emma Bunton - who went on to reach global fame with the Spice Girls. The pair even lived together and went travelling in their spare time.
Happy birthday my beautiful friend @Misskeeleyhawes love you to bits. 💋🎈🍰🍷 pic.twitter.com/WwxODU0LecFebruary 10, 2016
4. She is the voice of Lara Croft
Between 2006 and 2024 Keeley has voiced seven Tomb Raider video games as Lara Croft, including Tomb Raider: Legend, Tomb Raider: Underworld and she's even lent her voice to an arcade-style game called Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
5. She married her Spooks co-star
Keeley married Matthew Macfadyen 2004 in a small registry office ceremony after they met in 2002. The pair now have two children together called Ralph and Maggie, and Matthew is stepdad to Keeley's son, Myles, from her first marriage to Spencer McCallum. Speaking of her marriage, Keeley told The Telegraph: "I love being married to Matthew and I know Matthew loves being married, too. It ties everything up and is a statement to each other and the world. Marriage and being a mother are absolutely crucial to my happiness and my life."
6. She's only got one regret in life
While Keeley had admitted that she doesn't have any major life-long regrets, there is just one moment from her past that makes her cringe... "I wish I'd never worn my signed Vanilla Ice t-shirt," she once told the Independent. "I actually queued up to get his signature. It must have been in the early Nineties, when he was really big."
7. She gets recognised in the most unexpected places
Keeley once admitted during an appearance on This Morning that she was surprised when she got recognised at Thorpe Park... "Usually when The Durrells is on, people will recognise me from that or Line of Duty, but this was on another level. I made the terrible mistake of booking to go to Thorpe Park for my son's birthday, and so I walked straight into Thorpe Park at the height of Bodyguard, and I was trapped on rides with people videoing me."
Keeley Hawes' Fact File
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the actress....
How old is she?
Keeley Hawes' age is 44. She was born on 10 February 1976.
Is she married?
Keeley Hawes married husband Matthew Macfadyen in 2004.
Does she have children?
Keeley Hawes has three children, Myles, Ralph and Maggie.
Where was she born?
Keeley Hawes was born in Paddington, London.
How tall is she?
Keeley Hawes is 1.73 metres.
Twitter: @Misskeeleyhawes
Instagram: @misskeeleyhawes
We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.
