Skandar Keynes | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alexander Amin Caspar Keynes (1991-09-05)5 September 1991 (age 34) |
| Education | Pembroke College, Cambridge (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor (2001–2016) Political adviser |
| Father | Randal Keynes |
| Relatives |
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| Family | |
Alexander Amin Caspar Keynes[a] (born 5 September 1991)[4] is an English political adviser and former actor. Best known for starring asEdmund Pevensie inThe Chronicles of Narnia film series, he appeared in all three installments:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,Prince Caspian, andThe Voyage of the Dawn Treader.[5]
His mother, Zelfa Hourani, (Arabic:زلفا حوراني) isLebanese; and his father,Randal Keynes, was a British author. He has an older sister,Soumaya, a journalist and economist, who was the Britain economics editor atThe Economist magazine[6] and is currently an economics columnist at theFinancial Times.[7] They grew up inIslington, London.
On his father's side, Keynes is of English descent, and is the grandson of physiologistRichard Keynes, the nephew of two Cambridge professors, the historianSimon Keynes, and the neuroscientistRoger Keynes, the cousin of Catholic writer and apologist Laura Keynes,[8][9] and the great-great-nephew of economistJohn Maynard Keynes. His great-great-great-grandfather was naturalistCharles Darwin. Keynes' great-grandparents wereNobel Prize laureateEdgar Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian andHester Adrian, Baroness Adrian.[10]
On his mother's side, Keynes is ofLebanese Christian and distantPersian andTurkish descent.[11] His maternal grandfather was Lebanese writer Cecil Fadlo Hourani, who was an advisor to the late Tunisian presidentHabib Bourguiba. The Hourani family were immigrants to Manchester fromMarjeyoun in southern Lebanon. Cecil's two brothers wereAlbert Hourani, a historian of the Middle East, andGeorge Hourani, philosopher, historian, and classicist.Lebanese nationality law states that citizenship is passed on patrilineally, so Keynes is legally a foreigner in the country he considers his second home.[12]
Keynes attended theAnna Scher Theatre School, after going to Thornhill Primary School. He then studied at the all-boysCity of London School where he was awarded the Merit prize in the 2006European Kangaroo competition, the City of London Corporate Scholarship (2008), The Geoffrey Clark Prize for Services to Drama (2009), and The Bennet Brough Prize for Chemistry (2010).[13] He passed hisA-level exams in spring 2010 with A*s and As in biology, chemistry, mathematics,further mathematics and history.[14][15]
In October 2010, Keynes began his degree in Arabic,Persian and Middle Eastern History atPembroke College, Cambridge.[16] He consistently attainedfirst-class results. Thus, in first year he was awarded the Marie Shamma'a Frost Prize in Oriental Studies (Arabic) and the College Scholarship;[1] in second year the College Prize and the Foundation Scholarship which made him an elected member of the Faculty Board of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (2011–2012);[2][17] and in senior year theEG Browne Prize in Oriental Studies.[3] He spent his third year studying in Lebanon to perfect his colloquial Arabic and wrote about his experiences on a weekly column inThe Tab.[18][19] His dissertation presented a comparison between the teaching of history in Iran and Saudi Arabia which required him to translate school textbooks from both countries.[20] AchievingFirsts in both Parts of theTripos, Keynes graduated with aDouble First Class Honours BA degree inMiddle Eastern Studies (Arabic and Persian) in June 2014.[1][2][3][21] He was listed as one ofBusiness Insider's"16 Incredibly Impressive Students At Cambridge University".[22]
Skandar Keynes' acting career began when he was 9 years old with a role as a 'boy in rags' in theRoyal Shakespeare Company production ofMacbeth (2001) for British television.[23] It was followed with a supporting role of a Victorianwaif in the BBC2 television documentaryQueen Victoria Died in 1901 and is Still Alive Today (2001).[24] His first notable film part was at the age of ten playing the role of youngEnzo Ferrari in the biopic filmFerrari (2003), directed byCarlo Carlei, which depicts Ferrari's rise from a successful race driver to one of the most famous entrepreneurs of all time.[25]
Keynes achieved international prominence in the role ofEdmund Pevensie in the major motion pictureThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) directed byAndrew Adamson. Shot predominantly in New Zealand and a few in Central Europe, it was released in December 2005 to critical and high commercial success, grossing more than $745 million worldwide. In 2004, after the producers saw 2,000 young hopefuls, Keynes won the role of Edmund whose story is especially dramatic as his character is central to themes of betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption.[25] He performed his own complex stunts: jumping into the ditch, sword fighting, and horse riding. He also voiced his character in the video gameThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In 2006, Keynes was awarded theCAMIE Award (Character and Morality in Entertainment) for his portrayal.
He reprised his role as Edmund inPrince Caspian, directed by Andrew Adamson and released in May 2008 to generally positive reviews, grossing $419.7 million worldwide. He enjoyed the action-oriented stuntwork, touring New Zealand, Prague, Slovenia, Poland, and Czech Republic within seven months of shooting.[26] For his performance, he was nominated for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor and Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast at the30th Young Artist Awards. Keynes also voiced his character in the video gameThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.
He returned as Edmund inThe Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third installment ofThe Chronicles of Narnia, directed byMichael Apted, filmed in Australia and released in December 2010, grossing $415.7 million worldwide. In preparation, Keynes trained to earn hisProfessional Association of Diving Instructors license for underwater scenes.[27] In 2011, the cast was nominated for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast at theYoung Artist Awards 2011.
In May 2014, Keynes was cast to voice the antagonist Sir Allan Kerr in Heirloom Audio Production's award-winning audio adventureIn Freedom's Cause, a historical novel byG.A. Henty which recounts how the 14th-century Scottish heroWilliam Wallace, famously portrayed byMel Gibson inBraveheart, was a strong man of God.[28] Keynes also appeared as himself in its promotional short film.[29] The drama was released in November that year, winning five of the six categories it was nominated for at the 2015Voice Arts Awards —the Oscars equivalent ofvoice acting:[30] Outstanding Production, Outstanding Casting, Outstanding Audio Engineering, Audiobook Narration – Inspirational/Faith-Based Fiction, and Audiobook Narration – History.[31][32] In January 2016, Keynes announced his retirement from acting.[33]
In January 2015, Keynes completed a three-month internship at theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. During his stay inAmman, Jordan, he assisted in the research and writing ofLiving in the Shadows: Jordan Home Visits Report 2014, a study that found evidence of a rapid deterioration in the living conditions of Syrian refugees in Jordan as theSyrian conflict entered its fifth year.[34][35] The report is based on data from home visits covering almost 150,000 Syrian refugees living outside of camps in Jordan. Published on January 14, 2015, it has been widely reported in the media and cited by foreign policy think tanks.[36]
Keynes then worked at theHouse of Commons of theParliament of the United Kingdom as a parliamentary adviser toCrispin Blunt, a British ConservativeMP and former Chair of theForeign Affairs Select Committee (2015–2017), until January 2018.[37][38][39][40] In November 2015, he joined the committee on its visit toBeirut for an inquiry on the UK's role in the fight against theISIL.[38] In February 2016, with committee membersDaniel Kawczynski andStephen Gethins, he attended theEuropean Parliament forum inBrussels which focused on conflicts in theMENA (Middle East and North Africa) region and discussed the then upcomingNATO Summit inWarsaw.[37][41] In December that year, he participated in theIISSManama Dialogue at the 12th Regional Security Summit inBahrain and posed a question on the practical ways by which they could move constructive dialogue with Russia forward, having identified shared interests in defeating extremism and ending bloodshed in Syria, considering their "disagreements on the causes, solutions, and desired end states of these two problems".[42] In February 2017, on behalf of the QatarAll-Party Parliamentary Group, he visitedQatar to meet ministers and officials, visit sites in development for the2022 FIFA World Cup, and discuss issues of bilateral relations and regional crises.[43] From 2016 to 2017, he accompanied Blunt in diplomatic visits toCairo,Tunisia,Kurdistan, andBaghdad.[44][43] Since then, Keynes has been working as a political adviser.[45]
Keynes ran 42 km at the 2012 Beirut Marathon in aid ofProstate Cancer UK.[46] He did extreme sports throughbungee jumping in New Zealand at theNevis Bungy,Sky Tower, Ledge Bungy, Shotover Canyon Swing, and from a jet.[47][48] At Cambridge, he was a Rugby varsity player and played football withFreddie Highmore.[3]
Keynes supports conservation projects. He tracked down theGrey Wolf in theJura Mountains in Switzerland as part of his work shadowing theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). His interview with wolf expert Jean-Marc Landry and deputy head Jean-Christophe Viẻ is featured on Wild Talk Radio Podcast.[49] In March 2009, he contributed toEnglish Heritage by writing the foreword to theDarwin issue of theHeritage Learning Journal (Issue 40).[50][51] He also promoted connect2earth, an online community run byWorld Wide Fund for Nature.[52] He joined his father in the Galapagos Tortoise Project by promoting Sebastian, one of the largest of the giant tortoises conserved by the archipelago's national park.[53]
Keynes and his family have been visitingMarjeyoun inLebanon yearly, despite the political situation, since he was a child. "I was here in 1996 duringOperation Grapes of Wrath. I was four at the time and had no concept that it was war," Keynes told a reporter. "I remember when the gravity of the situation dawned on me. It was during the2006 July war, I was 14 then... but it didn't really shake my view of Lebanon as effectively a second home, a place where I come to and I have family." Cognisant of theLebanese nationality law, he expressed, "I understand that in part the law that a mother cannot pass her nationality to her children is tied with the Palestinian issue... I would like to see the law changed and be considered Lebanese by the government. When I arrive at the airport, I would like to show a Lebanese passport, and go to my [family's] house without having to get permission..."[12]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Macbeth | Boy in Rags | Royal Shakespeare Company TV production |
| Queen Victoria Died in 1901 and is Still Alive Today | Waif | TV documentary | |
| 2003 | Ferrari | Enzo Ferrari at 8 years old | TV film |
| 2005 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Edmund Pevensie | |
| The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Video game | ||
| 2008 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | ||
| The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | Video game | ||
| 2010 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | ||
| 2014 | The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty: In Freedom's Cause | Sir Allan Kerr | Audio drama |
| In Freedom's Cause | Himself | Short |
| Association | Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAMIE Awards | 2006 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | — | Won | [54] |
| Young Artist Awards | 2009 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor | Nominated | [55] |
| Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast | |||||
| 2011 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | [56] | |||
| Voice Arts Awards | 2015 | In Freedom's Cause | Audiobook Narration – History, Best Voiceover | Won | [32] |
| Audiobook Narration – Inspirational/Faith-Based Fiction, Best Voiceover | |||||
| Outstanding Spoken Word or Storytelling – Best Performance | Nominated | [31] |
