Keanu Reeves has been handsomely paid for playing the central role in the futuristic franchise The Matrix.
But the Canadian has not looked to keep all those earnings for himself.
He has become known as one of the nicest and most generous people in Hollywood, having set up a fund to help children suffering with cancer and bestowing film stunt teams with five-figure gifts.
He even stopped by for pictures at a British couple’s wedding recently after he was spotted staying at the same hotel where their celebration was being held.
It also turns out the actor, who turns 58 on Friday (September 2), is so pleasant that there have even been multiple stories about just how generous he is.
Charity man
The Beirut-born star is said to be worth a jaw-dropping £275m after a successful career that, as well as his much-reprised role as Neo in The Matrix series, has seen him play the main character in the John Wick franchise and appear in 90s hit film Speed alongside Sandra Bullock.
However, he has not let fame and fortune change him. In fact, he has used it to change the lives of others.
His younger sister Kim battled leukaemia for a decade and, as well as helping her through it, Reeves has put money away to help others pay for treatment.
Opening up about her struggle in 1999, Kim told the Australian magazine women’s Day: “When the pain got really bad, he [Keanu] would sit with me and hold my hand, and keep the ‘bad man’ from making me dance.
“He was supporting me and comforting me all the time, even when he was away.”
Keanu never forgot his sibling’s battle and confirmed in 2009 that he had set up a private foundation that supports families going through cancer.
However, he has opted not to put his name to it and instead lets the fund help families anonymously.
He told Ladies Home Journal: "I have a private foundation that's been running for five or six years, and it helps aid a couple of children's hospitals and cancer research.
"I don't like to attach my name to it, I just let the foundation do what it does."
Film giveaways
Around the time of the release of The Matrix Resurrections, the fourth instalment in the Matrix film series, in late 2021, a rumour started doing the rounds that Reeves had given up most of his salary after making the film series.
His publicist later confirmed that the story was not true but, with so much evidence around about the actor’s generosity over the years, the tale was unsurprisingly believed.
This was the same man who has been filmed giving up his seat for a woman with a large bag on the New York subway and was captured bonding with fellow air passengers after being forced to travel by road once their plane stopped short of the intended destination.
And earlier this month, Reeves surprised a couple at their wedding reception in Northamptonshire, stopping for photos and to talk to guests.
The salary giveaway rumour went that he had donated anywhere between $35m and $100m — or even his entire earnings from the trilogy.
However, while that is not accurate, Keanu is reported to have given the stunt team on the Matrix Reloaded crew their own Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Meanwhile, those who worked with him on John Wick: Chapter 4 are said to have received luxurious Rolex Submariner watches, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with the watches starting at $10,500 (£9,100).
