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Skandar Keynes

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Skandar Keynes
Born
Alexander Amin Caspar Keynes

(1991-09-05) 5 September 1991 (age 33)
Camden, London, England
EducationPembroke College, Cambridge (BA)
Occupation(s)Actor (2001–2016)
Political adviser
FatherRandal Keynes
Relatives
FamilyKeynes, Darwin–Wedgwood

Alexander Amin Caspar Keynes[a] (born 5 September 1991)[4] is an English political adviser and former actor. Best known for starring as Edmund Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia film series, he appeared in all three installments: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.[5]

Early life

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His mother, Zelfa Hourani, is Lebanese; 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 at The Economist magazine[6] and is currently an economics columnist at the Financial Times.[7] They grew up in Islington, London.

Ancestry

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On his father's side, Keynes is of English descent, and is the grandson of physiologist Richard Keynes, the nephew of two Cambridge professors, the historian Simon Keynes, and the neuroscientist Roger Keynes, the cousin of Catholic writer and apologist Laura Keynes,[8][9] and the great-great-nephew of economist John Maynard Keynes. His great-great-great-grandfather was naturalist Charles Darwin. Keynes' great-grandparents were Nobel Prize laureate Edgar Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian and Hester Adrian, Baroness Adrian.[10]

On his mother's side, Keynes is of Lebanese Christian and distant Persian and Turkish descent.[11] His maternal grandfather was Lebanese writer Cecil Fadlo Hourani, who was an advisor to the late Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba. The Hourani family were immigrants to Manchester from Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon. Cecil's two brothers were Albert Hourani, a historian of the Middle East, and George 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]

Education

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Keynes attended the Anna Scher Theatre School, after going to Thornhill Primary School. He then studied at the all-boys City of London School where he was awarded the Merit prize in the 2006 European 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 his A-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 at Pembroke College, Cambridge.[16] He consistently attained first-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 the EG 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 in The 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] Achieving Firsts in both Parts of the Tripos, Keynes graduated with a Double First Class Honours BA degree in Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic and Persian) in June 2014.[1][2][3][21] He was listed as one of Business Insider's "16 Incredibly Impressive Students At Cambridge University".[22]

Career

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Film and audio

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Skandar Keynes’ acting career began when he was 9 years old with a role as a 'boy in rags' in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Macbeth (2001) for British television.[23] It was followed with a supporting role of a Victorian waif in the BBC2 television documentary Queen 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 young Enzo Ferrari in the biopic film Ferrari (2003), directed by Carlo 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 of Edmund Pevensie in the major motion picture The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) directed by Andrew 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. Unlike the others who had endured an 18-month lengthy casting process, he was cast within weeks.[26] 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 game The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In 2006, Keynes was awarded the CAMIE Award (Character and Morality in Entertainment) for his portrayal.

He reprised his role as Edmund in Prince 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.[27] 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 the 30th Young Artist Awards. Keynes also voiced his character in the video game The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

He returned as Edmund in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third installment of The Chronicles of Narnia, directed by Michael Apted, filmed in Australia and released in December 2010, grossing $415.7 million worldwide. In preparation, Keynes trained to earn his Professional Association of Diving Instructors license for underwater scenes.[28] In 2011, the cast was nominated for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast at the Young Artist Awards 2011.

In May 2014, Keynes was cast to voice the antagonist Sir Allan Kerr in Heirloom Audio Production's award-winning audio adventure In Freedom's Cause, a historical novel by G.A. Henty which recounts how the 14th-century Scottish hero William Wallace, famously portrayed by Mel Gibson in Braveheart, was a strong man of God.[29] Keynes also appeared as himself in its promotional short film.[30] The drama was released in November that year, winning five of the six categories it was nominated for at the 2015 Voice Arts Awards —the Oscars equivalent of voice acting:[31] Outstanding Production, Outstanding Casting, Outstanding Audio Engineering, Audiobook Narration – Inspirational/Faith-Based Fiction, and Audiobook Narration – History.[32][33] In January 2016, Keynes announced his retirement from acting.[34]

Politics

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In January 2015, Keynes completed a three-month internship at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. During his stay in Amman, Jordan, he assisted in the research and writing of Living 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 the Syrian conflict entered its fifth year.[35][36] 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.[37]

Keynes then worked at the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as a parliamentary adviser to Crispin Blunt, a British Conservative MP and former Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee (2015–2017), until January 2018.[38][39][40][41] In November 2015, he joined the committee on its visit to Beirut for an inquiry on the UK's role in the fight against the ISIL.[39] In February 2016, with committee members Daniel Kawczynski and Stephen Gethins, he attended the European Parliament forum in Brussels which focused on conflicts in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region and discussed the then upcoming NATO Summit in Warsaw.[38][42] In December that year, he participated in the IISS Manama Dialogue at the 12th Regional Security Summit in Bahrain 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".[43] In February 2017, on behalf of the Qatar All-Party Parliamentary Group, he visited Qatar to meet ministers and officials, visit sites in development for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and discuss issues of bilateral relations and regional crises.[44] From 2016 to 2017, he accompanied Blunt in diplomatic visits to Cairo, Tunisia, Kurdistan, and Baghdad.[45][44] Since then, Keynes has been working as a political adviser.[46]

Personal life

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Keynes plays the guitar, flute, and cornet. He won a 1500-metre long race competition in 2006,[26] and also ran 42 km at the 2012 Beirut Marathon in aid of Prostate Cancer UK.[47] He earlier attained a green belt in taekwondo and did extreme sports through bungee jumping in New Zealand at the Nevis Bungy, Sky Tower, Ledge Bungy, Shotover Canyon Swing, and from a jet.[26][48][49] He plays cricket and football, and is a supporter of Arsenal Football Club.[26] At Cambridge, he was a Rugby varsity player and played football with Freddie Highmore.[3]

Conservation

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Keynes supports conservation projects. He tracked down the Grey Wolf in the Jura Mountains in Switzerland as part of his work shadowing the International 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[permanent dead link].[50] In March 2009, he contributed to English Heritage by writing the foreword to the Darwin issue of the Heritage Learning Journal (Issue 40).[51][52] He also promoted connect2earth, an online community run by World Wide Fund for Nature.[53] 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.[54]

Lebanon

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Keynes and his family have been visiting Marjeyoun in Lebanon yearly, despite the political situation, since he was a child. "I was here in 1996 during Operation 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 the 2006 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 the Lebanese 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]

Filmography

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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 Promotional short film (3 min.)

Awards and nominations

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Association Year Nominated work Category Result Ref.
CAMIE Awards 2006 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe — Won [55]
Young Artist Awards 2009 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor Nominated [56]
Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast Nominated
2011 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast Nominated [57]
Voice Arts Awards 2015 In Freedom's Cause Audiobook Narration – History, Best Voiceover Won [33]
Audiobook Narration – Inspirational/Faith-Based Fiction, Best Voiceover Won
Outstanding Spoken Word or Storytelling – Best Performance Nominated [32]

Notes

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  1. ^ Keynes' third name was registered as "Casper" in Pembroke College's annual gazettes.[1][2][3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Pembroke College Annual Gazette 2011" (PDF). 7 April 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Pembroke College Annual Gazette 2012" (PDF). 4 March 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Pembroke College Annual Gazette 2014" (PDF). 15 June 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 June 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Skandar Keynes - Interviews Personal Facts". www.skandar-keynes.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  5. ^ The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Internet Movie Database, retrieved 18 July 2011
  6. ^ "Soumaya Keynes". Economist. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Soumaya Keynes". www.ft.com. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  8. ^ West, Ed (2013-06-13). Descendant of Darwin Becomes a Catholic Apologist. The Catholic Herald. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
  9. ^ "I'm a Direct Descendant of Darwin...and a Catholic". Strange Notions. 26 June 2013. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  10. ^ Peter Townend, ed., Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 105th edition (London, U.K.: Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1970), page 27.
  11. ^ "Skandar Keynes - Interviews Personal Facts". 9 November 2015. Archived from the original on 9 November 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  12. ^ a b Elali, Nadine (29 September 2012). "A second home in Lebanon: Talking to Skandar Keynes". NOW Lebanon. Beirut, Lebanon. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  13. ^ The Chronicle, City of London School. "Keynes Archive — The Chronicle 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010". www.clsarchive.org.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
    • For European Kangaroo Merit prize: "The Chronicle 2006". Vol. 130, no. 399. City of London School. December 2006. p. 77. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
    • For City of London Corporate Scholarship: "Chronicle 2008/9". Vol. 133, no. 402. City of London School. December 2008. p. 10. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
    • For The Geoffrey Clark Prize for Services to Drama: "Chronicle 2009/10". Vol. 134, no. 403. City of London School. December 2009. p. 10. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
    • For The Bennet Brough Prize for Chemistry: "Prizes — Chronicle 2010/11". Vol. 135, no. 404. City of London School. December 2010. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  14. ^ Gadelrab, Roisin (13 March 2009). "Evolution of screen heartthrob Skandar". Islington Tribune. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  15. ^ "Skandar Keynes". IMDb. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  16. ^ Robinson, Melia. "Former Child Actor Reveals What It's Like To Be A Student At Cambridge". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  17. ^ "Part II: Members of University Bodies - Cambridge University Reporter Special No 8 (2011-12)". www.admin.cam.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Skandar Keynes: Week 1". University of Cambridge. 27 April 2013. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Skandar Keynes Archives". University of Cambridge. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  20. ^ Keynes, Skandar. "Student Profile - Asian and Middle Eastern Studies". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 8 July 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  21. ^ "Skandar Keynes Graduation". Twitter. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Cambridge talent showcased by Business Insider". The Cambridge Student. 23 May 2014. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  23. ^ Crean, Ellen (16 December 2005). "The Boys Of 'Narnia'". www.cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Skandar Keynes - Film History - Victoria died in 1901 and Is Still Alive Today". 16 March 2015. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Skandar Keynes". en.24smi.org. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  26. ^ a b c d "Skandar Information Page". skandarfans.livejournal.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  27. ^ Utichi, Joe (25 June 2008). "RT Interview: Skandar Keynes on the Action Challenge of Prince Caspian: Edmund Pevensie on the new experiences of the Narnian second part". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 28 June 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  28. ^ Nemiroff, Perri (6 December 2010). "Interview: The Chronicles Of Narnia's Skandar Keynes". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  29. ^ Woods, Mark (22 January 2015). "Ripping yarns: How a British Empire novelist has become the darling of the American Right". www.christiantoday.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  30. ^ Heid, Bill (6 November 2014), In Freedom's Cause (Short, Adventure, Family), Heirloom Audio Productions, retrieved 12 December 2021
  31. ^ Contributor (28 February 2021). "The Society of Voice Arts and Sciences Co-founders Joan Baker and Rudy Gaskins Uses Their…". Global Communicator. Retrieved 19 December 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  32. ^ a b Gaskins, Rudy; Baker, Joan. "2015 Nominees". Sovas. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  33. ^ a b Gaskins, Rudy; Baker, Joan. "2015 Winners". Sovas. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  34. ^ "Skandar Keynes - About". 3 January 2016. Archived from the original on 3 January 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  35. ^ "Skandar Keynes - News A Three-Month Internship at UNHCR". 29 October 2018. Archived from the original on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  36. ^ "Living in the shadows: Jordan Home Visits Report 2014 - Jordan". ReliefWeb. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  37. ^ UNHCR, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (14 January 2015). "Living in the shadows - Jordan home visits report 2014". UNHCR. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  38. ^ a b Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament (22 February 2016). "List of Participants - "Toward the NATO Summit in Warsaw" and "Conflicts in the MENA region" - Brussels February 2016" (PDF). European Parliament. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  39. ^ a b Foreign Affairs Committee, House of Commons. "Formal Minutes Session 2015 - 2016" (PDF). parliament.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 July 2021.
  40. ^ "House of Commons - Register Of Interests Of Members' Secretaries And Research Assistants as at 25 January 2018: Abbott, D to Davey, E". publications.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  41. ^ The hook site, The hook (11 January 2022). "Actors children who gave up hollywood". Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  42. ^ AFET, European Parliament (23 February 2016). "Toward the NATO Summit in Warsaw and Conflicts in the MENA region". Relations with National Parliaments. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  43. ^ "Widening Middle Eastern Security Partnerships: Q&A" (PDF). 10 December 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2021. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  44. ^ a b "House of Commons - Register Of Interests Of Members' Secretaries And Research Assistants as at 14 December 2017: Abbott, D to David, W". publications.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  45. ^ "House of Commons - Register Of Interests Of Members' Secretaries And Research Assistants as at 22 December 2016: Abbott, D to Cunningham, A". publications.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  46. ^ "Narnia child star Skandar Keynes looks like THIS now - as he swaps films for Tory politics | Films | Entertainment | Express.co.uk". www.express.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  47. ^ "Skandar Keynes - News Beirut Marathon 2012". 23 December 2018. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  48. ^ "Q&A: Skandar Keynes returns as Edmund in "Chronicles Of Narnia" sequel". Philstar.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  49. ^ "Skandar Keynes is Edmund Pevensie". ComingSoon.net. 19 October 2007. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  50. ^ "Grey Wolf in the Jura Mountains, Switzerland". Skandar-keynes.com. 25 March 2009. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  51. ^ "Skandar Keynes Brasil". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  52. ^ "Darwin Online: Darwin 2009 commemorations around the world". darwin-online.org.uk. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  53. ^ "Con la comunidad connect2earth, ahora jóvenes y expertos ambientales de renombre podrán debatir cuestiones ecológicas". IUCN. 6 April 2009. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  54. ^ "Skandar Keynes - News Sebastian Keynes the Giant Tortoise". 15 August 2016. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  55. ^ "CAMIE awards". 9 February 2006. Archived from the original on 9 February 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  56. ^ "30th Annual Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Foundation. 2009. Archived from the original on 2 April 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  57. ^ "32nd Annual Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Foundation. 2011. Archived from the original on 24 April 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
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