At age 9, he started his acting career by appearing onstage, and at age 14, he appeared in Canadian television series and commercials. He also appeared in short movies and stage work in early 1980s. Keanu acted his first significant role in "River's Edge" (1987), and the next year (1988), he appeared in some movies such as "Dangerous Liaisons" and "Permanent Record". In 1989, he appeared in the successful comedy "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure", which was one of the "Bill and Ted" series. In 2008 he played the alien in "The Day the Earth Stood Still".