The Wachowskis "The Matrix", a science fiction action film, in 1999. The movie stars Keanu Reeves as Neo, a hacker recruited by a rebellion to aid them in the fight against machines who have taken over the world and placed humanity inside a simulated reality called "the Matrix". Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano also star. The movie was a critical and commercial hit for Warner Bros. It won four Academy Awards, including for "Best Visual Effects" for popularizing the bullet time visual effect. "The Matrix" came to be a major influence for action movies and has appeared in
Keanu Reeves the Hollywood Walk of Fame. During his film career, Reeves has engaged in several forms of artistic expression. He is a musician and played bass guitar for the bands Dogstar and Becky. Acting onstage, he performed as Prince Hamlet for the Manitoba Theatre Centre's production of "Hamlet". He wrote the text for a picture book, "Ode to Happiness", illustrated by Alexandra Grant. He has also produced a documentary, "Side by Side", and directed the martial arts film "Man of Tai Chi". Keanu Charles Reeves was born in Beirut on September 2, 1964, the son of Patricia ("née" Taylor), a costume