Skandar Keynes facts for kids

Skandar Keynes, born on September 5, 1991, is an English political adviser and a former actor. He is famous for playing Edmund Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia movies. He was in all three films: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Early Life

Skandar's mother, Zelfa Hourani, is from Lebanon. His father, Randal Keynes, was a British author. Skandar has an older sister named Soumaya. She is a journalist and economist. They grew up in Islington, London.

Family History

On his father's side, Skandar Keynes has English roots. His great-great-great-grandfather was the famous scientist Charles Darwin. Darwin is known for his work on evolution. Skandar's family also includes other notable people. These include economists and scientists.

On his mother's side, Skandar's family is from Lebanon. His grandfather, Cecil Fadlo Hourani, was a Lebanese writer. He advised the former president of Tunisia. The Hourani family moved to Manchester from Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon.

Education

Skandar Keynes went to the Anna Scher Theatre School. He also attended Thornhill Primary School. Later, he studied at the all-boys City of London School. He won several awards there for his studies. He also received prizes for drama and chemistry.

In 2010, Skandar started studying at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He studied Arabic, Persian, and Middle Eastern History. He did very well in his studies. He even spent a year studying in Lebanon. This helped him learn to speak Arabic better. He graduated in 2014 with top honors.

Career

Acting Career

Skandar Keynes started acting when he was nine years old. He had a small role in a TV play called Macbeth in 2001. He also appeared in a BBC documentary. His first big film role was playing a young Enzo Ferrari in the movie Ferrari in 2003.

Skandar became famous for playing Edmund Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). This movie was a huge success worldwide. Skandar won the role after many auditions. He did his own stunts, like sword fighting and horse riding. He also voiced Edmund in the video game. In 2006, he won an award for his role.

He played Edmund again in Prince Caspian (2008). This movie also did very well. Skandar enjoyed the action scenes and stunts. He was nominated for awards for his performance. He also voiced Edmund in the video game for this movie.

Skandar returned as Edmund in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). This was the third Narnia film. He trained to get a diving license for underwater scenes. In 2011, the cast was nominated for another award.

In 2014, Skandar voiced a character named Sir Allan Kerr. This was for an audio adventure called In Freedom's Cause. The story is about the Scottish hero William Wallace. This audio drama won several awards in 2015. In January 2016, Skandar announced he was stopping his acting career.

Political Work

In 2015, Skandar Keynes worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He helped research a report about Syrian refugees in Jordan. This report showed that their living conditions were getting worse. It was published in January 2015.

After that, Skandar worked at the House of Commons. This is part of the UK Parliament. He was a political adviser to Crispin Blunt, a Member of Parliament. He worked there until January 2018. He traveled with Blunt on diplomatic visits. These visits included trips to Beirut, Brussels, and Bahrain. He discussed important topics like fighting extremism. Since then, Skandar Keynes has continued to work as a political adviser.

Personal Life

Skandar Keynes enjoys playing music. He plays the guitar, flute, and cornet. He also likes sports. He ran a marathon in Beirut in 2012 to help raise money for charity. He has also tried extreme sports like bungee jumping in New Zealand. At Cambridge, he played rugby and football.

Conservation Efforts

Skandar supports projects that protect nature. He worked with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He helped track wolves in Switzerland. He also wrote a foreword for a journal about Charles Darwin. Skandar also helps promote online communities that focus on environmental protection. He joined his father in a project to protect giant tortoises in the Galapagos.

Connection to Lebanon

Skandar and his family visit Marjeyoun in Lebanon every year. He considers Lebanon his second home. He was there during times of conflict, like the 2006 war. He hopes that one day he can be considered a Lebanese citizen. This would allow him to have a Lebanese passport.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Skandar Keynes para niños