Keanu Taylor

Keanu Taylor
EastEnders character
Portrayed by	Danny Walters
Duration	2017–2020, 2022–2024
First appearance	Episode 5511 15 June 2017
Last appearance	Episode 6827 26 December 2023 (appearance) Episode 6860 20 February 2024 (hallucination)
Classification	Former; regular
Created by	Daran Little[1]
Introduced by	Sean O'Connor (2017) Chris Clenshaw (2022)
In-universe information Other names Keanu Floyd Taylor[2] Occupation Mechanic Doorman Family Taylor Father Shane Mother Karen Taylor Half-brothers Keegan Baker Riley Taylor Chatham Taylor Half-sisters Chantelle Atkins Bernadette Taylor Daughters Peggy Taylor Aunts Kandice Taylor Nephews Mackenzie Atkins Roland Highway Nieces Mia Atkins

Keanu Taylor is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Danny Walters. He was created by EastEnders writer Daran Little and introduced by executive producer Sean O'Connor in episode 5511, broadcast on 15 June 2017, as a member of the show's Taylor family. The character's initial stint lasted until episode 6084, broadcast on 21 February 2020. He made an unannounced return over two years later in episode 6607, broadcast on 13 December 2022, and made his second departure in episode 6826, broadcast on 25 December 2023, Christmas Day, where the character is killed off. Following his on-screen death, Walters makes five additional appearances as Keanu from episodes 6837 to 6860, 10 January to 20 February 2024, appearing as a hallucination.

His storylines saw Keanu acting as his family's breadwinner, forming a friendship with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), beginning an affair with Phil's wife Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and romance with his daughter Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper), Phil's attempted hit against him after learning of the affair, and his accidental involvement in the death of Sharon's son Dennis Rickman Jnr (Bleu Landau). During his second stint, his storylines included his attempts to reconnect with Albie Watts (Arthur Gentleman), whom he falsely believes is his son, beginning a relationship with Sharon, being involved in drug trafficking with Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), being blackmailed by Lisa Fowler (Lucy Benjamin) for time with his daughter Peggy, his abduction scheme of Albie to gain ransom money, and his eventual murder on Christmas Day.

Upon the character's announcement, he was billed by O'Connor as being a positive, family-oriented man of morals, whose protective nature over the family was a result of feeling like he needed to be "the man of the house".^[3] As his time on the serial continued, the character became prone to outbursts and poor decision-making, and was depicted as having a short temper, with Walters noting that Keanu had the potential to be a dangerous person at times. In 2020, it was announced that Walters would make his first exit from the show to pursue other roles. In December 2022, Keanu was reintroduced by Chris Clenshaw in an unannounced return. Clenshaw said he decided to bring the character back due to Keanu having "unfinished business", and promised a more matured version of the character.^[4] In February 2023, Keanu was listed one of seven potential victims for "The Six" storyline after it was revealed that a male character would die on the show's upcoming Christmas Day broadcast, eventually transpiring to be the victim, as he was stabbed to death by Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).

Across his run, the character received a mixed reception from critics and viewers. Critics noted his initial lack of narrative relevance during his first stint, with some feeling the character had been underused. His affair with Sharon was considered controversial due to their large age gap, but several critics appreciated the drama that stemmed from it, as it was deemed "the affair to end all affairs" by Digital Spy writer Claire Crick.^[5] His surprise return and eventual death scene garnered generally positive reactions. Walters won several awards and nominations for his portrayal of Keanu, including the award for the best "Newcomer" at the 23rd National Television Awards and the award for "Best Exit" award at the Radio Times Soap Awards.