---
name: "Keiko"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/keiko"
fi1m_id: "keiko"
imdb_id: "nm1430748"
tmdb_id: 2983400
wikidata_id: "Q890911"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "1 January 1976"
died: "12 December 2003"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-10-04T23:20:56.109186+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Keiko

## Identity

Keiko

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/keiko
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** keiko
- **IMDb ID:** nm1430748
- **TMDB ID:** 2983400
- **Wikidata ID:** Q890911
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiko_(orca), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q890911, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1430748/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2983400

Actor. Born 1 January 1976 in Iceland. Died 12 December 2003.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 1 January 1976, Iceland
- **Died:** 12 December 2003
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiko_(orca), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q890911, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1430748/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2983400

## Biography

Keiko was a male orca, known professionally as an actor for his role as Willy in the 1993 film *Free Willy*.

Captured near Iceland around 1979 at approximately two years old, he was held in marine parks in Canada and Mexico before appearing in the film. Following its release, efforts led to his relocation to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in 1996 and later to Iceland in 1998. In 2002 he became the first captive orca to be released into the ocean. He died of pneumonia on 12 December 2003 in Norway at around 27 years of age.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Free Willy* (1993), Fi1m 68, as Willy — [page](https://film.one/film/free-willy.md)

## Complete filmography (1)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Free Willy* (1993), as Willy — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/free-willy.md)

## Gallery

- ![Photograph of the Burnside Skatepark as of May 18, 2019. Taken from the southeast corner](https://film.one/media/person/5561457/gallery-8801a77140b4.jpg) Photograph of the Burnside Skatepark as of May 18, 2019. Taken from the southeast corner — Bentzleyc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Burnside_Skatepark_May_18%2C_2019_Southeast_corner.jpg/1280px-Burnside_Skatepark_May_18%2C_2019_Southeast_corner.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Air Force cargo handlers and loadmasters load the specially made transport tank containing Keiko, the killer whale star of the "Free Willy" movie, onto an Air F](https://film.one/media/person/5561457/gallery-7151f4c20993.jpg) Air Force cargo handlers and loadmasters load the specially made transport tank containing Keiko, the killer whale star of the "Free Willy" movie, onto an Air F — Master Sgt. Dave Nolan, U.S. Air Force, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Defense.gov_News_Photo_980909-F-0000N-071.jpg/1280px-Defense.gov_News_Photo_980909-F-0000N-071.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![An Air Force C-17 Globemaster III loadmaster positions a 60K Tunner cargo loader behind the aircraft in preparation for loading the specially made transport tan](https://film.one/media/person/5561457/gallery-41a039b70ac6.jpg) An Air Force C-17 Globemaster III loadmaster positions a 60K Tunner cargo loader behind the aircraft in preparation for loading the specially made transport tan — Tech. Sgt. Lono Kollars, U.S. Air Force, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Defense.gov_News_Photo_980909-F-5019K-053.jpg/1280px-Defense.gov_News_Photo_980909-F-5019K-053.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![An Air Force 60K Tunner cargo loader approaches a C-17 Globemaster III in preparation for loading the specially made transport tank containing Keiko, the killer](https://film.one/media/person/5561457/gallery-0d319563ce89.jpg) An Air Force 60K Tunner cargo loader approaches a C-17 Globemaster III in preparation for loading the specially made transport tank containing Keiko, the killer — DoD photo by Master Sgt. Dave Nolan, U.S. Air Force., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Keiko-airplane.jpg/1280px-Keiko-airplane.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Keiko](https://film.one/media/person/5561457/gallery-d5c5eabdfd9a.jpg) Keiko — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Keiko-weighing.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Straight on medium shot of Keiko the killer whale and star of the film Free Willy as he swims around in his tank prior to being moved from Newport, Oregon to We (1998)](https://film.one/media/person/5561457/gallery-2320846091ce.jpg) Straight on medium shot of Keiko the killer whale and star of the film Free Willy as he swims around in his tank prior to being moved from Newport, Oregon to We (1998) — Author unknown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/KeikoOrcaFreeWillyDec98.jpg/1280px-KeikoOrcaFreeWillyDec98.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/keiko