A GIVING LEGEND

Reel tales of Keanu's generosity

Keanu Reeves apparently took the title of his movie “Something’s Gotta Give” to heart.

The actor has made a lot of money — by some estimates around $315 million — but, a longtime family friend told The Post, “He’s somewhat embarrassed about that.”

So, after being hit by a slew of tragedies, he’s made it a life mission to spread the wealth.

“Keanu’s given away a lot of money and done a lot more for people than most will ever know,” said the family friend. “He knows how lucky he is. Unlike many Hollywood megastars, he never takes any of this for granted.”

Stuntman’s best friend

Although a December report that Reeves had donated 70% of his salary from the first “The Matrix” film to cancer research was debunked by the actor’s publicist, he is still one of the most generous stars in Hollywood — giving lavish gifts to co-workers, food-service employees, his family and charities.

“Keanu’s infamous for his generosity,” said a Hollywood producer, citing the story that the actor slipped a $20,000 bonus to a “Matrix” set builder after learning that the crew member was having financial troubles after the 1999 smash hit.

Reeves also gifted each of the 12 stuntmen on the film’s 2003 followup, “The Matrix Reloaded,” with one of his favorite things: a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

For next year’s “John Wick 4,” which Reeves recently completed filming in Paris and Berlin, he gave Rolex Submariner watches to the stunt guys, complete with personal inscriptions.

“Trust me, stunt guys are all dying to work with Keanu,” said a Hollywood production source. “Not just for the gifts. It’s because he takes them so seriously and credits them with helping contribute to his success. Stuntmen, fight trainers — these people rarely get that.”

“The reason Keanu’s starred in 60 movies,” said one casting director who’s worked with him, “is that, on top of audiences, directors love him, co-stars love him, crews love him. He’s always prepared. He’s always on time.

“Considerate, communicative, caring — there’s no one whose name he doesn’t know or hasn’t had a conversation with.”

Insiders say that part of his desire to share comes from having lost so much in his own life.

Reeves was devastated in 1993 when his best friend and “My Own Private Idaho” co-star, River Phoenix, died of a drug overdose.

In 1999, then-girlfriend Jennifer Syme, an assistant to director David Lynch, gave birth a month early to the couple’s daughter — but the baby, named Ava, was stillborn. The grief was too much for

the relationship, and the pair broke up not long after, then reunited in 2001.

But at the age of 28, Syme was battling depression the night she drove her Jeep into a line of parked cars in Los Angeles on April 1, 2001. She died instantly. An investigation found she was intoxicated at the time of the wreck.

Channeling his grief

“If Ava’s death wasn’t devastating enough, he’d considered Jennifer his soul mate,” a colleague said of Reeves. “He had some seriously dark days after that.”

His life’s tragedies inspired Reeves to accept the role of the grieving, widowed assassin in the “John Wick” film series.

“He really related to that character, passionately motivated by loss,” said the casting director.

Reeves, meanwhile. is still very close to his mother, costume designer Patricia Taylor. He bought her a home in Los Angeles before purchasing one for himself — as well as homes for his two sisters.