Full Name: Kristen Jaymes Stewart
Birthdate: April 9, 1990
Birthdate: April 9, 1990
Born Kristen Jaymes Stewart on April 9, 1990, in Los Angeles, California. Her father John—a stage manager, producer and director—and mother Jules—a scriptwriter—immersed their daughter in the Hollywood scene at an early age. She made her first television appearance at the age of eight after her performance in a grade school Christmas play caught the eye of a talent scout. Shortly after, she landed a bit role on the Disney Channel TV movie, The Thirteenth Year (1999).
Two years later, Stewart landed a more substantial in the independent film The Safety of Objects (2001). But the actress’ big break didn’t come until 2002, when she was cast as the lead in the blockbuster drama, Panic Room, starring with film veterans Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker and Jared Leto. Stewart’s role as the diabetic, troubled teen caught the attention of critics, who praised her understated and solid performance. Fans also resonated with Stewart, and the film raked in a respectable $95 million at the box office.
Stewart next signed on to play the daughter of Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone in another suspense drama, Cold Creek Manor(2003). Although Stewart and her co-stars turned out solid performances in the film, the plot was lambasted by reviewers and fans and performed poorly at the box office. Stewart followed up with two more low-performing films in the next year: the light-hearted teen film, Catch That Kid (2004), and the adventure film Undertow (2004) which, despite decent reviews, went almost straight to video.
Stewart showed her versatility as a performer in the Showtime special feature, Speak (2005), about a teen who stops speaking after a sexual assault. That same year, she appeared in the sci-fi film Zathura, followed by the drama Fierce People (2006). After appearing in several more mild box-office successes, Stewart landed a the role of a teenage commune dweller in the crticially acclaimed biopic Into the Wild (2007). The role brought Stewart back to the spotlight, and that same year she landed in Mary Stuart Masterson’s The Cake Eaters.
The year 2008 was a big one for Stewart, who starred across Robert De Niro in the Hollywood satire What Just Happened?(2008), then landed the starring role across from teen heartthrob Robert Pattinson in the film version of the successful Stephenie Meyerbook series, Twlight (2008). The novels, about a teen who falls in love with a charming vampire, already had a legion of fans. Soon Stewart became the romantic icon for thousands of teens, launching her to A-List actor status. In fact, her popularity in the role has started to overshadow other projects in the works, including a starring part in the comedy Adventureland (2009), and her role in Welcome to the Rileys (2009), starring James Gandolfini. In addition, Stewart has been tapped to play the younger version of Joan Jett in the 2010 biopic The Runaways, while she continues to work on the remaining installments of the Twilight saga.