Kristen Stewart biography

Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has starred in other films, including Panic Room (2002), Zathura (2005), In the Land of Women (2007), The Messengers (2007), Adventureland (2009), The Runaways (2010), and Snow White & the Huntsman (2012). She will star in upcoming films in 2012: On the Road and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.

Early life

Stewart was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her father, John Stewart, is a stage manager and television producer who has worked for Fox. Her mother, Jules Mann-Stewart, is a script supervisor originally from Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia. She has an older brother, Cameron Stewart, and an adopted brother, Taylor. Stewart attended school until the seventh grade and then continued her education by correspondence. She has since completed high school.

Career

Early work

Her whole family all worked behind the camera and Stewart thought she would become a writer/director, but never considered being an actor. "I never wanted to be the center of attention – I wasn't that 'I want to be famous, I want to be an actor' kid. I never sought out acting, but I always practiced my autograph because I love pens. I'd write my name on everything." Stewart's acting career began at the age of eight, after an agent saw her perform in her elementary school's Christmas play.  After a year of auditioning, Stewart's first role was a small nonspeaking part in the Disney Channel original film The Thirteenth Year. Then, she had another part in the film The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas as the "ring toss girl".She subsequently appeared in the independent film The Safety of Objects, in which she played the tomboy daughter of a troubled single mother (Patricia Clarkson). Stewart also played a tomboy in the film Panic Room, playing the diabetic daughter of a divorced mother (Jodie Foster). She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her performance.
After Panic Room's success, Stewart was cast in another thriller, Cold Creek Manor, playing the daughter of Dennis Quaid's and Sharon Stone's characters. She was again nominated for a Young Artist Award for her performance. It was revealed that at about this time in her career, she had to be homeschooled due to her irregular schedule, which was affecting her grades. She said, "I started homeschooling because my teachers were failing me. I think it was just resentment – I made more work for them. But homeschooling is great; you can study what you want, which allows you to get more excited about what you're doing".

2004–07

Her first starring role followed, in the children's action-comedy Catch That Kid, opposite Max Thieriot and Corbin Bleu. Stewart also played the role of Lila in the thriller Undertow. Stewart starred in the Lifetime/Showtime television film Speak (2004), based on the novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. Stewart, 13 at the time of filming, played high school freshman Melinda Sordino, who stops almost all verbal contact after being raped.
In 2005, Stewart appeared in the fantasy-adventure film Zathura, playing the role of Lisa, the irresponsible older sister of two little boys, who turn their house into a spacecraft hurtling uncontrollably in outer space by playing a board game. The film received praise by critics, but Stewart's performance did not garner much media attention, as it was noted that her character is immobilized during most of the film. The following year, she played the character Maya in Fierce People, directed by Griffin Dunne. After that film, she received the lead role of Jess Solomon in the supernatural thriller film The Messengers.
In 2007, Stewart appeared as teenager Lucy Hardwicke in In the Land of Women, a romantic drama starring Meg Ryan and Adam Brody. The film, as well as Stewart's performance, received mixed reviews. That same year, Stewart appeared in the Sean Penn-directed adaptation film Into the Wild. For her portrayal of Tracy – a teenage singer who has a crush on young adventurer Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch) – Stewart received mixed reviews. While Salon.com considered her work a "sturdy, sensitive performance",and the Chicago Tribune noted that she did "vividly well with a sketch of a role", Variety's critic Dennis Harvey said, "It's unclear whether Stewart means to be playing hippie-chick Tracy as vapid, or whether it just comes off that way." After Into the Wild, Stewart had a cameo appearance in Jumper and also appeared in What Just Happened, which was released in October 2008. She also co-starred in The Cake Eaters an independent film that has only been screened at film festivals.

2008–present

On November 16, 2007, Summit Entertainment announced that Stewart would play Isabella "Bella" Swan in the film Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling vampire romance novel of the same name. Stewart was on the set of Adventureland when director Catherine Hardwicke visited her for an informal screen test which "captivated" the director. She starred alongside Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen, her character's vampire boyfriend. The film began production in February 2008 and finished filming in May 2008. Twilight was released domestically on November 21, 2008.Her performance garnered mixed reviews with some critcs calling her "the ideal casting choice" and praising her for conveying "Bella's detachment, as well as her need to bust through it" while others criticized her acting for being "wooden" and lacking variety in her facial expressions which they described as "blank".
Stewart reappeared as Bella in the sequel, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, once again receiving mixed reviews for her performance. Jordan Mintzer from Variety called Stewart "the heart and soul of the film" and praised her for giving "both weight and depth to dialogue...she makes Bella's psychological wounds seem like the real deal" Manohla Dargis from The New York Times said Stewart's "lonely-girl blues soon grow wearisome" throughout the film and Billy Goodykoontz from The Arizona Republic stated "Stewart is a huge disapointment... She sucks the energy right out of the film". She reprised this role in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

At the 2010 82nd Annual Academy Awards, Stewart and Twilight co-star Taylor Lautner presented a tribute in honour of the horror movie genre.

In 2009, Stewart starred in The Yellow Handkerchief, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and was released into theaters in 2010 by Samuel Goldwyn Films. She also starred alongside James Gandolfini in Welcome to the Rileys, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010.

In 2010, Stewart portrayed rock star Joan Jett in The Runaways, a biographical film of the titular band of the same name from writer-director Floria Sigismondi. Stewart met with Jett over the 2008–2009 New Year to prepare for the role and ended up prerecording songs in a studio for the film. She received praise for her performance as the Metro Times wrote, "It turns out that Stewart is actually really good at capturing Jett's icy, tough-but-cool girl swagger, adding the needed touches of vulnerability that transform it into a pretty terrific performance... Stewart is a genuine rock star here." Also, A. O. Scott of The New York Times noted "Ms. Stewart, watchful and unassuming, gives the movie its spine and soul."

Stewart was listed as the highest earning female actress in Hollywood in the "2010's Top Hollywood Top Earners List" compiled by Vanity Fair. Throughout 2010, Stewart earned an estimated $28.5 million for all her movie appearances.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 was released on November 18, 2011. The film was successful in the box office making $283.5 million its opening weekend. Though the film received negative reviews, Stewart's performance was praised. Gabriel Chong called Stewart's performance "mesmerising" and said that she "makes [Bella's] every emotion keenly felt that runs the gamut from joy, trepidation, anxiety, distress and above all quiet and resolute determination"and the Village Voice's Dan Konis saying Stewart "beautifully underplays"the role. However, some critics found Pattinson and Stewart's chemistry lacking and said that the relationship came off like a "charade" onscreen or that none of the three leads were convincing in their roles.

On December 6, 2011, Stewart was named number one on Forbes magazine's list of Hollywood's Best Actors for the Buck. She was named the new face of an unnamed Balenciaga perfume on January 13, 2012.

On June 1, 2012, Stewart starred as Snow White in the film Snow White & the Huntsman. She will also appear as Mary Lou in the upcoming film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's cult classic novel On the Road. Shooting began in August 2010.

In May 2012, Stewart was cast in the thiller titled Cali, directed by Nick Cassavetes. She will begin shooting the film at the end of this summer. Stewart plays one half of a troublesome pair of San Fernando Valley lovebirds who decide to sell a fake snuff film and permanently ditch with the cash. Years later, Stewart's character runs into a dilemma when she's compelled to return to Los Angeles to help out the little sister she left behind. After faking her own death, she must explain her dramatic decision to not only her closest family members but to the angry former business partners she left behind. 

Personal life

Stewart currently lives in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. She has expressed a desire to live and work in Australia, saying, "I want to go to Sydney University in Australia. My mom's from there." Apart from acting, she is also interested in attending college in the near future, saying, "I want to go to college for literature. I want to be a writer. I mean, I love what I do, but it's not all I want to do – be a professional liar for the rest of my life." In 2008, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Stewart acknowledged that she was in a relationship with Michael Angarano, her co-star from Speak.

Since meeting on the set of Twilight, Stewart has been romantically linked to co-star Robert Pattinson. Though they have never explicitly confirmed a relationship, paparazzi photographs and eyewitness accounts have driven intense media and fan speculation and attention, making "Robsten" the subject of wide media coverage. In an interview with GQ, when asked why she remained reluctant to talk about the relationship despite evidence of it being accessible online, Stewart replied, "Yeah, I know it is...So much of my life is so easily googled. I mean, it's like, come on guys, it's so obvious!" When asked why she refuses to talk about her life, Stewart replied "I'm selfish. I'm like, 'That's mine!' And I like to keep whatever is mine remaining that way. It's a funny little game to play and it's a slippery slope. I always say to myself I'm never going to give anything away because there's never any point or benefit for me. I guarantee whenever I get married or have a baby, everyone is going to want to know my kid's name and I'm not going to say it for ages."

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	The Thirteenth Year	Girl waiting for drink	Uncredited
2000	The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas	Ring toss girl
2001	The Safety of Objects	Sam Jennings	Limited release
2002	Panic Room	Sarah Altman
2003	Cold Creek Manor	Kristen Tilson
2004	Speak	Melinda Sordino
2004	Catch That Kid	Maddy
2004	Undertow	Lila
2005	Fierce People	Maya Osbourne	Limited release
2005	Zathura	Lisa
2007	The Messengers	Jessica "Jess" Solomon
2007	In the Land of Women	Lucy Hardwicke
2007	The Cake Eaters	Georgia	Limited release
2007	Into the Wild	Tracy Tatro
2007	Cutlass	Young Robin	Short film
2008	Jumper	Sophie	Cameo
2008	What Just Happened	Zoe
2008	Twilight	Bella Swan
2009	Adventureland	Emily "Em" Lewin
2009	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	Bella Swan
2010	The Yellow Handkerchief	Martine	Limited release
2010	The Runaways	Joan Jett
2010	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	Bella Swan
2010	Welcome to the Rileys	Mallory
2011	The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1	Bella Swan
2012	Snow White & the Huntsman	Snow White
2012	On the Road	Marylou
2012	The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2	Bella Swan	Post-production

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations
Year	Title of work	Award	Category	Result	Notes
2002	Panic Room	Young Artist Award	Best performance in a feature film- Leading Young Actress	Nominated
2003	Cold Creek Manor	Young Artist Award	Best performance in a feature film- Supporting Young Actress	Nominated
2004	Undertow	Young Artist Award	Best performance in a feature film- Supporting Young Actress	Nominated
2007	Into the Wild	Young Artist Award	Best performance in a feature film- Supporting Young Actress	Nominated
2007	Into the Wild	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture	Nominated	Entire Cast
2008	Twilight	MTV Movie Award	Best Female Performance	Won
2008	Twilight	MTV Movie Award	Best Kiss	Won	Shared with Robert Pattinson
2008	Twilight	Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actress Drama	Won
2008	Twilight	Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Liplock	Won	Shared with Robert Pattinson
2008	Twilight	Scream Award	Best Fantasy Actress	Won
2008	Twilight	Scream Award	Best Ensemble Cast	Nominated
2008	Twilight	People's Choice Award	Favourite On-Screen Team	Won	Shared with Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner
2008	Twilight	People's Choice Award	Favourite Movie Actress	Nominated
2009	Adventureland	Gotham Award	Best Ensemble cast	Nominated	Entire cast
2009	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	BAFTA Award	Rising Star Award	Won
2009	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award	Cutest Couple	Won	Shared with Taylor Lautner
2009	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award	Cutest Couple	Nominated	Shared with Robert Pattinson
2009	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	MTV Movie Award	Best Female Performance	Won
2009	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	MTV Movie Award	Best Kiss	Won	Shared with Robert Pattinson
2009	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Screen Couple	Nominated	Shared with Robert Pattinson
2009	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Screen Couple	Nominated	Shared with Taylor Lautner
2009	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actress Fantasy	Won
2010	The Runaways	Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actress Drama	Nominated
2010	The Runaways	MTV Movie Award	Best Kiss	Nominated	Shared with Dakota Fanning
2010	Welcome to the Rileys	Milan International Film Festival	Best Actress	Won
2010	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	Brazilian Kids' Choice Award	Couple of the Year	Won	Shared with Robert Pattinson
2010	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Award	Fave Kiss	Nominated	Shared with Taylor Lautner
2010	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Award	Fave Kiss	Nominated	Shared with Robert Pattinson
2010	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	Scream Award	Best Fantasy Actress	Won
2010	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	People's Choice Award	Favorite Movie Actress	Won
2010	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	People's Choice Award	Favourite On-Screen-Team	Won	Shared with Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson
2010	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	People's Choice Award	Favorite Movie Star Under 25	Nominated
2010	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Ensemble	Nominated	Shared with the cast
2010	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Actress	Nominated
2011	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award	Movie Actress	Nominated
2011	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	MTV Movie Awards	Best Female Performance	Won
2011	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	MTV Movie Awards	Best Kiss	Nominated	Shared with Taylor Lautner
2011	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	MTV Movie Awards	Best Kiss	Won	Shared with Robert Pattinson
2011	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy	Nominated
2011	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Liplock	Nominated	Shared with Robert Pattinson
2011	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Liplock	Nominated	Shared with Taylor Lautner
2011	The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Ensemble	Nominated	Shared with the cast
2011	The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Actress	Nominated
2011	The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Screen Couple	Nominated	Shared with Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson
2012	The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award	Movie Actress	Won
2012	The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1	MTV Movie Awards	Best Kiss

Fun Facts

Has an older brother named Cameron. They both live with their parents in the Los Angeles area.

Her father is John Stewart, a TV Producer who works at FOX TV. Currently co-producing "On-Air with Ryan Seacrest" (2004).

Shares her birthday, April 9, with actor Dennis Quaid who played her father in Cold Creek Manor (2003).

Born in Los Angeles, California and then spent some of her early years in Colorado and has moved back to Los Angeles where she currently resides with her parents.

Replaced Hayden Panettiere in Panic Room (2002).

Had to wear brown contact lenses for Twilight (2008/I) because she has naturally green eyes while Bella's eyes are supposed to be brown.

Nominated 3 consecutive years (2003-2005) for the Young Artist Award, but never won.

Her mother is a Script Supervisor, who hails from Australia.

Named The Movie Fanatic's Hottest Young Actress. (2008).

Wants to go to college to major in literature.

Has 3 dogs: Oz, a border collie mix, Jack and Lily who are mutts.

Her mother is Australian.

Her mother was born in Maroochydore, Queensland in Australia.

Reads novels by Charles Bukowski and Kurt Vonnegut.

Owns a cat named 'Jella'.

Favorite book is 'East of Eden' by John Steinbeck.

In her spare time she surfs and plays guitar.

Her favorite bands are U2, Radiohead, the Beatles, the Specials, Laura Marling, Green Day, Nirvana and Beck. 

Quotes

On working on the film Panic Room (2002) with such a big name star as Jodie Foster: "When I got "Panic Room", I'm like, 'Oh my God that's huge! It's bigger than huge'. I was kind of freaked out at first".

(about her love for acting) I love it because I love to tell stories. I like being in movies that have a great story. I'm not so interested in being a Hollywood star. It's a job, you know. When you wake up at six in the morning every day for a week, it feels like hard work.

I don't want to make movies for kids, and I don't want to make movies for adults either.

Acting is such a personal thing, which is weird because at the same time it's not. It's for the consumption of other people. But in terms of creative outlets and expressing yourself, it's just the most extreme version of that that I've ever found. It's like running, it's exertion. When you reach that point where you can't go anymore and you stop and you take a breath, it's that same sort of clearing of the mind.