Kristen Jaymes Stewart was born on April 9, 1990 and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her entire family works in the film industry. Her father, John Stewart, is a stage manager and television producer who works for FOX. While her mother is a screenwriter who comes from Australia. Kristen has one sibling, an older brother, Cameron. He works as a grip.

Stewart attended school until the seventh grade but later continued her education by correspondence. Her performance in a grade school Christmas play caught the eye of an agent in the audience, who contacted her parents to gauge Stewart’s interest in becoming an actress. Both were initially opposed to the idea, but Stewart’s curiosity won them over, and at the age of eight, she began auditioning for film and television roles. Kristen auditioned for over a year before she ever landed anything. “It took a really long time until I was totally over it and the last audition I went to which I didn’t even want to go to it and my mom said, ‘Well, this is the last one. You don’t have to go to anymore.’And that was the first movie I got.” Her first credit was as an extra, a girl who waits for a drink in the disney film The Thirteenth Year (1999). Not long after she landed her first substantial part, in the 2001 challenging independent drama, The Safety of Objects. She played Sam Jennings, the tomboy daughter of a troubled single mother played by Patricia Clarkson.

Kristen Stewart found herself at the center of a major Hollywood production in 2002 when she replaced Hayden Panettiere as the sullen, diabetic daughter of a divorced mother in David Fincher’s Panic Room. Jodie Foster played Kristen’s mother in the movie, and there was an undeniable physical resemblance. “Everyone always says, “I got Panic Room because I look like Jodie Foster.” But it was actually Nicole Kidman who was supposed to play my mother.” Stewart says. Despite being in the presence of such veteran actors as Foster, Forest Whitaker, and Patrick Bachau, Stewart held her own and delivered an assured performance that led some critics to compare her to the film’s lead during her child actor days. Even earning her first nomination for a Young Artist Award.

After Panic Room‘s success, Stewart was cast in another thriller, Cold Creek Manor, playing the daughter of Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone’s characters; the film generally failed at the box office but Kristen was gathering high notices either way. Throughout 2004 Kristen appeared in three motion pictures. The children’s action-comedy Catch That Kid, opposite Max Thieriot and Corbin Bleu, as Lila in Undertow which despite an acclaimed director, David Gordon Green, Terrence Malick as producer and a strong cast including fellow acclaimed young actor Jamie Bell, it received almost no theatrical screentime. At the ange of thirteen, Kristen made Speak; arguably her most critically acclaimed role to date. The film which was based on the best-selling novel by Laurie Halse Anderson gave her the opportunity to play both the dark and the light in the same project. She played Melinda, a high school freshman who stops almost all verbal communication after being raped by an upperclassman, but retains a vivid and often sardonic running commentary in her head. Stewart handled the complexities of the character with her customary skill. Despite a premiere at Sundance, unfortunately, the film did not receive a theatrical release and instead aired on Showtime and Lifetime, in an edited form.

In 2005, Stewart again branched out into diverse genres. Tackling the Canadian drama Fierce People, by actor-director Griffin Dunne (her first romantic role) and the family fantasy Zathura, which allowed her to showcase her comic skills where she played eldest sis Lisa. Even though critics found much to love about Zathura, it too was an underperformer in terms of ticket sales.

2007 proved to be one of the biggest years for Kristen professionally thus far. She worked on six film projects which included a leading role in The Messengers by Thai genre filmmakers and brothers Danny and Oxide Pang. Despite the directors’ reputation with horror audiences, it was critically panned and largely ignored by moviegoers. However, it did garner a new fanbase for Kristen as she was seen in such a large film as most of her resume at indies at the time, she also insists “You don’t do stuff like this just because it’s good for your career, but because it’s fun.” Kristen also managed another large role in that year; In the Land of Women. Stewart played Lucy Hardwicke, the essence of an anxious teenager rebelliousness, beauty and sexual awkwardness opposite Meg Ryan and Adam Brody. She also managed to find time for smaller projects like Mary Stuart Masterson’s directorial debut The Cake Eaters (2007), in which she played a young woman with a debilitating disease and the short film Cutlass by Kate Hudson. What Just Happened? (2008), a Hollywood drama based on the book by producer Art Linson, starred Sean Penn, Bruce Willis and Kristen as Robert De Niro’s daughter.

Last but not least Kristen starred in Sean Penn’s critically acclaimed adaptation film Into the Wild. Based on a true story of top student and athlete Christopher McCandless (portrayed by Emile Hirsch), an Emory graduate, who abandons his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness where he met his untimely fate. She was selected by Sean himself and was asked to audition immediately. Kristen had a memorable role as Tracy Tatro, a young girl who crosses paths with Christopher. The role called for Stewart to sing two songs, although insisting “I’m not a singer” she performed on the film’s soundtrack. Her performance earned her a Young Artist Award and 2008 Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

2008 proved more success for Stewart and the year has solidified her as one of Hollywood’s most in demand and talented young stars. She appeared with a gang of “it” girls on the cover of Vanity Fair‘s August 2008 “Next Big things” issue, had a role in The Yellow Handkerchief, a cameo in Jumper and landing leading roles for 2009; Adventureland and Welcome to the Rileys. “I was thrilled to do Adventureland because it takes place in the 1980s and Jesse Eisenberg was already involved,” says the actress. “It was a very cool project because we were in a theme park doing a comedy with the Superbad team.” Rileys will see Kristen in one of her most provocative roles yet; the 16 year old stripper co-starring with James Gandalfini.

But none of this can compare to the success and high hopes of the highly desired leading role, Bella Swan in the Twilight adaptation. “The series has this huge fan base, And they have very specific expectations. They’re supportive. But they’re crazy. It’s like we’re their pets. If we’re bad, they’re going to punish us.” she first said. Kristen won the part out of dozens of hopefuls and was announced as the character in November 2007. She competed in a conventional audition process and after a screentest with Robert Pattinson, director Catherine Hardwicke said Kristen and Robert embodied the two characters very esscence and chemistry and they ultimately both landed the roles. The story, based on the bestselling novel by Stephenie Meyer is a Romeo and Juliet like love stroy, about a girl who falls in love with a vampire.The film began production in February 2008 and finished filming in May 2008. It was released on November 21, 2008 and won massive box office success.

The worldwide success of Twilight propelled Kristen into stardom and meant that she could advance projects close to her heart. It’s success was closely followed by the release of the Twilight Saga: New Moon which like is predecessor was enjoyed by millions.

Swapping her role as Bella Swan for a grungier character, Kristen adopted the iconic mullet of  legendary Joan Jett for her role in The Runaways in which she starred opposite Dakota Fanning. Joan Jett was heavily involved in the production of the film and Kristen recalls how “lucky” she was to have Joan “on set every day”. “We really did need Joan and Cherie there in order not to tell a completely superficial” story. 2009 also saw the release of The Yellow Handkerchief and the production of Welcome to the Rileys, two films that Kristen feels very passionate about. The Yellow Hankercheif enjoyed only a limited release, but with the help of a huge Twitter following the future for Welcome to the Rileys looks bright.

Also there is K-11. The film was delayed to due Kristen’s other attachments and its future is still unsure but co-star and friend Nikki Reed told MTV “It’s about a little-known section of the men’s county jail. I’m playing a man, and Kristen’s playing a boy.” The term “K-11” refers to a dormitory section of the Los Angeles jail used to hold gay inmates, as explained in a 2004 L.A. Times story. According to a recent interview with Stewart, the film is a mixture of drama and comedy.

Kristen Stewart doesn’t like to be labeled but she’s certainly more than a “Hollywood starlet”, one would even go as far as to say she’s anti-hollywood. She has a true appreciation for movies and diverse roles and is always challenging herself and trying new things. At just 19, Kristen already has an impressive body of work, a reputation for being mature beyond her years and professional, and yet still remains humble by her fame. She has a great support system, “They [her parents] don’t sit down and give me pointed advice like ‘Kristen, you should do this and this.’ They’ve always been really supportive in that you can drop out of this at any time you want. Basically you just have to make yourself happy and you’ve got to do what you want to do.” She’s inspired by people like Jodie Foster and Mary Stuart Masterson, calling them “compulsive doers” and “powerhouses”. Stewart hopes to continue a diverse career saying “There’s a few things I haven’t done. I would love to do a period piece. I haven’t really done one yet.” and entertains her non-career works by traveling, writing, surfing and spending time with her friends.

The past few years have certainly been a whirlwind, and the future for her is bright.

“A lot of people ask ‘what kind of movies do you want to do? What types of roles do you want to do?’ I really don’t want to get pigeonholed in any type of role. It’s nice to do different things and play different characters. If you’re just the same person all the time you’re not an actor, you’re just kind of a personality and that’s not what I’m after.”

2010 was certainly a very busy year for Kristen. After the anticipated release of the Twilight Saga: Eclipse Kristen began filming On The Road in August. She confirmed her attachment to the project in May, 2010 stating that she was “very much attached to a movie that has been trying to get made forever”, admitting that she was “excited about it, too.”

Kristen then jumped into production of the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn which will be split into two movies with the first being directed by Bill Condon and released on November 18th 2011. Breaking Dawn will mark the end of the phenomenan that is the Twilight Saga, Kristen has remarked that even though filming all five of the movies has been done in such a short time she has really loved “going back” to film the final installment. She said “It feels like a really indulgent thing to work on something for like four years, so it’ll be weird for it to end, but I’m excited.”

After filming of the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn was completed Kristen began production on a new venture Snow White and the Huntsman in which she will star opposite British star Sam Clafin, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron. Her attachment to the project was officially announced in March 2011 and production is set to begin in August 2011.

© KristenStewartWeb.com
Last updated June 11, 2011