Robert Pattinson

Background

Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor, born on May 13, 1986, in London, England. He is the son of Richard Pattinson, a vintage car dealer, and Claire, a modeling agency scout. Pattison has two older sisters. He grew up in London and attended the Tower House School. Later, he completed his schooling at The Harrodian School. From an early age, Pattinson learned to play the piano and guitar. When he was just 12 years old, he began to model for British fashion brands and magazines. Initially, he considered becoming a musician and also performed at open mic events around London by himself and sometimes with his band, Bad Girls. When he was 13, he joined a theater group at the insistence of his father and over the years, began to perform in stage roles. In 2004, he starred in supporting roles in the German made-for-television film “Ring of the Nibelungs,” followed by an uncredited appearance in Meera Nair’s “Vanity Fair.”

With his role as Cedric Diggory in the fifth Harry Potter movie — “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” — Pattinson came under the spotlight. The role earned him a place among the 2005 ‘British Stars of Tomorrow’ by “The Times.” He followed this up with roles in “The Haunted Airman” and “The Bad Mother’s Handbook.” In 2008, Pattinson received widespread popularity with his breakout role as the vampire Edward Cullen in the “Twilight” movie. The same year, he also acted in the comedy “How to Be,” winning the ‘Best Actor Award’ at the Strasbourg Film Festival, and starred as Salvador Dali in the movie “Little Ashes.” Then, in 2009, he reprised his role of Edward Cullen in “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” which catapulted him to global stardom. His strong performance and the blockbuster opening of the movie made him one of the highest-paid actors and he was named the ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ by “Glamour UK.” In 2010 came the third film of the franchise, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” The same year, he also produced and starred in the movie “Remember Me,” receiving praise from critics. He was named among the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’’ by “Time.”

The following year, he starred in the movie adaptation “Water for Elephants,” followed by his return to the “Twilight” series with the release of the fourth film — “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1.” This was followed by a 2012 movie, “Bel Ami,” which premiered at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, and the movie “Cosmopolis,” which also earned much acclaim.

Returning one last time to the Twilight series, Pattinson starred in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2,” which became the highest-grossing movie of the series. Thereafter, he turned to art-house movies, first starring in the 2014-movie “The Rover” — a futuristic western. The same year, he also starred in the satire “Maps to the Stars,” and both movies premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2015, his movies “Queen of the Desert” and “Life” premiered at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. His intense performances in the 2016 movie “The Lost City of Z,” the 2017 crime thriller “Good Time,” and the 2018 comedy “Damsel” earned him high praise from critics. Then, in 2019, he went on to star in the black-and-white thriller “Lighthouse” alongside Willem Defoe, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. He followed this up with roles in “The King” and “Waiting for the Barbarians” — both of which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2019. Marking his return to big-budget movies, Pattinson then appeared in Christopher Nolan’s science-fiction movie “Tenet.” Director Matt Reeves then cast Pattinson as Batman for the 2022 movie “The Batman,” and the movie has gone on to become one of the biggest box office hits of the year to date.

Pattinson has also been in the news for his high-profile relationship with “Twilight” co-star Kirsten Stewart. After they separated, Pattinson began dating singer FKA Twigs and even got engaged. They parted ways four years later, and since 2018, Pattinson has been dating English model, Suki Waterhouse. He has also often addressed his battles with anxiety and aversion to media attention.