Kristen Stewart Bio and Acting Origins

Biography and Acting Origins of Kristen Stewart

This young tomboy grew into a beautiful Swan. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’ll be exploring the acting origins of Kristen Stewart.

Early Life

Kristen Jaymes Stewart was born April 9th, 1990 in Los Angeles, California. With two parents in show biz, Stewart developed an interest in behind-the-camera work. Fate had other plans when the eight-year-old was discovered during a school play and started going on auditions.

First Speaking Role

Stewart started as an extra, but soon moved to bigger roles. Instead of starting with child-friendly productions, she dove into adult fare with her first speaking part in the 2001 indie production “The Safety of Objects.”

Early Recognition

The next year, Stewart played a more substantial part in “Panic Room,” where she starred as Jodie Foster’s tomboy daughter. For her part that film, and the 2003 thriller “Cold Creek Manor,” the budding actress earned nominations for a Young Artist Award.

Most Significant Role Yet

In 2004, Stewart landed the lead in the adventure comedy “Catch That Kid!” as a teen who attempts to rob a bank. The other projects she took on that year focused on more serious subject matter: while her appearance in “Undertow” was praised, it was her starring role as a teen who withdraws after she is raped in the Showtime film “Speak” that was her most significant part yet.

Keeping Busy

Stewart followed that with two flops in 2005. Two years later, she joined Meg Ryan and Adam Brody “In the Land of Women,” followed director Sean Penn “Into the Wild” and satisfied her appetite for indie fare by filming “The Cake Eaters” and “The Yellow Handkerchief.”

“Twilight”

2007 was also the year it was announced that Stewart had scored the biggest part of her career: after years of playing intelligent, independent, tomboy characters, she would tackle the lead role of Bella Swan in the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s wildly successful vampire book trilogy, “Twilight.”

Other Roles

But before the first installment of that series was released, Stewart appeared briefly in 2008’s “Jumper,” and as Robert De Niro’s defiant daughter in the star-studded “What Just Happened.”

Robert Pattinson

Finally, when “Twilight” was released later in the year, it was a box office smash. Stewart showed off her trademark aloofness beside heartthrob co-star Robert Pattinson, with whom she eventually started a clandestine off-set relationship.

“Twilight” Success

Her next few years focused mainly on the four wildly successful “Twilight” movies, where she grew as an actress along with her character.

Avoiding Typecasting

Meanwhile, she avoided being typecast by appearing in films like the well-received 2009 comedy “Adventureland,” and the 2010 indie feature “Welcome to the Rileys.” In that movie, she played a teen stripper, and to ensure the role was based in gritty reality, the actress smoked heavily, slept little, ate unhealthily, and learned to pole dance.

“The Runaways”

Stewart got even tougher as real-life rocker Joan Jett in “The Runaways,” where she gave a praised performance and even played some music. It was revealed she was 2010’s highest paid actress, banking $28.5 million for her work.

“Snow White and the Huntsman”

But 2012 was the biggest year yet for this young star: after being named the new face of Balenciaga Fragrance, she played a warrior-princess version of a classic fairytale character in the physically demanding film “Snow White and the Huntsman.”

Scandal

However, shortly after its release, a scandal broke when pictures proving an affair between Stewart and the film’s married director Rupert Sanders surfaced. Ironically, this was the first time Stewart publicly admitted to a romantic relationship with Pattinson, and the pair’s status toggled between on again and off again leading to the release of the final movie in the “Twilight” saga: “Breaking Dawn – Part 2.”

“On the Road”

Before that hit big screens, Stewart took part in the long-awaited adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s seminal novel “On the Road.”

Legacy

Known for playing a tortured teen in love with a vampire, K-Stew is now free to take her skills elsewhere. With her versatility, independence and interest in behind-the-scenes work, there’s no doubt this young star will be hanging around Hollywood for years.