Robert Pattinson Biography

Summary

"Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson" (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor, model, musician and producer. Pattinson started his career by playing Cedric Diggory in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". He later landed the leading role of Edward Cullen in the film adaptations of the "Twilight" novels by Stephenie Meyer, and came to worldwide fame, thus establishing himself among the highest paid and most bankable actors in Hollywood. In 2010, Pattinson was named one of "TIME" magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World, and also in the same year "Forbes" ranked him as one of the most powerful celebrities in the world in the Forbes Celebrity 100. Since the Twilight series ended in 2012, Pattinson has ventured into doing small independent films.

Early life

Pattinson was born in London, England. His father, Richard, imported vintage cars from America, and his mother, Clare, worked for a modelling agency. Pattinson has two elder sisters, singer Lizzy Pattinson, and Victoria Pattinson. Growing up in the Barnes suburb of London, he attended Tower House School until he was 12, and then The Harrodian School. He became involved in amateur theatre at the Barnes Theatre Company. He auditioned and was cast in a small role in "Guys and Dolls". He next auditioned for Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" and was cast as George Gibbs. He also played in "Anything Goes" and "Macbeth". He caught the attention of an acting agent in a production of "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" and began looking for professional roles.

Career

Modelling

Pattinson began modelling at the age of 12, but his workload began to decrease four years later. In December 2008, he blamed the lack of modelling work on his masculine appearance: 'When I first started I was quite tall and looked like a girl, so I got lots of jobs, because it was during that period where the androgynous look was cool. Then, I guess, I became too much of a guy, so I never got any more jobs. I had the most unsuccessful modelling career.' Pattinson appeared in the advertising campaign for Hackett's autumn 2007 collection.

Acting

Early career

Pattinson had supporting roles in the made for television film "Ring of the Nibelungs" in 2004 and in director Mira Nair's "Vanity Fair", although his scenes in the latter were deleted and only appear on the DVD version. In May 2005, he was slated to appear in the UK premiere of "The Woman Before" at the Royal Court Theatre, but was fired shortly before the opening night and was replaced by Tom Riley. Later that year he played Cedric Diggory in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". For this role he was named that year's 'British Star of Tomorrow' by "The Times" and had more than once been hailed as 'the next Jude Law'.

In 2006, Pattinson appeared in The Haunted Airman a psychological thriller, aired on BBC Four on 31 October, he earned favourable reviews. The Stage praised Pattinson that 'he played the airman of the title with a perfect combination of youthful terror and world weary cynicism.' On 19 February 2007, he appeared in a supporting role in a one-off television drama based on the best-selling novel by Kate Long The Bad Mother's Handbook.

2008-present

In 2008 Pattinson landed the coveted role of Edward Cullen in the film "Twilight", based on Stephenie Meyer's best-selling novel of the same name. According to "TV Guide", Pattinson was initially apprehensive about auditioning for the role of Edward Cullen, fearful that he would not be able to live up to the 'perfection' expected from the character. The film was released on 21 November 2008 and turned Pattinson into a moviestar overnight. Though the film received mixed reviews, critics praised his and co-star Kristen Stewart's chemistry in the film. The "New York Times" called Pattinson a 'capable and exotically beautiful' actor and Roger Ebert said he was 'well-chosen' for the role.

His another release of 2008, How to Be a low-budget comedy drama film written and directed by Oliver Irving. It screened at number of film festivals, earned mixed reviews from critics.

Pattinson then starred as Salvador Dalí in the film "Little Ashes" a Spanish-British drama Directed by Paul Morrison. He also starred in a short film "The Summer House" directed by Daisy Gili. This short film later re-released as a part of an anthology film titled Love & Distrust, comprising 5 short films following eight individuals from diverse backgrounds on their quest for true contentment.

He reprised his role as Edward Cullen in the "Twilight" sequel "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" which was released on 20 November 2009. The film earned a record-breaking $142,839,137 opening weekend and an overall run of $709,827,462 worldwide. Though the film received negative reviews, film critic Michael Phillips from the "Chicago Tribune" said that Pattinson was still 'interesting to watch' despite the bad makeup. Bill GoodyKoontz from the "Arizona Republic" said that 'Pattinson's actually not in the film that much, but he does his best when he's around' and Michael O'Sullivan of the "Washington Post" noted that his acting was 'uniformly strong'.

Pattinson at the 2009

In 2009, Pattinson presented at the 81st Academy Awards. On 10 November 2009, "Revolver Entertainment" released the DVD "Robsessed", a documentary which details Pattinson's life and popularity. On 13 May 2010, Pattinson appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and on 18 May, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" to promote "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse". He attended the official worldwide red carpet premiere for "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" on 24 June 2010, at the Los Angeles Nokia Theatre. The film was released on 30 June 2010, earning $698,491,347 worldwide.

Pattinson executively produced and starred in the film "Remember Me", which was released on 12 March 2010. Though the film received mixed reviews, some critics praised his performance. Jake Coyle of "The Associated Press" said that 'The young actor has an unmistakable screen presence. However in Remember Me, he pours it on thickly and self-consciously. With low eyes, sleeves rolled up just so and cigarette drooping artfully from his mouth, Tyler (like Edward Cullen) is a reluctant romantic.' Ian Nathan of "Empire Online" stated that 'this is the best thing he's done.' and Kirk Honeycutt of "The Hollywood Reporter" praised his and co-star Emilie de Ravin's chemistry in the film, stating the 'scenes between Pattinson and de Ravin exude genuine charm.'

In 2011, he starred as Jacob Jankowski in "Water for Elephants", a film adaptation of the Sara Gruen novel of the same name. The film received mixed reviews, but Pattinson's performance was praised. Film critic Richard Corliss from "Time" praised Pattinson for being 'shy and watchful' and said that he 'radiates a slow magnetism that locks the viewer's eyes on him', ultimately calling him 'star quality'. Mick LaSalle from the "San Francisco Chronicle" stated that Pattinson succeeded at holding his own at the center of a major feature and was 'endlessly watchable'. Peter Travers of the "Rolling Stone" said he 'smolders' in the film and Todd McCarthy of "The Hollywood Reporter" said that 'Pattinson is entirely convincing as Jacob'.

Pattinson reappeared as Edward Cullen in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1", which was released on 18 November 2011 and earned $705,058,657 at the box office. He played Georges Duroy in a film adaptation of the 1885 novel "Bel Ami", and the film had a world premiere at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival. It was released on 12 February 2012.

Pattinson starred in the film adaptation of Don DeLillo's "Cosmopolis", directed by David Cronenberg. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Though the film was well received, Pattinson's performance was praised. Justin Chang of "Variety" wrote, 'An eerily precise match of filmmaker and material, "Cosmopolis" probes the soullessness of the 1% with the cinematic equivalent of latex gloves. ... Pattinson's excellent performance reps an indispensable asset.' Robbie Collin of "The Telegraph" stated that it is a sensational performance from Robert Pattinson, 'yes, that Robert Pattinson - as Packer. Pattinson plays him like a human caldera; stony on the surface, with volcanic chambers of nervous energy and self-loathing churning deep below.' And Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" stated, 'Pattinson, pale and predatory even without his pasty-white vampire makeup, delivers his frigid pensées with rhythmic confidence.'

In May 2012, Pattinson was cast alongside Guy Pearce in David Michod's "The Rover". He is also set to star in "Mission: Blacklist", a psychological thriller based on the novel of the same name by military interrogator Eric Maddox. In August 2012, it was announced that Pattinson has been cast alongside Naomi Watts in Werner Herzog's adaptation of Gertrude Bell's biopic film "Queen of the Desert".

Pattinson one last time appeared as Edward Cullen in the final installment of Twilight saga, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 which was released on 16 November 2012, and has grossed over $829 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of the "Twilight" series.

In November 2012, it was announced that Pattinson will appear alongside Viggo Mortensen and Rachel Weisz in David Cronenberg's "Map to the Stars", which is described as a darkly comic look at Hollywood excess.

Music

Pattinson plays the guitar and piano, and composes his own music. He also appears as the singer of two songs on the "Twilight" soundtrack: 'Never Think', which he co-wrote with Sam Bradley, and 'Let Me Sign', which was written by Marcus Foster and Bobby Long. The songs were included in the film after director Catherine Hardwicke added Pattinson's recordings into an early cut without his knowledge, and he agreed that 'one of them specifically, it really made the scene better. It was like it was supposed to be there.' The soundtrack for the film "How to Be" features three original songs performed by Pattinson and written by composer Joe Hastings.

Aside from recording for the soundtracks, Pattinson has said, 'I've never really recorded anything - I just played in pubs and stuff', and when asked about a professional music career, he said, 'Music is my back-up plan if acting fails.' In 2010, Pattinson was awarded the 'Hollywood's Most Influential Top Unexpected Musicians' award.

In the media

Pattinson was named one of the 'Sexiest Men Alive' in 2008 and 2009 by "People" magazine. In 2009, he was also named the 'Sexiest Man Alive' by "Glamour". "Ask Men" named Pattinson as one of the top 49 most influential men of 2009. In 2009, "Vanity Fair" named Pattinson 'the most handsome man in the world' along with Angelina Jolie as the most beautiful woman in the world. He was named one of "Vanity Fair"'s 'Top Hollywood Earners of 2009' with estimated earnings of $18 million in 2009.

In December 2009, Pattinson autographed a guitar to be auctioned off for charity. He also volunteered for the "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" in January 2010. "GQ" and "Glamour" both named him the 'Best Dressed Man' of 2010, with "GQ" stating, 'Extremely elegant and inspiring, the true essence of a contemporary man.' In 2010, "People" also listed Pattinson in their 'World's Most Beautiful' issue. In 2010, Pattinson politely turned down a $2 million fashion campaign with "Burberry".

Britain's "The Sunday Times" 'Rich List' put him on its 'list of young millionaires' in the UK, worth £13 million. "Time" magazine named him as one of 2010's 100 Most Influential People in The World. In June 2010, Pattinson was named by Forbes magazine the 50th most powerful celebrity in the world with earnings $17 million. Due to Pattinson's rising fame, a wax statue of him was added to the Madame Tussauds collection in London and New York City. On 14 November 2010, Pattinson received two BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards, Best Dressed and Best Actor. In 2011, Pattinson was 15th on "Vanity Fair"s 'Hollywood Top 40' with earnings of $27.5 million in 2010. GQ once again named Pattinson the 'Best Dressed Man' of 2012. In October 2012, Pattinson was named 'Sexiest Man Alive' by "Glamour UK".

Personal life

Since meeting on the set of "Twilight" in 2008, Pattinson has been romantically linked to co-star Kristen Stewart. For roughly four years, they did not explicitly confirm a relationship, but paparazzi photographs and eyewitness accounts drove intense media and fan speculation and attention, making 'Robsten' the subject of wide media coverage. Stewart officially acknowledged the relationship for the first time in July 2012, when "Us Weekly" published photos of Stewart having an affair with her "Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders, prompting her to issue a public apology to Pattinson.

Pattinson is an Arsenal supporter.