Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson
| Robert Pattinson | |
|---|---|
 Pattinson in November 2009 | |
| Born | Robert Thomas Pattinson 13 May 1986 (1986-05-13) London, England |
| Other name(s) | Rob, R-Pattz,[1] Spunk Ransom[2] (nicknames) |
| Occupation | Actor, model, musician, producer |
| Years active | 2004–present |
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Robert Thomas Pattinson[3] (born 13 May 1986)[4] is an English actor, model, musician, and producer.[5] He has been cited as one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood.[6] Pattinson is best-known for playing Edward Cullen in the film adaptations of the Twilight novels by Stephenie Meyer, and for the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.[7][8][9] In 2010, Pattinson was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World,[10] and also in the same year Forbes ranked Pattinson as one of the most powerful celebrities in the world. His upcoming films include Bel Ami, Water For Elephants, Unbound Captives and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I
Early life
Pattinson was born in London. His mother, Clare, worked for a modelling agency, and his father, Richard, imported vintage cars from the U.S.[11] He attended Tower House School and Harrodian School,[12] and became involved in amateur theatre through the Barnes Theatre Company. After some backstage experience there, he took on acting roles. He caught the attention of an acting agent in a production of Tess of the D'Urbervilles and began looking for professional roles. Pattinson has two elder sisters, singer Lizzy Pattinson, and Victoria Pattinson.[13][14]
Career
Modelling
Pattinson began modelling when he was twelve years old, but the number of jobs began to decrease only four years later. In December 2008 he blamed the lack of work as a model 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."[15] Pattinson appeared in the advertising campaign for Hackett's autumn 2007 collection.[16]
Acting
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.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19] He has more than once been touted as the next Jude Law.[12][20][21]
Pattinson played Edward Cullen in the film Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling novel of the same name, which was released on 21 November 2008 in North America. 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.[22] He reprised his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight sequels The Twilight Saga: New Moon and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which was released 30 June 2010.[23]
Pattinson had lead roles in the feature films Little Ashes (in which he plays Salvador Dalí), How To Be (a British comedy) and the short film The Summer House.
In 2009, Pattinson presented at the 81st Academy Awards.[24] On 10 November, Revolver Entertainment released the DVD Robsessed, a documentary which details Pattinson's life and popularity.[25]
In 2010, Pattinson executively produced and starred in the film Remember Me, which was released on 12 March 2010.[26] He will play Georges Duroy in a film adaptation of the 1885 novel Bel Ami, with Uma Thurman, which will be released in 2011.[27] He will also appear in a theatre production for producer David Pugh,[28] and star in a film adaptation of the Sara Gruen novel, Water for Elephants, with Christoph Waltz and Reese Witherspoon.[29] On 13 May 2010, Pattinson appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and also made an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on 18 May, which aired the following day.[30] Pattinson attended the official worldwide red carpet premiere for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on 24 June, 2010 at the Los Angeles Nokia Theatre.[31]
Music
Pattinson plays guitar and piano, and composes his own music.[32] He also appears as the singer of two songs on the Twilight soundtrack: "Never Think", which he co-wrote with Sam Bradley,[33] and "Let Me Sign", which was written by Marcus Foster and Bobby Long.[34] 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."[5] The soundtrack for the film How To Be features three original songs performed by Pattinson[35] and written by composer Joe Hastings.[36]
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."[5] 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.[37][38] In 2009, he was also named the "Sexiest Man Alive" in a poll conducted by Glamour.[39] 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."[40][41] In 2010, People also listed Pattinson in their "World's Most Beautiful" issue.[42]
He was named one of Vanity Fair's "Top Hollywood Earners of 2009" with estimated earnings of $18 million in 2009.[6][43] In 2010, Britain's The Sunday Times "Rich List" put him on its "list of young millionaires" in the UK, worth £13 million.[44] Time magazine named him as one of 2010's 100 Most Influential People in The World.[10] Due to Pattinson's rising fame, a wax statue of him was added to the Madame Tussauds collection in London and New York City.[45]
