Robert Pattinson

Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor.

Known for starring in both big-budget and independent films, Pattinson has ranked among the world's highest-paid actors.

Pattinson was born on 13 May 1986 in London, the youngest of three children of Clare (Charlton), a scout at a modelling agency, and Richard Pattinson, a vintage car dealer.

He grew up in a small home in Barnes with two older sisters, Elizabeth (Lizzy) and Victoria.

Pattinson started learning the guitar and piano at the age of four.

He attended Tower House School, from which, aged 12, he was expelled for shoplifting adult magazines at a post office shop and selling them later to his male classmates.

He completed his schooling at The Harrodian School.

As a teenager he worked as a photo model for British fashion brands and magazines to improve his pocket money and developed a love of cinema where he counted Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando and Jean-Paul Belmondo among his acting idols.

In his late teens and early twenties, he performed acoustic guitar gigs at open mic nights in pubs around London where he sang his own written songs either solo under the stage name Bobby Dupea, or with his band Bad Girls.

He was a frequent performer at the pub The Spice of Life in London's Soho at open mic nights.

Pattinson considered becoming a musician or going to university to study speech-writing, but never thought about pursuing an acting career; his teacher in school even advised him not to join the drama club because she thought he was not suited for the creative arts.

However, when he was 13, he joined the local amateur theatre club called Barnes Theatre Company after his father convinced him to attend because he was quite shy.

At age 15 and after two years of working backstage, he auditioned for the play Guys and Dolls and he got his first role as a Cuban dancer with no lines.

He got the lead role of George Gibbs in the next play Our Town, was spotted by a talent agent who was sitting in the audience and he began looking for professional roles.

He also appeared in the plays Macbeth, Anything Goes, and Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

Pattinson had planned to go to university, but didn't because the shoot for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire went over schedule.

He used to share a flat in London's Soho with fellow actor and good friend Tom Sturridge.

Pattinson had supporting roles in the German made-for-television film Ring of the Nibelungs in 2004, and in director Mira Nair's costume drama Vanity Fair, although his scenes in the latter were deleted and only appear on the DVD version.

After starting to act in a London theatre club at age 15, Pattinson began his film career by playing Cedric Diggory in the fantasy film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005).

In May 2005, he was scheduled 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 in 2005, Pattinson played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Pattinson learned how to scuba dive to play the role of Diggory.

For this role, he was named the 2005 "British Star of Tomorrow" by The Times.

During this period, he was hailed as "the next Jude Law".

In 2006, Pattinson appeared in The Haunted Airman a psychological thriller, aired on BBC Four on 31 October, and he earned favourable reviews.

The Stage praised his performance by saying 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.

He gained worldwide recognition for portraying Edward Cullen in The Twilight Saga film series (2008–2012), which grossed over $3.3 billion worldwide.

In 2008, Pattinson was cast as Edward Cullen in Twilight, based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer.

According to TV Guide, Pattinson was apprehensive about auditioning, 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 movie star overnight.

Although the film received mixed reviews, critics praised his chemistry with co-star Kristen Stewart.

The New York Times called Pattinson a "capable and exotically beautiful" actor and Roger Ebert said he was "well-chosen" for the role.

In 2010, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and he was featured in the Forbes Celebrity 100 list.

After starring in the romantic dramas Remember Me (2010) and Water for Elephants (2011), Pattinson began working in independent films from auteur directors.

He received praise for his starring roles in David Cronenberg's thriller Cosmopolis (2012), James Gray's adventure drama The Lost City of Z (2016), the Safdie brothers' crime drama Good Time (2017), Claire Denis' science-fiction drama High Life (2018), and Robert Eggers' psychological horror film The Lighthouse (2019).

He supports several charities, including the GO Campaign, and has been the face of Dior Homme fragrance since 2013.

He has been nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards for his performances in Good Time (2017) and The Lighthouse (2019).

He returned to mainstream films with a leading role in Christopher Nolan's spy film Tenet (2020), and starred as Bruce Wayne / Batman in Matt Reeves' superhero film The Batman (2022).

Aside from acting, Pattinson plays music and has sung on several soundtracks for film.