Robert Pattinson (born 13 May 1986)[3] is an English actor, model and musician.[4] He is best known for playing Edward Cullen in the film adaptation of Twilight, based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer, and for the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.[5][6][7]
Contents
Early life
Pattinson was born in London. His mother, Clare, worked for a modeling agency, and his father, Richard, imported vintage cars from the U.S.[8] Pattinson attended Tower House School and Harrodian School.[9] He 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, one of which is singer Lizzy Pattinson.[10][11]
Career
Modeling
Pattinson began modelling when he was twelve years old, but it wound down only four years later. He has blamed his lack of work as a model on his masculine appearance. Pattinson explained in December 2008, "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."[12] Pattinson appeared in the advertising campaign for Hackett's Autumn 2007 collection.[13]
Acting
Pattinson at the premiere for Twilight in 2008
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.[14] 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.[15] Later that year he played Cedric Diggory in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. For this he was named that year's British Star of Tomorrow by The Times.[16] He has more than once been touted as the next Jude Law.[9][17][18]
Pattinson played Edward Cullen in the movie 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.[19] He reprised his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight sequels The Twilight Saga: New Moon and the upcoming Eclipse, which began filming in August 2009 and will be released June 30, 2010.[20]
Pattinson also 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 2010, he will appear in a theatre production for producer David Pugh.[21] He stars in the film Remember Me, alongside Emilie de Ravin, which will be released March 12, 2010.[22]
He presented at the 81st Academy Awards on 22 February 2009.[23]
Revolver Entertainment created a documentary entitled Robsessed, which details Pattinson's life and popularity. The documentary was released to DVD on 10 November 2009, to coincide with the release of New Moon.[24]
Pattinson was ranked #10 on The Telegraph's list of the 10 Highest Paid Actors, with earnings of £10 million ($16 million) from the Twilight movies.[25]
Music
Pattinson plays guitar and piano, and composes his own music.[26] He also appears as the singer of two songs on the Twilight soundtrack: "Never Think", which he co-wrote with Sam Bradley,[27] and "Let Me Sign", which was written by Marcus Foster and Bobby Long.[28] 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."[4] The soundtrack for the film How To Be features three original songs performed by Pattinson[29] and written by composer Joe Hastings.[30]
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."[4] In 2008, he also performed with his first girlfriend's current boyfriend's band, called Bad Girls.[31]
Personal life
He was named one of the "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2008 by People magazine[32] and in 2009, through a poll conducted by Glamour.[33] On having a girlfriend, Pattinson states, "I don't even have people's phone numbers. I almost don't want to have a girlfriend in this environment."[34]
by 
