Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress and filmmaker. Known for her work in blockbusters and arthouse dramas, Stewart has been ranked among the world's highest paid actors and her films have collectively grossed over $4 billion worldwide. Her accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Born and raised in Los Angeles to parents who both worked in the entertainment industry, Stewart's breakthrough came at age 12 with her starring role in David Fincher's thriller Panic Room (2002), followed by roles in the films Speak (2004), Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005), and Into the Wild (2007). She achieved international stardom for portraying Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga film series. Its five films—released yearly between 2008 and 2012—collectively grossed over $3.3 billion worldwide. She also led the dark fantasy film Snow White and the Huntsman (2012).
Stewart ventured away from major-studio productions in favor of dramatic roles in independent films. She earned praise for her performances in The Runaways (2010), Camp X-Ray (2014), Clouds of Sils Maria (2014), Personal Shopper (2016), Seberg (2019), and Love Lies Bleeding (2024). She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Diana, Princess of Wales in the biographical drama Spencer (2021).
As a director, Stewart's early credits include music videos and the short film Come Swim (2017). She made her film debut with The Chronology of Water, which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2025. The film received largely positive reviews from critics.
Early life
Kristen Jaymes Stewart was born in Los Angeles, California on April 9, 1990. Her father, John Stewart, is a stage manager and television producer. Her mother, Jules Mann-Stewart, is a script supervisor and filmmaker. Jules, an Australian native from Maroochydore, Queensland, had studied at the University of Sydney before moving to Hollywood at the age of 16.
Jules had been adopted by a Jewish couple, Norma and Ben Urman, in 1953 in California. In a November 2019 interview, Stewart said that a 23andMe DNA test had suggested that she had approximately 24% Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
Stewart has an older brother, Cameron B. Stewart, and two adopted brothers, Dana and Taylor. In 2012, Stewart's mother filed for divorce from John after 27 years of marriage.
Stewart grew up in the San Fernando Valley. She attended local schools until the seventh grade.
As she became more involved in acting, she continued her education by distance until graduating from high school. Since she was raised in a family who work as non-actors in the entertainment industry, Stewart thought she would become a screenwriter or a director, but never considered being an actor. She said: "I never wanted to be the center of attention—I wasn't that 'I want to be famous, I want to be an actor' kid. I never sought out acting, but I always practiced my autograph because I love pens. I'd write my name on everything."
Career
Career beginnings and breakthrough (2000s)
Stewart began acting at age eight, after an agent saw her perform in her elementary school's Christmas play. After auditioning for a year, she got her first role with a small, nonspeaking part in the Disney Channel television film The Thirteenth Year. Her next film was The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, where she played the "ring toss girl". She also appeared in the independent film The Safety of Objects (2001), as the tomboy daughter of a troubled single mother (Patricia Clarkson). Stewart also played the tomboy, diabetic daughter of a divorced mother (Jodie Foster) in the thriller film Panic Room (2002), directed by David Fincher. She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her performance. Following the success of Panic Room, Stewart was cast in another thriller, Cold Creek Manor (2003), playing the daughter of Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone's characters and receiving a Young Artist Award nomination for her performance. at 13, she dropped out of school and switched to homeschooling.
At age fourteen, Stewart had her first starring role in the children's action-comedy Catch That Kid (2004), opposite Max Thieriot and Corbin Bleu. That year, Stewart also played the role of Lila in the thriller, Undertow (2004). Stewart starred in the Lifetime/Showtime television film Speak (2004), based on the novel by the same name by Laurie Halse Anderson. Stewart, aged thirteen at the time of filming, played Melinda Sordino, a high school freshman who nearly stops speaking after being raped. Her performance was widely praised. The New York Times said, "Ms. Stewart creates a convincing character full of pain and turmoil."
Stewart appeared in the fantasy-adventure film Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005), playing the role of Lisa Budwing, the irresponsible older sister of two little boys. While playing a board game, they turn their house into a spacecraft hurtling uncontrollably in outer space. The film was praised by critics, but Stewart's performance did not draw much media attention. Her character is immobilized during most of the film. The following year, she played the character Maya in Fierce People (2006), directed by Griffin Dunne. After that film, she received the lead role of Jess Solomon in the supernatural thriller film The Messengers.
Stewart appeared as teenager Lucy Hardwicke in In the Land of Women (2007), a romantic drama starring Meg Ryan and Adam Brody. That same year, Stewart had a small role in the Sean Penn-directed adaptation Into the Wild, portraying Tracy—a teenage singer who has a crush on young adventurer Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch). While Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com considered her work a "sturdy, sensitive performance", and the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips noted that she did "vividly well with a sketch of a role", Variety critic Dennis Harvey said, "It's unclear whether Stewart means to be playing hippie-chick Tracy as vapid, or whether it just comes off that way." The film received Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. After Into the Wild, Stewart had a cameo appearance in Jumper and also appeared in What Just Happened, which was released in October 2008. She co-starred in The Cake Eaters, an independent film that has been screened only at film festivals. The film received positive reviews. Critic Bill Goodykoontz from The Arizona Republic said that Stewart "really shines.... She excels at both aspects of the performance, giving Georgia a strength that defies any sort of pity one might feel for her, without letting us forget her vulnerability".
On November 16, 2007, Summit Entertainment announced that Stewart would play main character Bella Swan in the romantic fantasy film Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer's novel of the same name. Stewart was on the set of Adventureland when director Catherine Hardwicke visited her for an informal screen test, which "captivated" the director. She starred alongside Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen, her vampire boyfriend. Stewart described her approach to the role as "capturing... that first awakening, that ownership of your body and desire". Twilight was released in the U.S. in November 2008. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly described her as "the ideal casting choice" and praised her for conveying "Bella's detachment, as well as her need to bust through it", while Claudia Puig of USA Today criticized her acting for being "wooden" and lacking variety in her "blank" facial expressions.
She received praise for her role in Adventureland (2009), a comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola, and co-starring Jesse Eisenberg. Critic James Berardinelli said, "Stewart is more than merely appealing in this role – she makes Em a fully realized woman, and some…