Kristen Jaymes Stewart

Kristen Jaymes Stewart

Kristen Jaymes Stewart was born in April 9, 1990. She is an American actress who is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films such as Panic Room (2002), Speak (2004), Zathura (2005), The Messengers (2007), Adventureland (2009), The Runaways (2010), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), and On the Road (2012).

As she grew up with a family who all worked behind the camera, Stewart thought she would become a screenwriter/director, but never considered being an actor. "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." Stewart's acting career began at the age of eight, after an agent saw her perform in her elementary school's Christmas play.

After she auditioned for a year, Stewart gained her first role in a small, nonspeaking part in the Disney Channel original film The Thirteenth Year. Then, she was cast in the film The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas as the "ring toss girl". She also appeared in the independent film The Safety of Objects (2001), in which she played the tomboy daughter of a troubled single mother (Patricia Clarkson). Stewart also played a tomboy in the film Panic Room (2002), as the diabetic daughter of a divorced mother (Jodie Foster). She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her performance.

After Panic Room's success, Stewart was cast in another thriller, Cold Creek Manor (2003), playing the daughter of Dennis Quaid's andSharon Stone's characters. She was nominated again for a Young Artist Award for her performance. About this time in her career, she started homeschooling because of her irregular schedule, which was affecting her grades. She said, "I started homeschooling because my teachers were failing me. I think it was just resentment – I made more work for them. But homeschooling is great; you can study what you want, which allows you to get more excited about what you're doing".