Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. Noted for his versatile roles in both big-budget and independent films, Pattinson has been ranked among the world's highest-paid actors. 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 starting to act in a London theatre club at age 15, he began his film career by playing Cedric Diggory in the fantasy film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). He gained worldwide recognition for portraying Edward Cullen in The Twilight Saga film series (2008–2012), which grossed over $3.3 billion worldwide. After starring in the romantic dramas Remember Me (2010) and Water for Elephants (2011), Pattinson received critical acclaim for his performances in independent films from auteur directors. He starred in David Cronenberg's thriller Cosmopolis (2012), David Michôd's dystopian western The Rover (2014), 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 returned to mainstream films with a leading role in Christopher Nolan's spy film Tenet (2020) and will star as the DC Comics superhero Batman in Matt Reeves' film The Batman (2022).
Aside from acting, Pattinson plays the guitar and piano, writes music, and has sung on several soundtracks for film. He supports several charities, including the GO Campaign, and is the face of Dior Homme's fragrance since 2013. Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson[2][3] was born on 13 May 1986 in London,[4][5] the youngest of three children of Clare (Charlton), a booker at a model agency, and Richard Pattinson, a vintage car dealer.[6] He grew up in a small home in Barnes with two older sisters, Elizabeth (Lizzy) and Victoria.[7] Pattinson started learning the guitar and piano at the age of four.[8] 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.[9] He completed his schooling at The Harrodian School.[10][11] To improve his pocket money, he worked as a photo model for British fashion brands and magazines during his teens. Pattinson's love of cinema began when he was a teenager, and he counts Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, and Jean-Paul Belmondo among his acting idols.[12] 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.