With the recent release of the first installment of the Twilight Saga, ‘Eclipse’, we’re presented with an opportunity to examine the life and career of one of the most celebrated and iconic actors of our time. Few actors are as recognizable and as influential as Robert Pattinson. While many may know of him from his film roles, it’s his extensive and varied work behind the camera that makes him truly special. Here’s a detailed timeline of his life, going all the way back to his early 20s. It should prove to be an amazing resource for any fan of the incredible talent that is Robert Pattinson.
Early Years: Growing Up In The United Kingdom
Robert Pattinson was born in London on October 20, 1986. He is the youngest of three children of producer Sandy Pattinson and actress Kate McGowan. His older siblings are Sophie, 27, and Tim, 25. He spent his early years in the United Kingdom and Australia, before moving to the United States to finish high school. He attended Winchester College in England, where he graduated with a degree in English literature. Upon his return to the U.S., he attended NYU to study film. While at NYU he met and began dating Kristen Stewart, now his wife. The couple eventually married in 2008.
Breakthrough Role: Snow White And The Huntsman
It was while studying at NYU that Robert Pattinson met the members of the film crew of Snow White And The Huntsman, including screenwriter Billy Ray. After his graduation, he moved to Los Angeles in 2007 to start his career in Hollywood. The following year, he was given the breakthrough role of Lagertha, the shield-maiden, in the acclaimed historical drama series Vikings. In 2009, he starred in the comedy film Burlesque alongside Christina Applegate and Rosario Dawson. More importantly, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film. For the role, he had to gain 50 pounds for the part and he had to master a new accent, as his British one didn’t work for the character. He starred in the 2010 drama film The Rover alongside Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron, and the year soon followed with the thriller film Burnt, in which he played opposite his Twilight co-star and wife Kristen Stewart. It was around this time that he began using the nickname ‘Old’ Robert. In 2012, he starred in the film adaptation of the bestselling novel The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society. In 2013, he appeared in the comedy film Vacation alongside Amy Schumer and Jason Szewczyk. That same year, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role in the film adaptation of Coraline. In 2014, he appeared in the historical drama Free State Of Jones, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. He next starred in the film adaptation of the best-selling novel The Danish Girl, alongside Eddie Redmayne and Matthwolda van der Waal. In 2016, he starred in the biographical drama Loving, alongside Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton, and the psychological thriller Broad Church, opposite Zoe Kravitz and Thomasin McKenzie. Later that year, he portrayed author J.M. Waldenstaffe in the mini-series Penny Dreadful, which premiered on FX. In 2017, he portrayed author/politician William Randolph Hearst in the film adaptation of Gabriele del Campo’s 1999 novel The Golden Bowl, opposite Anne Wang, Henry Cai, and Li Mengjun.
Feature Films And TV Shows
In addition to his roles in feature films, Robert Pattinson has made numerous appearances on television shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Black-ish, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Knick, and The Mist. In 2018, he starred in the first season of the Amazon Prime original series The Gilded Life, a period piece set in 1899 London that follows the lavish lifestyle of British socialite Lady Rose de Burgh. Other appearances this year include the horror anthology series Creepshow, the horror-comedy Midsommar, and The Darkest Knight. In 2020, he will star in the Netflix biopic Pattinson, about the life and career of the acclaimed actor. In 2021, he will star in the romantic comedy film The Perfect Match, based on the novel of the same name by Molly Baird.
The Twilight Saga: Beginnings
While still filming the final season of Twilight in late 2019, screenwriter Billy Ray began pitching the idea of an anthology series to star Robert Pattinson. The series would later become known as The Twilight Saga. In an interview with Vogue, Ray revealed that it all began with a suggestion from director Michael McQuade to turn Twilight into a TV show. “We began talking about doing an anthology series, and I immediately thought of Robert,” Ray said. “He’s an incredibly versatile actor who would be able to lend his talent to something like this — not to mention that he’s extremely talented behind the camera as well.” The Twilight Saga is the first entry in the series and was followed by Eclipse, Sovereign, and Crimson Glory. A limited theatrical release of Eclipse was made available to attendees of the Toronto International Film Festival the week before the premiere of Twilight on August 23, 2010. It was during this time that fans began referring to him as ‘Old’ Robert. The first episode of The Twilight Saga premiered to audiences on October 20, 2010, and was watched by 12.5 million unique viewers, making it the most watched premiere in History of TV for Basic Cable.
The Academy And The Royal Family
In 2012, Robert Pattinson was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as Loderha in Vikings, becoming the first British actor to receive this honor. He went on to win the award for Best Supporting Actor. Two years later, in 2014, he received another nomination for the same role, this time for the Golden Globe Award. In the same year, he was also nominated for an Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie for his role in The Danish Girl. In 2016, he won the European Film Award for Best Actor for his role in The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society, opposite Emily Mortimer and Jim Broadbent. In 2018, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. So far, he has been nominated for five Golden Globes and has won two. He has also been nominated for five Academy Awards and has won two. Additionally, he has been nominated for a BAFTA (British Academy of Arts and Letters) for his role in The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society. As previously stated, he won an Emmys for his role in The Danish Girl and was nominated for another Emmys for the prequel Coraline. In 2019, he was appointed as the United Kingdom’s representative on the Venice Film Festival’s artistic committee.
Upcoming Projects
While we await the release of Pattinson, he is currently filming the Netflix series The Twilight Saga, based on Stephenie Meyer’s novels. The Twilight Saga premiered on May 12, 2020, and is set to run for seven episodes over seven nights. We don’t have any information about the plot or casting yet, but it’s going to be exciting to see Robert Pattinson in a lead role again.
His Immediate Family
Aside from his extensive acting career, Robert Pattinson is also the father of three children. His eldest child, a daughter named Elmourada, was born in 2014. His second child, a son named Aidan, was born in 2017. Finally, in 2019, he married his longtime sweetheart, actress Kristen Stewart. Stewart gave birth to their son, Otis, on June 2, 2020. The family subsequently celebrated their first family vacation, which included a short stop in Hawaii., in October 2020.