For those of you who aren’t familiar, Robert Pattinson is a British actor, musician, and poet. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, film producer and manager Katy Perry. They recently welcomed their second child into the world.
The Twilight series made Robin a household name. The first film in the series, Twilight, became the highest-grossing debut of all time, earning over $500 million worldwide. The film also won the Best Picture Academy Award. The second film in the series, New Moon, became the third-highest grossing film of all time, behind only Titanic and Avatar. It won a Golden Globe and was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar as well.
In addition to playing the male lead in Twilight and New Moon, he has also featured in major films like Finding Neverland, Water for Elephants, and the upcoming The Great Gatsby. You can learn more about him here. A documentary is currently in the works that will examine his life and career. And if you want to read some of his poetry, you can find it on his blog or on Tumblr.com. You can also follow his social media accounts on Twitter and Instagram.
On Being Named After Alfred Hitchcock
When asked about his last name not being related to the Master of Suspense, he replied,
“I think it’s pretty cool, actually. My great-grandfather changed his name from Alfred Hitchcock to Hitchcock. So, in a way, I am named after him. But my great-grandfather was a very humble man and never really talked about it much.”
Many fans may be familiar with Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film Psycho. The movie was adapted from the novel of the same name by Robert Bloch and originally released in 1960. Since then it has become one of the most popular films of all time, influencing many more works of fiction and pop culture. When asked whether or not he was aware of the connection, he replied,
“I was only really brought up on the Hitchcock side of the family and didn’t really think about it much. But I did know a little bit about my great-grandfather and what he did. My mom told me that he was very famous for his suspense movies, and I guess that’s something I’ll have to live up to now.”
More About His Early Life
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Pattinson shared more about his early life. He was born in London, England on April 28, 1986 to Linda and Timothy Pattinson. His father is a geologist and his mother is a former social worker. He has an older sister named Grace and a younger brother named George. He attended primary school at Fort Monkton School in Bath, before moving to Wetherby School in Yorkshire. While there, he participated in the Duke of York’s Industrial School Prize Squad, an initiative that provides students with a work experience in manufacturing. He then attended the prestigious London Business School and the University of Nottingham, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. Before moving to Los Angeles, he did some filming in Hungary. He also spent some time in Prague working on a TV commercial. In Los Angeles, he works out at least five times a week and also attends rehearsals and movie sets alongside his wife and children. He’s also a big fan of U2, so it’s no wonder he’s nicknamed “The U2 Guy.”
A Self-Deprecating Joke About The Fame
One of the more interesting tidbits about Robert Pattinson are his self-deprecating jokes about the fame. People often confuse him with his Twilight co-star and eventual lover, Robert Taylor. When asked about this, he joked,
“I just said no, thank you. You’re much better-looking. And Taylor—he’s a great guy—but I don’t really look like him. I mean, he’s like the male version of me. I think it’s great when people confuse us, actually, because then I can just be myself and not have to worry about what people think. If I want to wear shorts and a T-shirt and no makeup, I can. Maybe if I want to wear makeup and some stylish shorts I’ll have to worry about going green, but otherwise I can just do what I want.”
“My dad’s a geologist. He’s very interesting because when I was a child, he used to take me along on field trips to dig up fossils. I used to love it. And then, when I was about 11 or 12, I remember going on a family vacation to Scotland and being really bored because all the other kids were much younger than me. So I started drawing portraits of the cousins, and my friends and teachers would always stop by and ask if I’d show them my drawings. Then one day my mom found a box of my artwork in the attic and decided to show it to some potential clients who are in the arts industry. One of them was actually named Alfred Hitchcock, who happened to be one of the biggest film producers of his time. And from that point on, I started getting these weird celebrity calls. I’d say no, but they’d insist and eventually I’d have to say yes just to stop the madness.”
More About His Family
As if his Hollywood star status wasn’t enough, Robert Pattinson is also the grandson of Lord and Lady Mountbatten, Louis Mountbatten and Lady Patricia Mountbatten. Louis, as he was known, served as the last British Viceroy of India. After India became independent in 1947, he continued to play an active role in the country’s political affairs, eventually becoming the first Governor General of Independent India. He is also known for being the uncle of the late Princess Diana. According to the Hollywood Reporter, during Diana’s reign as Princess of Wales, there were over 300 major films that focused on the relationship between the two. In 2018, Louis Mountbatten’s great-granddaughter Grace announced that she and her husband Tim had become parents of a baby girl. The couple named her Luella after one of Lady Diana’s uncles. Tim is the nephew of Louis Mountbatten. He is also a descendant of the 18th-century British explorer Admiral Edward Hughes. And Edward Hughes’ son, also named Edward, was the husband of Georgina, the only daughter of King George IV. George IV’s only child, Princess Victoria, married Prince Albert. And Princess Victoria’s only child was Victoria, the Grand Duchess of Hesse and Princess Beatrice of Baden. Beatrice’s only son, the future King Edward VII, married Princess Alexandra of Hesse, the sister of Victoria. In Germany, their descendants are known as the House of Hesse. Through Georgina, Robert Pattinson is also related to the French royal family. The Duchess of Angoulême is the granddaughter of Louis Mountbatten. Through her, he is also related to the French imperial family. Although the exact relationship is unknown, it is speculated that Robert Pattinson is a descendant of Maria Anna of Bavaria, the wife of King George IV. Maria Anna was also the grandmother of Queen Victoria, the wife of King Edward VII. And Edward VII was the father of King George, who in turn fathered King George VI, the father of the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. So, to recap: Queen Elizabeth II is Robert Pattinson’s great-grandmother, and he is also a descendant of King George VI, whose family name was Windsor. His grandmother was the Duchess of Windsor. When asked about the rumors, he replied,
“I don’t really pay much attention to that. I mean, it’s nice that people think I’m related to famous people, but I really don’t pay much attention to it.”
More About His Film Career
Besides his descent from some pretty cool people, Robert Pattinson’s film career was also largely influenced by his friendship with the director David Cronenberg. In a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said that he met Cronenberg when they were both working on the set of the 2005 film, A History of Violence. They became great friends and eventually Cronenberg helped him land his role as Edward Cullen in Twilight. He would also go on to direct a film titled The Battle of Wounded Knee in which Pattinson starred. The film was shot in part in Wounded Knee, South Dakota and is based on the violent events that took place there in 1890. It was released in 2017 and was met with generally positive reviews. In 2019, it was announced that he would star in Tim Burton’s adaptation of Downton Abbey, set to be released in late 2025.