Robert Pattinson is an English actor, film producer, and musician. He gained prominence after starring in the films Eclipse and The Favourite. Since then, Pattinson has starred in several more films, both large and small, culminating with the most recent installment in the Twilight Saga, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
The actor is currently linked to several notable Hollywood A-listers. He was previously engaged to actress Kate Winslet, with whom he had a child, Mia, in 2014. He later began a romantic relationship with singer and actress Christen. Though not yet confirmed by the actor, many consider Mia and Christen’s daughter Augusta to be Pattinson’s child as well. Last year, the actor married his longtime partner, photographer and videographer Aaron Taylor-Johnston. The couple have two children together. While many still believe that Winslet is Pattinson’s most committed romantic partner, it is not unusual for the actor to have a child born outside of his marriage. If true, it would be his third child with a former partner. In 2018, Vanity Fair reported that Michael Jackson had fathered a child with his former partner, Debbie Rowe. Though the actor had been in a relationship with Rowe, Jackson’s child was not his. Since the report, Jackson has denied that he is the father of Rowie’s child. In 2019, it was also reported that Pattinson was the father of two teenagers who were conceived during his time on tour with the band The Twilight Saga. The band’s drummer, Jay Lane, had been married before and had children, which may have factored into his willingness to have more children during the group’s hiatus.
Pattinson’s Early Years
Pattinson was born on July 13, 1986 in London, England. He is the son of actress Judy, who is best known for her roles in Emmerdale and Hetty Wainstbock, and the late director and producer Sandy Pattinson. As a toddler, he appeared in several of his father’s films. His godfather is English actor Benedict Cumberbatch.
Pattinson began acting professionally at the age of three and had his first screen credit in 1991’s Silver Circle. Several years later, he played the son of Jack Nicholson and Marjorie Merriweather Post in 1997’s A Perfect Murder.
Pattinson’s career took an unexpected turn after he starred in the 2006 indie film The Last Days of June. Directed by Ben Howlett, the film explored the final days of British fascist leader Oswald Mosley. The actor portrayed the onetime lover of Princess Grace. Mosley’s life and legacy were controversial topics at the time of the film’s release. Howlett defended his decision to cast Pattinson, saying, “I thought it was such an interesting character to play, particularly as a child. I wanted to see how he interacts with grown-ups and children around him. He’s certainly not your typical five-year-old.”
Howlett’s decision paid off. The Last Days of June established Pattinson as a young actor to watch. In 2007, he starred in director Marc Forster’s horror flick Finding Neverland as a young journalist investigating the case of Peter Pan’s pirates. The following year, he collaborated with Howlett on the supernatural thriller Apparitions. That same year, Pattinson played the role of Billy in the Broadway revival of William Gibson’s classic Orphans. The production marked the Broadway debut of Pattinson’s father, Sandy.
Pattinson’s big break came in 2010 when he was cast as the vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer, the film adaptation of Twilight premiered to great success at the box office and on social media. The actor received rave reviews for his portrayal of the undead vampire, who sparkled in the sunlight and had a distinct laugh that could put a smile on any face.
Pattinson And Winslet
Three years after playing Edward Cullen, Pattinson was cast in the lead role of Christian Grey in the 2013 adaptation of the Fifty Shades of Grey. The $200 million erotic romance film was the second-highest-grossing film of the year and third-highest-grossing film of all time at the box office. Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, the film starred Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson. While filming the steamy drama, Pattinson was determined not to deviate from Grey’s character, saying: “I’ve seen the novel, and I’ve seen the character—what I’m playing in the film—so many times that I just kind of knew it by heart. I didn’t really have to read the script to know what was going on.”
Critics assailed the film. Some went so far as to call it “unwatchable” and “torture porn”. But, while reviews were mixed, audiences didn’t seem to mind. Fifty Shades of Grey became the highest-grossing film of all time, bringing in over $500 million worldwide.
Pattinson And Christen
The year 2014 was a big one for Pattinson. Not only did he play the adult version of Edward Cullen in the highly successful series of films based on the Twilight Saga, he also starred in the drama Maps to Finding My Way, which premiered that year to great acclaim and became a Netflix original series. The actor also served as a producer on the series, which follows a young couple’s struggle to start a family. In February 2014, Pattinson was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people. In July 2014, he became father for the first time, welcoming a baby girl, Mia, with his longtime partner, Kate Winslet. The couple’s relationship had been on-and-off for years, and had previously tried for several years to have a child together. In May 2015, the pair were married at a private ceremony in Italy.
Mia’s birth marked the beginning of a brand new chapter for the 32-year-old actor. While he had been in a committed relationship with Winslet for several years, this was not the case with Christen, whom he had started dating in 2011. The couple have a daughter, Augusta, born in 2016. Following their wedding ceremony, the pair launched a family and lifestyle blog, My Ordinary Day, where they document their adventures as a newlywed and parent. In September 2017, the couple expanded their family when they welcomed their son Gilé into the world. In June 2018, Vanity Fair reported that it was “common knowledge” that Pattinson is the father of Augusta, who was previously rumored to be the daughter of actress Kate Winslet and bandleader Roger Waters.
Mia And The Twilight Saga
While Pattinson’s road to motherhood had been relatively smooth, it had not been easy for some of his Twilight co-stars. In particular, Kristen Stewart had to overcome her mother’s opposition to her acting career and had to fight for equal pay with her costar. In early 2018, Stewart, who played Bella, tweeted that she had just signed on to star in Snowfall, an indie film that will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Two months later, Stewart and Pattinson were seen canoodling at the Berlin Film Festival. Coincidentally, Stewart had been in Germany promoting her new film while the Twilight star was in Berlin promoting his new film, the action thriller Killing Floor. Despite their onscreen romance, fans had already started to speculate that Stewart and Pattinson might end up together off-screen. On July 5, 2018, Vanity Fair dropped a bombshell report, stating that:
“It’s no secret that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have been circling each other for years. And although they’ve both firmly said no to any rumors of a romance, it seems that their onscreen chemistry is too tempting for them to pass up. And now, it’s time to add a little more fuel to the fire. Stewart and Pattinson were spotted kissing and groping each other at a party in Paris last month. And, according to a source, this isn’t the first time they’ve acted onscreen together. In fact, they previously worked together on the coming-of-age drama The Descendants, which premiered to great reviews in 2011. But because they had never officially acknowledged their romance, many fans were caught off guard by the news of their ‘secret’ engagement.”
While there was no denying that the pair were attracted to each other, Stewart’s rep declined to comment on the speculation. Later that year, it was alleged that the actors were engaged in a secret wedding ceremony in the Seychelles. A source told E! News at the time: