Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson, better known as Robert Pattinson, is an English actor, musician and former model. He first rose to prominence when he essayed the leading role in the film adaptation of the bestselling Twilight series. Pattinson`s portrayal of vampire Edward Cullen in the blockbuster series made him a global star, and he has since went on to establish himself as one among the most sought-after young actors in Hollywood. Pattinson is also a trained musician, and has composed and sung songs for the Twilight series and the 2008 comedy-drama film How to Be. The actor is also known for his humanitarian works, and is a vocal supporter and member of organisations like GO Campaign, International Medical Corps and ECPAT.

Early Life
Robert Pattinson was born to Richard Pattinson and Clare Charlton in London, England. His father was a vintage cars dealer, while his mother worked for a modelling agency. He has two elder sisters - Victoria Pattinson and Elizabeth Pattinson, who is a singer-songwriter.

While growing up in Barnes, London, he attended Tower House School and The Harrodian School, and subsequently went on to become an active member of the Barnes Theatre Company. After appearing in several theatrical productions, Pattinson he made his television debut when he was just 16.

Personal Life
Pattinson was in a relationship with his Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart for a long time. However, the couple split up in 2012. Since 2014, he has been dating singer FKA Twigs (Tahliah Debrett Barnett). They were engaged in April 2015.

Movie Career
Pattinson made his feature film debut at the age of 17, with an uncredited role in the historical drama Vanity Fair (2004). In the following year, he played Cedric Diggory in the fourth installment of the Harry Potter series - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). In 2008, the actor appeared in the comedy-drama film How to Be, for which he also performed three original songs. Pattinson`s breakout role came in the same year, when he was chosen to portray Edward Cullen in the romantic fantasy film Twilight. Based on Stephenie Meyer`s novel series of the same name, the film`s plot centred around the forbidden romance between a teenage girl and a vampire, which comes with perilous consequences for them both. Twilight was a blockbuster despite the lukewarm critical reception, and went on to gross close to $400 million at the box office. For his performance in the film, Pattinson won an MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Performance (Male) that year and received several other nominations, which included an Empire Award nomination for Best Newcomer and a People`s Choice Awards nomination for Favourite Movie Actor.

In 2009, the actor portrayed renowned surrealist painter Salvador Dali in the Spanish-British drama film Little Ashes. This was followed by the second installment in the Twilight series, The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009). Much like its predecessor, the film was bashed by the critics and well-received by the audience, going on to gross over $700 million at the box office. The actor then starred in the coming of age romance film Remember Me (2010), for which he also served as an executive producer. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which came out in the same year, opened to mixed reviews, but set the cash registers ringing at the box office. In 2011, Pattinson starred alongside Reese Witherspoon in the romantic drama film Water for Elephants, which was based on a 2006 of the same name by Sara Gruen. The film told the story of a veterinary student who quits college and ends up in a travelling circus, only to fall in love with the wife of the cruel ringmaster (played by Christoph Waltz). Water for Elephants was a critical and commercial success, and currently holds a 60% approval rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. For his performance in the film, the actor was nominated for a People`s Choice Award and won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Actor - Drama. Pattinson`s fourth outing as Edward Cullen came in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011), which also opened to strongly unfavourable reviews.

The year 2012 saw the actor taking on more challenging roles, courtesy of films like Bel Ami and David Cronenberg`s Cosmopolis. Bel Ami, which was based on Guy de Maupassant`s 1885 novel of the same name, had its world premiere at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, but received largely negative reviews despite its ensemble cast and compelling premise. The drama-thriller Cosmopolis, which was based on Don DeLillo`s novel of the same name, had the actor playing Eric Packer - a billionaire asset manager who sets down a path of self-destruction as the world around him starts to fall apart. Pattinson`s role in Cosmopolis remains the most challenging and critically acclaimed performance in his career till date. The actor then reprised his role as Edward Cullen for one last time in the final Twilight movie, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, which went on to become the highest grossing film in the series.

In 2014, Pattinson appeared alongside Guy Pearce in the dystopian drama film The Rover and Julianne Moore in the satirical drama Maps to the Stars, both of which opened to positive reviews. Pattinson was nominated for an Australian Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Rover. Subsequently, the actor appeared in the biographical drama film Life (2015), the plot of which revolved around the friendship between yesteryear Hollywood star James Dean and Life magazine photographer Dennis Stock. Though the critical reception to the biopic was largely positive, Life was met with lukewarm reception from the audience. However, the actor won a Hollywood Rising Star Award at the Deauville American Film Festival that year for his portrayal of Dennis Stock. The acclaimed historical mystery drama film The Childhood of a Leader was Pattinson`s first release in 2016. The film, which currently holds an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, had its world premiere at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, where it won two awards - for Best Debut Film and Best Director. In the same year, Pattinson starred alongside Charlie Hunnam in the biographical adventure drama The Lost City of Z, which delved into the mysterious disappearance of British explorer Percy Fawcett while journeying into the Amazon. The film opened to positive reviews, and Pattison`s performance was hailed in some circles as "impressively subtle, yet brilliant".

The crime-drama Good Time and the western comedy film Damsel are some of the actor`s projects in 2017. In 2020 he was associated with Christopher Nolan`s action thriller Tenet.

Television Career
In the early years of his career, Pattinson had appeared in a handful of made-for-television films. The first among these was the fantasy adventure film Ring of the Nibelungs (2004), in which he had a minor role. In 2006, he starred in BBC`s psychological thriller film The Haunted Airman, which told the story of an injured RAF pilot`s slow descent into depression and madness after being paralyzed by a combat injury. The comedy-drama The Bad Mother`s Handbook (2007) was the actor`s next venture on miniscreen. The one-off show opened recorded strong viewing figures upon its premiere, and was generally well-received.