Happy Birthday Robert Pattinson: click on photo to see more images
Born in London in 1986, Robert initially began a career in modelling at 12 years old, encouraged by his mother. "I had the most unsuccessful modelling career," he once joked.
The
Twilight star has admitted that he was never interested in school, but that he was captivated by the theatre after helping out at his local theatre company. Soon he was on stage himself, and was spotted by an agent during a local production of
Tess of D'Ubervilles. He soon moved on to made-for-TV films, and eventually landed the role of Cedric Diggory in
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
It was in 2008 that Robert's life was changed forever, when he was offered the role of Edward Cullen in the vampire film
Twilight. The role shot him to international fame and while he was delighted, he admitted that he found the whole experience "bizarre".
"It is still strange," said the movie heartthrob in 2009. "I just don't get the immediate-recognition thing. I was at the Frankfurt airport yesterday, and people just immediately know who you are. It's never, 'Are you ...?' It's just like, 'Can I have a photo?'."
A romance began between Robert and his co-star
Kristen Stewart, although the pair initially insisted that they were just friends. In July 2012, it emerged that Kristen had been unfaithful to Robert, and she issued a heartfelt apology to her boyfriend.
"I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I've caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected," read her statement. "This momentary indiscretion has jeopardised the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I'm so sorry."
After
Twilight, Robert produced and starred in
Remember Me, which caught the critics' attention, but it was his performance as a tough, cold hearted and calculating billionaire in David Cronenberg's
Cosmopolis which earned him critical praise.