Robert Pattinson's transformation from early photos before his Twilight fame to now as he turns 40

In 2005, Robert was cast as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. His role in the iconic franchise launched his career. Of his role as the young wizard, Robert told the HFPA in 2019: "It was very special. And I really like that movie as well… I wasn't going to be acting professionally if it wasn't for that."

Robert's life really changed when he was cast as Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga. While the films weren't necessarily well received with critics, they grossed over $3.36 billion. Robert starred alongside Kristen Stewart in the five films, traveled the world meeting thousands of fans, and was one half of a Hollywood power couple.

Throughout the Twilight Saga, Robert and Kristen dated. They confirmed their relationship in 2010 and dated on and off for several years. After they broke up in May 2013, Kristen opened up about the difficulties of their relationship.

"People wanted me and Rob to be together so badly that our relationship was made into a product," she told The New York Times Style Magazine. "It wasn't real life anymore. And that was gross to me. It's not that I want to hide who I am or hide anything I'm doing in my life. It's that I don't want to become a part of a story for entertainment value."

These days, Kristen and Rob are friends, with the actress attending his 37th birthday party.

Robert definitely worked to shed his Twilight persona after the fifth and final film, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, premiered in 2012. He was public with his distaste for the films, telling Empire in 2008: "[Edward's] the most ridiculous person who's so amazing at everything. And the more I read the script, the more I hated this guy, so that's how I played him, as a manic-depressive who hates himself. Plus, he's a 108 year-old virgin, so he's obviously got some issues there."

After Twilight, Robert went on to star in a string of independent films, from The Rover alongside Guy Pearce to Queen of the Desert with Nicole Kidman and James Franco. During this period of his life, Robert earned acclaim. He was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards and a Gotham Award.

In 2014, Robert met the singer FKA Twigs after seeing her in concert. The two were first spotted together while walking on the Venice Beach boardwalk a few months later. After dating for a year, Robert asked Twigs to marry him, with the actor confirming the news in 2017 to Howard Stern.

The radio show host asked: "You're engaged, right?" and Robert said: "Yeah, kind of."

But, their status was always a little confusing. By the time Robert confirmed their engagement, there were rumors that they had called things off. With the rabid Twilight fans sharing their opinions of Robert's relationship with Twigs, the actor wanted to keep his relationship private.

"To protect [the relationship], you kind of think, I want to create a big boundary between it [and fame]," Robert told Howard.. But then it makes it difficult for your actual relationship." 

In October 2017, the couple officially broke up.

A year after his relationship with Twigs ended, Robert was spotted with actress and singer Suki Waterhouse. In 2019, Robert confirmed his relationship during an interview with The Sunday Times. After he was asked to share more information on their relationship, Robert asked: "Do I have to?"

“If you let people in, it devalues what love is," he continued. "If a stranger on the street asked you about your relationship, you'd think it extremely rude. If you put up a wall, it ends better."

In January 2020, Robert and Suki got engaged. Two years later, they made their red carpet debut at the Dior Fall 2023 menswear show in Giza, Egypt. Suki is clearly head over heels for the actor. In February 2023, she told The Times: "She continues, "I'm always incredibly excited when I see his name pop up [on my phone] or even a text, and I think he feels the same about me. We've always got so much to say, and I find him hilarious."

In March 2024, six years after the couple met, they welcomed their first child together. While the couple has not shared their daughter's name, Robert has opened up about fatherhood.

"I wasn't the biggest fan of kids before. I didn't mind them. I would tolerate them. But it's the most fun thing," he told GQ in January 2026. "I think it's absolutely wonderful. And you're suddenly like...well, everyone does seem to think their kid is the coolest kid. I definitely think, I'm like, Yeah, my kid, you can actually hang with her. She's great."

Most recently, Robert starred in The Drama alongside Zendaya. The dark romantic comedy shocked fans, received good reviews from critics, and grossed $123 million worldwide on a $28 million budget.

And this year, Robert is set to star in Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated film The Odyssey, as well as Dune: Part Three alongside Timothée Chalamet. In 2027, he will reprise his role as Batman in The Batman: Part II.