April 9: Actress and “singer” Kristen Stewart - “Twilight,” “the Runaways” - is 23-years-old today.

-----

Kristen Jaymes Stewart was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California. Her father, John Stewart, is a stage manager and television producer who has worked for Fox. Her mother, Jules Mann-Stewart, is a script supervisor originally from Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia.

Her whole family all worked behind the camera and Stewart thought she would become a writer/director, but never considered being an actor. Stewart's acting career began at the age of eight, after an agent saw her perform in her elementary school's Christmas play. After a year of auditioning, Stewart's first role was a small nonspeaking part in the Disney Channel original film The Thirteenth Year. She then landed another part in the film The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas as the "ring toss girl."

She subsequently appeared in the independent film The Safety of Objects, in which she played the tomboy daughter of a troubled single mother.) Stewart also played a tomboy in the film Panic Room, playing the diabetic daughter of a Jodie Foster. She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her performance.

Her first starring role followed, in the children's action-comedy Catch That Kid, opposite Max Thieriot and Corbin Bleu. Stewart also played the role of Lila in the thriller Undertow. Afterwards, Stewart starred in the Lifetime/Showtime television film Speak, based on the novel by Laurie Halse Anderson.

After Panic Room's success, Stewart was cast in another thriller, Cold Creek Manor, playing the daughter of Dennis Quaid's and Sharon Stone's characters. She was again nominated for a Young Artist Award for her performance.

She has since starred in other films, including Zathura,  In the Land of Women, The Messengers, and Adventureland. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling vampire romance novel of the same name.

Stewart reappeared as Bella in the sequel, The Twilight Saga: New Moon. In 2009, Stewart starred in The Yellow Handkerchief, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and was released into theaters in 2010.  by  also starred alongside James Gandolfini in Welcome to the Rileys, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010.

In 2012, she starred in Snow White & the Huntsman and On the Road. She was also cast in the thiller titled Cali, directed by Nick Cassavetes

Kristin with Joan Jett (L)

Stewart cut her "singing chops" in 2010, when she portrayed rock star Joan Jett in The Runaways, a biographical film of the band of the same name from writer-director Floria Sigismondi. Stewart met with Jett over the 2008–2009 New Year to prepare for the role and ended up prerecording songs in a studio for the film.

She received praise for her performance as the Metro Times wrote, "It turns out that Stewart is actually really good at capturing Jett's icy, tough-but-cool girl swagger, adding the needed touches of vulnerability that transform it into a pretty terrific performance... Stewart is a genuine rock star here."

On December 6, 2011, Stewart was named number one on Forbes magazine's list of Hollywood's Best Actors for the Buck.

####