Kirsten Dunst Biography

Name: Kirsten Dunst

Born: 30 April 1982 (Age: 29)

Where: Point Pleasant, New Jersey, USA

Height: 5' 7"

Awards: 1 Golden Globe nomination

Synopsis

Kirsten Dunst was born April 30, 1982 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. In 1989, she made her film debut in New York Stories. This was soon followed by a role in The Bonfire of the Vanities. She got her big break in Interview with the Vampire. She went on to appear in a string of major Hollywood productions.

Early Career

Actress. Born April 30, 1982, in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Unlike so many child actors whose promise diminishes with the onset of adulthood, Dunst has grown in both range and popularity. She has already garnered over 40 film and television credits and continues to command hefty sums for acting appearances.

Dunst made her acting debut before she was able to walk. She was signed to the Ford Modeling Agency as a child and by age 12, she had made over 100 commercials.

In 1989, Kirsten Dunst made her film debut with a small role in Woody Allen’s New York Stories. This was soon followed by a role as Tom Hank’s daughter in the film adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s bestselling novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities.

Career Highlights

Kirsten Dunst went on to appear in a string of major Hollywood productions including Little Women (1994), Jumanji (1995) and Wag the Dog (1997), but also received critical attention for her performances in the less-publicized mock-documentary Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) and the political spoof Dick (1999).

Dunst engineered a successful transition to “adult” roles with her 2000 appearance in Sophia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides. Dunst received positive critical attention for her facility with the movie’s weighty themes of teen suicide and burgeoning sexuality.

Dunst avoided the years of struggle that can break the hearts of so many young Hollywood hopefuls, immediately landing work on "Sisters" (NBC 1991-96), "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (syndicated, 1987-1994), and the TV movie "Darkness Before Dawn" (1993). The following year, she was catapulted into the limelight with her stunning work in Neil Jordan's "Interview with the Vampire" (1994), a role which she reportedly won over Christina Ricci. Her Claudia, a little girl vampire unable to age through the years, looked like a child one moment and appeared - and acted - like a grown woman the next. Although the film received mixed notices, Dunst's remarkably mature performance opposite Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise earned nearly universal raves and a Golden Globe nomination. She followed it up portraying a younger version of spoiled, artistic Amy in "Little Women" (1994) and costarring with Robin Williams and a ton of CGI animals in the kiddie hit, "Jumanji" (1995).

In what would become the earmark of her career, Dunst began her practice of balancing roles in mainstream, high-profile projects with more offbeat, character-driven, independent pieces. She took on the recurring role of a tough-talking runaway in the hit NBC drama, "ER" in 1996-97, before doing a 180 degree turn, appearing in the political satire, "Wag the Dog" (1997). She was "Fifteen and Pregnant" (1998) in the Lifetime drama and decked out in a bouffant for the low budge period teen comedy, "Strike," the same year.

Following a well-acted supporting turn in the critical hit, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004), Dunst reprised her role as Mary Jane Watson - now a successful, engaged actress still pining for Peter Parker - in the highly anticipated sequel "Spider-Man 2" (2004). A starring role in the lukewarm romantic tennis comedy "Wimbledon" (2004) went virtually under the radar, and 2005's Cameron Crowe rom-com "Elizabethtown" was a critical flop, but her second outing as Sophia Coppola's leading lady in "Marie Antoinette" (2006) was daring, controversial, and talked-about, even if not always in a positive light. Again, the evolving actress proved that she was willing to take creative chances as much as she loved having fun in crowd-pleasing romps, giving her a significant advantage over her peers. Leading up to the release of the third installment of "Spider-Man" (2007), Dunst announced that she was taking a break from her steady film schedule to pursue her interest in art.