Nikki Reed Biography

Birth Name: Nicole Houston Reed

Birth Place: Los Angeles, CA

Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 05/17/1988, Taurus

Profession: Actor; writer; producer

Born Nicole Houston Reed on May 17, 1988 in Los Angeles, CA, she was the daughter of set designer Seth Reed and wife Cheryl Houston, a hairdresser. Her parents split when Reed was very young, and she spent most of her formative years with her mother. Self-described as bookish and quiet, she blossomed in her twelfth year, though perhaps not in a way her mother had hoped; Reed developed a volatile personality, and within a few years, was experimenting with drugs, alcohol and sex. By fourteen, clashes with her mother forced her to live on her own.

The film, entitled Thirteen (2003), went into production when Reed was 14, and she took the co-starring role as Evie rather than playing Tracy, the role based on her own life. Working opposite Holly Hunter and Evan Rachel Wood, Reed won a 2004 Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance, a 2003 Young Hollywood Award as "One to Watch - Female" and shared a Screenwriting Award with Catherine Hardwicke at the Nantucket Film Festival.

Back at school, Reed realized that she missed acting, and returned to work in the unreleased Man of God (2005) before re-teaming with Hardwicke for Lords of Dogtown (2005) starring Heath Ledger. Since then, she has completed the dark comedy Mini's First Time (2005) with Alec Baldwin and American Gun (2005) with Forest Whitaker. On television, she played a recurring role in the hit series The O.C.

The attention Reed gained as a result of "Thirteen" had both positive and negative affects on her life. Initially disinterested in acting, she soon developed a taste for movie sets, and landed supporting roles in several independent features, including Hardwicke's "Lords of Dogtown" (2005), which cast her as pro skater Tony Alva's sister, Kathy. But she also found it difficult to return to her old life; she had left high school after just a year, citing the criticism of adults for depicting such behavior on screen. Reed eventually received her diploma through home schooling.

In 2007, Reed was cast as Andi, best friend and crush object of Bret Harrison's slacker-turned-employee of Satan on the sitcom, "Reaper" (The CW, 2007- ). Unfortunately, she was replaced by actress Missy Peregrym during a re-shoot of the pilot, which effectively quashed what might have been a solid effort to re-calibrate her screen image. Undaunted, she reunited with Hardwicke for the much-anticipated film version of "Twilight," the first in a series of Gothic romances by Stephenie Meyer. Reed was cast as Rosalie Hale, a victim of a crime of passion who was revived as a vampire by a benevolent bloodsucker (Peter Facinelli) who made her part of his family. Rosalie initially serves as an antagonist for the story's female lead, Bella (Kristen Stewart), but eventually comes to accept her romance with fellow teen vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson).

After landing the role, Reed found herself at the center of a controversy with the book's loyal readers, who refused to accept her as the character, since she was a brunette and Rosalie was blonde. However, based on the overwhelming popularity of "Twilight," Reed was tapped to portray her character Rosalie twice more in the sequels "New Moon" (2009) and "Eclipse" (2010). She remained active onscreen throughout 2008, adding producer to her list of talents by helping to oversee the comedy "Last Day of Summer," in which she also appeared in a supporting role.