Summit Entertainment LLC (formerly Summit Entertainment LP) is a North American film studio and a subsidiary of Lions Gate Entertainment headquartered in Universal City, California with international offices in London.^[1]

History[link]

Summit was originally founded in 1991^[2] by film producers Bernd Eichinger, Arnon Milchan, and Andrew G. Vajna, initially to handle film sales in foreign countries.^[2] Summit later expanded into producing and co-financing films in 1995, and started fully financing films by 1997.^[2] Summit officially launched in 1993 by Patrick Wachsberger, Bob Hayward and David Garrett under the name Summit Entertainment LP as a production, distribution, and sales organization. Among the company's early successes was American Pie, which Summit distributed outside of English-speaking territories.^[2] In 2006, it became a fully independent film studio, Summit Entertainment, with the addition of Rob Friedman, a former executive at Paramount Pictures.^[3] The new company added major development, production, acquisitions, marketing and distribution branches with a financing deal led by Merrill Lynch and other investors giving it access to over $1 billion in financing.^[4] With that, Summit now releases their own films on DVD with the help of Universal Studios and Sony Pictures. Summit is also distributed theatrically and on DVD in Europe and in Canada by Entertainment One.

After a string of flops including P2, Penelope, and Sex Drive, Summit finally found success in November 2008 with the release of Twilight, a teen romance about vampires based on the best-selling book of the same name by Stephenie Meyer that made $408,773,703 worldwide. In the spring of 2009, Summit released Knowing, the company's second movie to open #1 at the box office and made $182,492,056 worldwide.

In November 2009, Summit released the sequel to Twilight titled The Twilight Saga: New Moon, also based on the popular novel by Stephenie Meyer, breaking box office records in its first weekend, grossing $142,839,137 in three (3) days and posting the fourth all-time best weekend box office figure behind Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man 3 ($151,116,516) and Warner Bros. Pictures' The Dark Knight ($158,411,483) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($168,550,000).

On June 30, 2010 Summit released the third film of the Twilight series, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. It broke a midnight screening record of over $30 million and set a one-day Wednesday record of $68.5 million but failed to surpass the one-day tally of $72 million set by New Moon. It became the first movie in the series to cross the $300 million mark domestically.

Other films for Summit include Next Day Air ($10,027,047 US box office), The Hurt Locker ($16,400,000 US box office) which garnered Summit its first Oscar-winning Best Picture), the animated film Astro Boy, the teenage horror Sorority Row ($11,965,282 US box office), the low-budget Push ($31,811,527 US box office), the dismally-attended Bandslam ($5,210,988 US box office), Letters to Juliet ($53,032,453 US box office), and the sleeper hit RED ($87,940,198 US box office), which was nominated for a 2010 Golden Globe in the Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical category.

In 2008, Summit ranked 8th place among the studios, with a gross of $226.5 million, almost entirely because of the release of Twilight.^[5] In 2009, Summit ranked 7th among studios with a gross of $482.5 million.^[6]

Acquisition by Lions Gate Entertainment[link]

In September 2008, merger talks between Summit and Lions Gate Entertainment were the subject of media speculation, but no deal was finalized at that time. On February 1, 2009, it was announced that Lionsgate would acquire Summit, along with its library of six films and rights to the Twilight franchise,^[7] but two days later, these merger negotiations broke down due to concerns over changing content.^[8]

On January 13, 2012, Lions Gate Entertainment acquired Summit for $412.5 million.^[9]

Film distributor history[link]

See also[link]

• List of Summit Entertainment films

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Summit Entertainment at the Internet Movie Database
• Reuters Story

Sidney Kimmel (born 1929) is a film producer also working as such under the names Caesar Kimmel and Sydney Kimmel.^[1] Some of his many films include Death at a Funeral and The Kite Runner.^[1][2] He ranked number 655 in the Forbes list of the richest people alive, in 2010,^[3] and is a noted philanthropist who recently donated $25 million to Stand Up To Cancer.

Personal life[link]

Sidney Kimmel was born in 1929, in a Jewish family, and raised in Philadelphia.^[4] He attended Temple University.^[5] He now lives in California with his wife Caroline.

Professional life[link]

Kimmel founded Jones Apparel Group in 1970 while working at W. R. Grace and Company. Five years later, he purchased the company with a partner. Notable lines produced by Kimmel include: Jones New York, Evan-Picone, 9 West; licensing deals with Ralph Lauren. Stepped down as chief executive officer of Jones in 2002 but remains chairman of the board of directors; has sold most of his shares in the publicly-traded company. Today, he owns art, real estate, movie production outfit Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, and a small stake in the professional NBA basketball team Miami Heat.^[5]

Kimmel is an active philanthropist especially with his work with the cure cancer movement. The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital^[4] as well as the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital carry his name.^[6]

Philanthropy[link]

Throughout his philanthropic endeavours, Sidney Kimmel has both founded his own foundation, and donated towards others. His philanthropic focus has been towards healthcare, education, arts and culture. His goal has been to donate $1 billion in total throughout his lifetime.^[7][8]

In 1993, Kimmel founded the Sidney Kimmel Foundation. The foundation's Cancer Research division pledged to contribute $120 million to institutions serving healthcare, education, arts and culture. Later, in 2001, the Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research donated $150 million to Johns Hopkins University. The donation became the largest single gift ever received by the University, and was directed toward the development of a residence for cancer patients undergoing extended treatment. The gift inspired the university to name the residence the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. In total Kimmel has his name attached to four separate cancer-research centers in Philadelphia, San Diego and Baltimore.^[7][8]

As of April 2003, Kimmel and the Sidney Kimmel Foundation had donated an estimated $400 million.^[8]

Another cause that Kimmel has contributed towards, has been the center for the performing arts in Philadelphia, which is now named The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and is home to the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra. All together Kimmel has donated $35 million to the Center.^[7][8]

Other contributions from Kimmel include a $5 million donation to The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia; a $20 million donation to Raymond and Ruth Perelman Jewish Day School in Philadelphia and $25 million for the establishment of a new prostate and urological cancer center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York.^[7]

In 2003 Kimmel pledged $25 million to The National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. The construction was said to have cost in total $100 million, and opened in 2006 on the museum's existing site facing Independence Mall.^[7][8][9]

Kimmel has given $5.5 million to the University of Missouri to create the Sidney Kimmel Institute for Nuclear Renaissance, SKINR, where researchers will "figure out why excess heat has been observed when hydrogen or deuterium interacts with materials such as palladium, nickel or platinum under extreme conditions.", Originally named “cold fusion,” nowadays the name low-energy nuclear reaction is also used.^[10]

Sidney Kimmel Entertainment[link]

Founded in 2004, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, the Los Angeles-based production, finance and distribution company headed by veteran producer Sidney Kimmel, is focused on financing and producing high-profile, quality filmed entertainment projects for mainstream audiences.

SKE’s diverse upcoming slate includes SKE and Screen Gems remake of SKE’s 2007 production of the British comedy Death at a Funeral, which Frank Oz directed and MGM released. The new film, which recently completed principal photography, stars an ensemble cast of primarily black talent headed by Chris Rock, who also co-produced, co-wrote. Other cast members include Loretta Devine, Ron Glass, Danny Glover, Regina Hall, Martin Lawrence, James Marsden, Tracy Morgan, Zoe Saldana and Columbus Short. Neil LaBute directed. Screen Gems will release in 2010.

SKE, which launched in 2004, financed and/or produced or co-produced 17 motion pictures between 2004 and 2008, including such notable titles as The Kite Runner, United 93, Breach, Lars and the Real Girl, Adventureland, Death at a Funeral, and Synecdoche, New York.

Recently, the Company has announced the upcoming projects Old Timers (tentatively titled), a feature comedy to be directed by Jon Amiel; the comedy Cloudburst, starring Oscar winning actresses Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker, with production scheduled for a fall start in Nova Scotia. Thom Fitzgerald wrote and will direct the film; and a co-production with Greet Street Films and A Bigger Boat entitled Mixed Blood, a thriller to be directed by Phillip Noyce with Samuel Jackson set to star. Kelly Masterson has adapted the screenplay from the Roger Smith novel of the same name, which was published in mid 2009.^[11] In addition, SKE recently acquired the spec script Sunflower, a taught thriller currently out to directors that the Company will co-produce with Vincent Newman Entertainment.

Recently SKE has forged a formal alliance with Nick Meyer’s newly formed company, Sierra Pictures, which will handle all foreign sales and servicing of future SKE titles.

Selected filmography[link]

• Neverwas (2005; producer)
• The Emperor's Club (2002; executive producer)
• The Perfect You (2002; executive producer)
• Strut! (2001; executive producer)
• Town & Country (2001; executive producer)
• Famous (2000) (executive producer)
• Curtain Call (1999; executive producer)
• Separation Anxiety (1997; executive producer)
• Mother (1996/I; executive producer; as Sydney Kimmel)
• The Night We Never Met (1993; executive producer)
• Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986; producer)
• The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986; co-executive producer)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center
• His imdb Page
• Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
• Sidney Kimmel Cancer Research Endowments

This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. Please help rewrite it to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. (October 2009)

Alex Cross is a fictional character and the protagonist of a series of books by novelist James Patterson.

Character overview[link]

Cross is a detective and psychologist living and working in the Southeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. He worked in the homicide division of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD), but eventually becomes a Senior Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). After his stint with the FBI, Alex returns to private psychology practice, but continues to consult for the MPD and the FBI as needed, ultimately rejoining the MPD as a special consultant to the Major Case Squad.

As portrayed by Patterson, Cross is a hopeful but rational man of generally deep emotions. He is a model father and quite empathetic in dealing with the public. Despite the fact that he is well-educated and makes a decent living, he chooses to live in the Southeast quadrant of D.C. He is very involved in the community, most notably volunteering at St. Anthony's Parish in his neighborhood.

Character biography[link]

Cross's mother died of lung cancer a year after his father. Cross was sent to Washington to live with his grandmother, whom he calls Nana Mama. He received a doctorate in psychology from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Upon graduation, he worked as a migrant farm worker for a year. He started a private practice and worked as a psychologist for two years. He eventually decided to become a policeman after he became disillusioned with the politics of the medical community (from Violets Are Blue).

Cross joined the police force because the people in his neighborhood could not afford his services, while white people would not see a "black shrink". He never expected to like it, but he became hooked on solving crimes. He remembers the first case he solved was that of two men who were shot in southeast Washington, and their killing was written off as drug-related. Alex knew the men and began to investigate on his own. One of the men was dating a woman the local drug dealer thought he owned and had the men killed. Once he solved that case he left private practice (from Violets Are Blue).

He lives with his grandmother (Nana Mama) and three children, Damon, Janelle (Jannie), and Alex Jr (Little Alex). His wife Maria Simpson Cross, a social worker, was murdered. Alex fathered Damon and Jannie with Maria. He fathered Alex Jr with his ex-fiancée Christine Johnson. Alex Jr comes to live with Alex, Nana Mama and the kids in Roses are Red^{[citation needed]}

Cross initially carries a revolver in Along Came a Spider, but then changes sidearms to a Glock pistol.^{[citation needed]} He drives a 1974 Porsche and bought a Mercedes-Benz R350 as a replacement for Maria's old Toyota, which served as the family car.Template:From the novel "Cross" He plays the piano to relaxTemplate:From the novel "Cross" and owns an Abyssinian cat named Rosie, who showed up one day and never left.^{[citation needed]} In Jack and Jill, villain Gary Soneji telephones Cross saying that it was he who left the cat. Cross teaches his two elder children boxing in his home's basement(from Pop Goes The Weasel).

Cross volunteers at St Anthony's soup kitchen frequently, where he is known as the "Peanut Butter Man". He began doing this with Maria. His partner in the PD, John Sampson, also volunteers there. Sampson calls Cross "Sugar" as a term of endearment. Cross calls Sampson "Man-Mountain" or "Two-John". They have been best friends since the age of 10(from Pop Goes The Weasel).

Alex has had bad luck with women. His wife was murdered. His lover in Along Came a Spider, Jezzie Flanigan, is involved in the kidnapping of two children, for which she is executed by lethal injection. His fiancée, Christine Johnson, was kidnapped for almost a year by Geoffrey Shafer. An FBI agent with whom he had been partnered, Betsey Cavalierre, was murdered by a serial killer called The Mastermind. Cross also developed a deep friendship with Dr Kateyla "Kate" McTiernan, whom he met before Christine. There were hints of a possible romantic relationship, but they preferred to remain friends. Later he met a San Francisco Police Department inspector, Jamilla Hughes, with whom he struck up a relationship, but they ultimately parted company. He began a new relationship with Dr Kayla Coles, a resident physician at a local hospital in Southeast Washington D.C. They were both born in North Carolina but raised in Washington D.C. She has since moved back to North Carolina. His next romantic involvement is with a rising star in the PD, Detective Brianna (Bree) Stone, whom he married in the 2010 book Cross Fire.^{[citation needed]}

Maria was originally thought to have been killed by an antagonist named Michael "The Butcher" Sullivan. However, in Cross, Cross learns that his best friend, John Sampson, and another detective, Rakeem Powell, killed Maria's real murderer. Sampson couldn't bring himself to tell Cross because he knew that Cross would be unable to deal with the fact that he never did it himself.^{[citation needed]}

When Cross needs to talk to someone about his problems, he meets with another psychologist, Dr Adele. Ultimately, Cross goes to work for her as an analyst.^{[citation needed]}

Appearances in the Alex Cross series[link]

• In Along Came a Spider, Cross deals with the kidnapping of two wealthy children at the hands of Gary Soneji.
• In Kiss the Girls, Cross battles the serial killers Casanova and The Gentleman Caller, who "collects" beautiful women, including Cross' niece Naomi.
• In Jack & Jill, Cross goes up against three killers: two who kill high-profile people and one who kills children.
• In Cat and Mouse, Cross engages Gary Soneji again and after dealing with him crosses paths with another killer, Mr. Smith.
• In Pop Goes the Weasel, Cross matches wits with a serial killer named Geoffrey Shafer, a British man with diplomatic immunity.
• In Roses Are Red, Cross goes against a criminal calling himself The Mastermind, who commits several brutal bank robberies.
• In Violets Are Blue, Cross goes against a cult of vampires and learns the true identity of the Mastermind, whom he takes down.
• In Four Blind Mice, Cross and his friend, John Sampson, investigate three killers who are framing seemingly innocent soldiers from the Vietnam War.
• In The Big Bad Wolf, Cross, now a member of the FBI, tries to stop a Russian mobster known only as the Wolf.
• In London Bridges, Cross tries to stop the Wolf once and for all, but the Wolf has enlisted the Weasel, Geoffrey Shafer, to help him take Cross down.
• In Mary, Mary, Cross tries to stop Mary Smith, a psychopathic killer targeting Hollywood stars and powerbrokers.
• In Cross, Cross, who has left the FBI to open up a private psychology practice, and John Sampson try to stop The Butcher, a serial rapist/murderer who may be somehow connected to the murder of Alex's wife Maria.
• In Double Cross, Alex, still in private practice, rejoins the MPD as a special consultant to the Major Crimes Squad and is joined by John Sampson and new love interest, Det. Brianna Stone, in an effort to stop the DC Audience Killer, a serial killer with a flair for showmanship who may also have some connection to a previous Cross nemesis, The Mastermind.
• In Cross Country, Cross travels to Africa to investigate the death of an old friend, where he is brutally beaten several times. He ultimately unravels a conspiracy linking the killers with the US and African governments.
• In Alex Cross's Trial, Cross writes a novel based on the experiences of his great-uncle Abraham Cross, who in 1906 worked with attorney Ben Corbett (at the behest of President Theodore Roosevelt) to investigate the lynching of Black citizens by the Ku Klux Klan in Eudora, Mississippi.
• In I, Alex Cross, Cross gets involved in the investigation of the death of a relative, which leads into a world of fantasy and violence. All leads points to a brutal murderer with White House connections known only as Zeus.
• In Cross Fire, Cross attempts to capture a sniper who is assassinating corrupt politicians. In the midst of the investigation, the Mastermind resurfaces.
• In Kill Alex Cross, The two children of the President of the United States have been kidnapped, with Det. Alex Cross being one of the first to attend the scene and investigate the crime. However, there's a shadowy figure who is using the CIA, FBI and Secret Service to stop him from being involved in the case and shedding light on the disappearances.

Antagonists[link]

Wolf[link]

The Wolf actually consists of several different people. Except for Klara Lodge, all of the individuals known as "Wolf" share common characteristics: they are Russian males of considerable height, build, strength, and athleticism, are currently mobsters in the Red Mafiya, and are former members of the Soviet Union's KGB security intelligence agency.

• In The Big Bad Wolf, Pasha Sorokin is initially believed to be the Wolf. He is known by several aliases, the best known one being Ari Manning, a businessman originally from Tel Aviv and now based in Miami, Florida, who is well-connected to the community's professional athletes and politicians. Detective Cross traces Sorokin's human smuggling and sex slave ring by taking down Sorokin's associates such as Potter (Homer O. Taylor) and Sterling (Lawrence Lipton), eventually leading to Sorokin's being arrested at his Palm Beach mansion, though Sorokin denies that he is the Wolf. While Sorokin is in custody, his or the Wolf's associates have Sterling and the rest of the Lipton family in Dallas murdered. Enroute to the courthouse for his first appearance, the police convoy transporting Sorokin is ambushed. A Russian mobster, who is also known as the Wolf, blows up Sorokin with a rocket launcher to prevent the latter from betraying their organization.

• In London Bridges, the Wolf threatens to bomb New York City, London, Paris, Frankfurt and Tel Aviv if his multi-billion dollar ransom demand is not met, bombing a small town in Nevada prove his point. There are three individuals who go by the alias, The Wolf.
  • One suspect who may be the Wolf gets facial surgery in order to elude the NYPD, but during the pursuit he gets fatally shot by Cross while attempting to jump from one rooftop to another.
  • The second Wolf is Klara Lodge, the Czech widow of the head of Scotland Yard, Martin Lodge, who holds Cross' family hostage in order to ensure that she receives the ransom money, so she can use it to stop the other terrorist "Wolves".
  • Cross later learns that the real Wolf is Anton Christyakov, who had been recruited by CIA Director Thomas Weir and brought out of Russia in 1990. Christyakov was transported to England to meet with agents, including Martin Lodge. Christyakov was then moved to Paris, where he was reunited with his family. However, his family was killed when their home blew up in 1994, which Christyakov blamed on the CIA. He is known to squeeze a black rubber ball his son had given him whenever he is angry or upset. When Cross finishes his meeting with Tolya Bykov, the man at or near the top of the Red Mafiya, he notices one of the bodyguards squeezing a black rubber ball. Alex chases him down and jumps into the car just as the Wolf starts the car, punching and breaking the Russian's nose. The Wolf admits defeat and congratulates Cross, committing suicide by taking a cyanide pill. Alex retrieves the ball as a trophy, telling himself that the Wolf is finally dead.^[1]

Weasel[link]

Geoffrey Shafer is a Colonel of the British Army who later received a posting in the MI6 Intelligence Service and then served as a diplomat in the British embassy in Washington, D.C. In Pop Goes the Weasel, he waives his diplomatic immunity to stand trial for the murder of Detective Patsy Hampton and is acquitted in a case marked by considerable sensationalism. Shafer survives his encounter with Cross in the Bahamas and under a disguise, returns to England to murder his wife Lucy. By the events of London Bridges, Shafer settles in Salvador, Brazil but he is caught by "The Wolf" and forced to work for him, being assigned to kill Cross. In London, England, Shafer held Cross at gunpoint but failed to anticipate that the latter would fight back; Detective Cross gets the upper hand in the scuffle and shoots Shafer dead.

The Mastermind[link]

The Mastermind aka FBI agent Kyle Craig is considered Cross's biggest nemesis. He was a close friend of Alex and worked with him to solve big cases, including the kidnapping of his niece in Kiss the Girls. The Mastermind is first introduced in Roses Are Red as the head of a local crime spree involving robberies and murder. At the end of the novel Alex's partner is raped and murdered and the reader is made aware that Kyle Craig is the culprit. In Violets are Blue Alex discovers his identity and the two have a physical confrontation but eventually Kyle is captured and taken to a maximum security prison in Colorado. Alex visits him often to consult with him on cases until Kyle eventually escapes in Double Cross. Craig continues to taunt Cross throughout the next few novels. In Cross Fire, Craig disguises himself as FBI agent Max Seigel, and gets himself assigned to a case that Cross is investigating. After the case is solved, Craig decides to go after Cross's family while on the beach. At the end, Craig shoots an oxygen tank, killing himself.

The Tiger & Ian Flathery[link]

In Cross Country Alex, while investigating the murder of his former girlfriend, Eleanor Cox, encounters the Tiger and his crew of savage African teenager boys. Ian Flathery, Alex's CIA agent, seems to set him up before he even steps foot in Africa.

Portrayal in media adaptations[link]

Morgan Freeman has played Cross in two feature films.

Cross was portrayed by Morgan Freeman in the films Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider.

British actor Idris Elba had signed on to star as Alex Cross in the upcoming film adaption of Cross, but was replaced with American actor/filmmaker Tyler Perry. The film will be directed by Rob Cohen and is slated for release in 2012.

Each of the Alex Cross novels has been released in Audiobook format. Peter J. Fernandez portrayed Cross on seven Audiobook adaptations. Various other actors have portrayed the character, including Shawn Andrew, Andre Braugher, Tim Cain, Keith David, Robert Guillaume, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Blair Underwood, and Alton Fitzgerald White.

References[link]

Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart at the 2012 Wondercon on March 17, 2012
Born	Kristen Jaymes Stewart (1990-04-09) April 9, 1990 (age 22) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present
Signature
Website
kristenstewart.com

Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has starred in other films, including Panic Room (2002), Zathura (2005), In the Land of Women (2007), The Messengers (2007), Adventureland (2009), The Runaways (2010), and Snow White and the Huntsman. She will star in upcoming films in 2012: On the Road and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.

Early life[link]

Stewart was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.^[1][2][3] Her father, John Stewart, is a stage manager and television producer who has worked for Fox.^[4] Her mother, Jules Mann-Stewart, is a script supervisor originally from Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia.^[3][5][6][7] She has an older brother, Cameron Stewart, and an adopted brother, Taylor.^[8][9] Stewart attended school until the seventh grade and then continued her education by correspondence.^[3] She has since completed high school.^[10]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

Her whole family all worked behind the camera and Stewart thought she would become a writer/director, but never considered being an actor. "I never wanted to be the center of attention – I wasn't that 'I want to be famous, I want to be an actor' kid. I never sought out acting, but I always practiced my autograph because I love pens. I'd write my name on everything."^[11] Stewart's acting career began at the age of eight, after an agent saw her perform in her elementary school's Christmas play.^[12] After a year of auditioning, Stewart's first role was a small nonspeaking part in the Disney Channel original film The Thirteenth Year.^[4] Then, she had another part in the film The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas as the "ring toss girl".^[4] She subsequently appeared in the independent film The Safety of Objects, in which she played the tomboy daughter of a troubled single mother (Patricia Clarkson). Stewart also played a tomboy in the film Panic Room, playing the diabetic daughter of a divorced mother (Jodie Foster). She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her performance.^[13]

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.^[13] It was revealed that at about this time in her career, she had to be homeschooled due to her irregular schedule, which was affecting her grades. She said, "I started homeschooling because my teachers were failing me. I think it was just resentment – I made more work for them. But homeschooling is great; you can study what you want, which allows you to get more excited about what you're doing".^[13]

2004–07[link]

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. Stewart starred in the Lifetime/Showtime television film Speak (2004), based on the novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. Stewart, 13 at the time of filming, played high school freshman Melinda Sordino, who stops almost all verbal contact after being raped.

In 2005, Stewart appeared in the fantasy-adventure film Zathura, playing the role of Lisa, the irresponsible older sister of two little boys, who turn their house into a spacecraft hurtling uncontrollably in outer space by playing a board game. The film received praise by critics, but Stewart's performance did not garner much media attention, as it was noted that her character is immobilized during most of the film.^[14] The following year, she played the character Maya in Fierce People, directed by Griffin Dunne. After that film, she received the lead role of Jess Solomon in the supernatural thriller film The Messengers.

In 2007, Stewart appeared as teenager Lucy Hardwicke in In the Land of Women, a romantic drama starring Meg Ryan and Adam Brody. The film, as well as Stewart's performance, received mixed reviews. That same year, Stewart appeared in the Sean Penn-directed adaptation film Into the Wild. For her portrayal of Tracy – a teenage singer who has a crush on young adventurer Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch) – Stewart received mixed reviews. While Salon.com considered her work a "sturdy, sensitive performance",^[15] and the Chicago Tribune noted that she did "vividly well with a sketch of a role",^[16] Variety's critic Dennis Harvey said, "It's unclear whether Stewart means to be playing hippie-chick Tracy as vapid, or whether it just comes off that way."^[17] After Into the Wild, Stewart had a cameo appearance in Jumper and also appeared in What Just Happened, which was released in October 2008.^[18] She also co-starred in The Cake Eaters an independent film that has only been screened at film festivals.

2008–present[link]

On November 16, 2007, Summit Entertainment announced that Stewart would play Isabella "Bella" Swan in the film Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling vampire romance novel of the same name.^[19] Stewart was on the set of Adventureland when director Catherine Hardwicke visited her for an informal screen test which "captivated" the director.^[20] She starred alongside Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen, her character's vampire boyfriend. The film began production in February 2008 and finished filming in May 2008. Twilight was released domestically on November 21, 2008.^[21] Her performance garnered mixed reviews with some critcs calling her "the ideal casting choice" and praising her for conveying "Bella's detachment, as well as her need to bust through it"^[22] while others criticized her acting for being "wooden" and lacking variety in her facial expressions which they described as "blank".^[23]

Stewart reappeared as Bella in the sequel, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, once again receiving mixed reviews for her performance. Jordan Mintzer from Variety called Stewart "the heart and soul of the film" and praised her for giving "both weight and depth to dialogue...she makes Bella's psychological wounds seem like the real deal"^[24] Manohla Dargis from The New York Times said Stewart's "lonely-girl blues soon grow wearisome" throughout the film^[25] and Billy Goodykoontz from The Arizona Republic stated "Stewart is a huge disapointment... She sucks the energy right out of the film".^[26] She reprised this role in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

Kristen Stewart at the 2010 Academy Awards.

At the 2010 82nd Annual Academy Awards, Stewart and Twilight co-star Taylor Lautner presented a tribute in honour of the horror movie genre.^[27]

In 2009, Stewart starred in The Yellow Handkerchief, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and was released into theaters in 2010 by Samuel Goldwyn Films. She also starred alongside James Gandolfini in Welcome to the Rileys, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010.

In 2010, Stewart portrayed rock star Joan Jett in The Runaways, a biographical film of the titular band of the same name from writer-director Floria Sigismondi.^[28] 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.^[29] 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."^[30] Also, A. O. Scott of The New York Times noted "Ms. Stewart, watchful and unassuming, gives the movie its spine and soul."^[31]

She was cast in the role of Mary Lou in an upcoming film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's cult classic novel On the Road. Shooting began in August 2010.^[32]

Stewart was listed as the highest earning female actress in Hollywood in the "2010's Top Hollywood Top Earners List" compiled by Vanity Fair. Throughout 2010, Stewart earned an estimated $28.5 million for all her movie appearances.^[33]

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 was released on November 18, 2011. The film was successful in the box office making $283.5 million its opening weekend. Though the film received negative reviews, Stewart's performance was praised. Gabriel Chong called Stewart's performance "mesmerising" and said that she "makes [Bella's] every emotion keenly felt that runs the gamut from joy, trepidation, anxiety, distress and above all quiet and resolute determination"^[34] and the Village Voice's Dan Konis saying Stewart "beautifully underplays"^[35] the role. However, some critics found Pattinson and Stewart's chemistry lacking and said that the relationship came off like a "charade" onscreen^[36] or that none of the three leads were convincing in their roles.^[37]

In March 2011, it was confirmed that Stewart would be playing Snow White in the film Snow White and the Huntsman.^[38] Filming began on August 15 and the film was released on June 1, 2012.^[39]

On December 6, 2011, Stewart was named number one on Forbes magazine's list of Hollywood's Best Actors for the Buck.^[40]

She was named the new face of an unnamed Balenciaga perfume on January 13, 2012.^[41]

In May 2012, Stewart was cast in the thiller titled Cali, directed by Nick Cassavetes. She will begin shooting the film at the end of this summer.^[42] Stewart plays one half of a troublesome pair of San Fernando Valley lovebirds who decide to sell a fake snuff film and permanently ditch with the cash. Years later, Stewart's character runs into a dilemma when she's compelled to return to Los Angeles to help out the little sister she left behind. After faking her own death, she must explain her dramatic decision to not only her closest family members but to the angry former business partners she left behind.

Personal life[link]

Stewart currently lives in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. She has expressed a desire to live and work in Australia, saying, "I want to go to Sydney University in Australia. My mom's from there."^[43] Apart from acting, she is also interested in attending college in the near future, saying, "I want to go to college for literature. I want to be a writer. I mean, I love what I do, but it's not all I want to do – be a professional liar for the rest of my life."^[44] In 2008, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Stewart acknowledged that she was in a relationship with Michael Angarano, her co-star from Speak.^[45]

Since meeting on the set of Twilight, Stewart has been romantically linked to co-star Robert Pattinson.^[46] Though they have never explicitly confirmed a relationship, paparazzi photographs and eyewitness accounts have driven intense media and fan speculation and attention, making "Robsten" the subject of wide media coverage.^[47] In an interview with GQ, when asked why she remained reluctant to talk about the relationship despite evidence of it being accessible online, Stewart replied, "Yeah, I know it is...So much of my life is so easily googled. I mean, it's like, come on guys, it's so obvious!"^[47] When asked why she refuses to talk about her life, Stewart replied "I'm selfish. I'm like, 'That's mine!' And I like to keep whatever is mine remaining that way. It's a funny little game to play and it's a slippery slope. I always say to myself I'm never going to give anything away because there's never any point or benefit for me. I guarantee whenever I get married or have a baby, everyone is going to want to know my kid's name and I'm not going to say it for ages."^[47]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kristen Stewart

• Official website
• Kristen Stewart at the Internet Movie Database