Kirsten Dunst

Infobox Actor
name = Kirsten Dunst

---

caption = Dunst at the "Spider-Man 3" premiere in New York, 2007
birthdate = birth date and age|1982|4|30
birthplace = Point Pleasant, New Jersey, USA
birthname = Kirsten Caroline Dunst
yearsactive= 1989 - present
awards = Saturn Award for Best Younger Actor
1994 '
BSFC Award for Best Supporting Actress
1994 "Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles" ; "Little Women"
Empire Award for Best Actress"'
2002 "Spider-Man"

Kirsten Caroline Dunst [Kirsten is pronEng|ˈkɪrstən).] (born April 30, 1982) is an American actress and singer. She made her film debut in "Oedipus Wrecks", a short directed by Woody Allen for the anthology film "New York Stories". She appeared in the 1994 film "Little Women" opposite Winona Ryder and Claire Danes. That same year, Dunst starred in her breakthrough role in "", in which she portrayed vampire Claudia, a surrogate daughter to Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt's characters in the film. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance. Dunst became well known when she was cast as Mary Jane Watson in the "Spider-Man" films. Since then, she has starred in Sofia Coppola's 2006 film, "Marie Antoinette", in which she plays the title character. Dunst appeared in "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People", and will next star in "All Good Things", and "Sweet Relief".

Dunst made her singing debut in the 2001 film "Get Over It", in which she performed two songs. In "The Cat's Meow", she sung Henry Creamer and Turner Layton's song "After You've Gone" to the end credits of the film. In 2008, Dunst admitted that she was battling with depression and checked herself into rehab. She discharged herself in March 2008, to resume filming in "All Good Things". In her personal life, Dunst has dated playwright Jeff Smeenge, actor Jake Gyllenhaal and Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell.

Biography

Early life

Kirsten Dunst was born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, the daughter of Inez and Klaus Dunst, who are divorced. She has a younger brother, Christian.cite web|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/kirstendunst/?|title=Hello Magazine Profile - Kirsten Dunst|accessdate=2008-08-04|work=Hello Magazine] Her father, a German medical services executive from Hamburg, initially remained in New Jersey but now lives in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, a Swedish former art gallery owner,cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/kirsten_dunst/biography|title=Kirsten Dunst Biography|accessdate=2008-08-04|work=People] also moved to California. Dunst attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California and then attended the Ranney School in New Jersey, before leaving to pursue acting. She is a Lutheran. [cite web|url=http://www.thelutheranacademy.org/new%20tla/newsletters/Approved%20Reformation%20Costumes.pdf|title=Approved Reformation Costumes|publisher=Lutheran Academy|accessdate=2008-08-06|format=PDF]

Career

Dunst began her career as a child fashion model at the age of three in television commercials. She was signed with Ford Models and Elite Model Management. In 1989, Dunst made her film debut in Woody Allen's "Oedipus Wrecks", a short film that was released as one-third of the anthology film "New York Stories". Soon after, she landed a small part in "The Bonfire of the Vanities" as Tom Hanks' daughter. In 1993, Dunst played Hedril in "Dark Page", the seventh season episode of "". [cite episode |title=Dark Page |episodelink= |series= |serieslink= |credits=Hilary J. Bader and Les Landau |network=First-run Syndication |station= |airdate=1993-11-01 |season=7 |seriesno=707 |number=159 |minutes=45 ] At the age of fifteen, Dunst was the voice of Kiki in the 1997 anime series "Kiki's Delivery Service". [cite web|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117467010.html?categoryid=18&cs=1|title=Bevy of BV videos|last=Sandler|first=Adam|date=1998-01-23|work=Variety|accessdate=2008-08-04] She also had a recurring role as a child prostitute, Charlie Chiemingo, on "ER".

Dunst portrayed young Amy March in the 1994 film adaptation of "Little Women". The film received widespread praise; critic Janet Maslin of "The New York Times" wrote that the film was the greatest adaptation of the novel, and also remarked on Dunst's performance: "The perfect contrast to take-charge Jo comes from Kirsten Dunst's scene-stealing Amy, whose vanity and twinkling mischief make so much more sense coming from an 11-year-old vixen than they did from grown-up Joan Bennett in 1933. Ms. Dunst, also scarily effective as the baby bloodsucker of "Interview With the Vampire," is a little vamp with a big future." [cite web|first=Janet|last=Maslin|url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=950DE0D81038F932A15751C1A962958260|title=Little Women Review|accessdate=2008-08-06|date=1994-12-21|work=New York Times] She made her feature film breakthrough in "", a 1994 film based on Anne Rice's novel, in which she played the child vampire Claudia. [cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5947483/review/5947484/interview_with_the_vampire|title=Interview with the Vampire: Review|date=2001-02-14|work=Rolling Stone|accessdate=2008-08-04] In the "Chicago Sun-Times" review of the film, critic Roger Ebert wrote: "One of the creepier aspects of the story is the creation of the child vampire, Claudia, played by Kirsten Dunst, who is about 12 years old. The character was six in the novel, but even twice as old she is disturbing, trapped in her child's body as she ages, decade after decade. Dunst, perhaps with the help of Stan Winston's subtle makeup, is somehow able to convey the notion of great age inside apparent youth." [cite web|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19941111/REVIEWS/411110301/1023|title=Interview With The Vampire|last=Ebert|first=Roger|date=1994-11-11|work=Chicago Sun-Times|publisher=Roger Ebert.com|accessdate=2008-08-06] Todd McCarthy in "Variety" remarks that: "Dunst is just right in the difficult part of the child vampire." [cite web|first=Todd|last=McCarthy|url=http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117903342.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0|title=Interview with the Vampire Review|accessdate=2008-08-06|date=1994-11-07|work=Variety] The film featured a scene in which Dunst, then aged eleven, received her first kiss from Brad Pitt, who was twenty-nine. [cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,304492,00.html|title=Interview With the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles review|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|date=1994-11-18|work=Entertainment Weekly|accessdate=2008-08-04] Her performance earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination, [cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/29470|title=HFPA - Awards Search|publisher=Golden Globes|accessdate=2008-08-04] the MTV Award for Best Breakthrough Performance and the Saturn Award for Best Young Actress. [cite web|url=http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html|title=Past Saturn Awards|publisher=Saturn Award|accessdate=2008-08-04] She also starred alongside Robin Williams in "Jumanji" in 1995. [cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/01/12/jumanji_1995_review.shtml|title=BBC Films - Jumanji|last=Smith|first=Neil|date=2001-01-12|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2008-08-04] That same year, she was named one of "People" magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, which she repeated in 2002.

In 1997, she was the voice of Young Anastasia in "Anastasia". [cite web|url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9503E0D91738F937A25752C1A961958260|title=Anastacia Review|last=Holden|first=Stephen|date=1997-11-14|work=New York Times|accessdate=2008-08-04] Dunst was also offered the role of Angela in the 1999 Academy Award-winning film "American Beauty", but turned it down because she did not want to appear in the film's suggestive sexual scenes or kiss co-star Kevin Spacey.cite web | title=Fametastic | work=Kirsten Dunst turned down Kevin Spacey kissing role | url=http://fametastic.co.uk/archive/20061016/2941/kirsten-dunst-turned-down-kevin-spacey-kissing-role/ | accessmonthday=October 16 | accessyear=2006] The same year, she had the role of troubled adolescent Lux Lisbon in Sofia Coppola's independent film "The Virgin Suicides". [cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/12/15/the_virgin_suicides_1999_review.shtml|title=BBC Films - The Virgin Suicide|last=Thompson|first=Michael|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2008-08-04]

In 2000, she played the captain of a cheerleading squad in "Bring It On". [cite web|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20000825/REVIEWS/8250301/1023|title=Bring It On review|last=Ebert|first=Roger|date=2000-08-25|work=Chicago Sun-Times|publisher=Roger Ebert.com|accessdate=2008-08-04] She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Mary Jane Watson in the "Spider-Man" film series based on Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's comic book, alongside Tobey Maguire. [cite news | author=Ronald Grover | url=http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/apr2002/nf20020415_7441.htm | title=Unraveling Spider-Man's Tangled Web | publisher=Business Week | date=2002-04-15 | accessdate=2007-01-22 ] She portrayed the neighbor and romantic interest of the mild-mannered superhero in the first film. [cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5947695/spiderman|title=Spider-Man Review|last=Travers|first=Peter|date=2002-05-23|work=Rolling Stone|accessdate=2008-08-04] She was generally well-received in the role, [cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,234775~1~0~spider-man,00.html|title=Spider-Man Review|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|date=2002-05-01|work=Entertainment Weekly|accessdate=2008-08-04] [cite web|url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C03E0DE1331F930A35756C0A9649C8B63|title=Spider-Man Review|last=Scott|first=A.O.|date=2002-05-03|work=New York Times|accessdate=2008-08-04] and had a now-famous and often-parodied scene in which she kisses the hero while he hangs upside-down from his web. [cite video|year=2002|title=Spider-Man|medium=DVD|publisher=Sony Pictures] The success of the first film led her to reprise the role in two sequels, "Spider-Man 2" in 2004 and "Spider-Man 3" in 2007. [cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2004-06-28-spider-man2_x.htm|title='Spider-Man 2' is a hands-down hit|last=Clark|first=Mike|date=2004-06-28|work=USA Today|accessdate=2008-08-04] [cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/9387668/review/14362908/spiderman_3|title=Spider-Man 3 Review|last=Travers|first=Peter|date=2007-05-03|work=Rolling Stone|accessdate=2008-08-04] Dunst initially signed on to appear in three "Spider-Man" films, and has said that she would not appear in a fourth film unless director Sam Raimi returned to direct.cite web | title=The Boston Herald | work=Dunst storm - Actress dives headfirst into "Marie Antoinette" role | url=http://theedge.bostonherald.com/movieNews/view.bg?articleid=162601 | accessmonthday=October 16 | accessyear=2006]

At the 2002 Mar de Plata Film Festival, Dunst won the Best Actress Silver Ombú for her performance as silent film actress Marion Davies in Peter Bogdanovich's "The Cat's Meow". [cite web|url=http://www.movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018860/bio|title=Kirsten Dunst Biography|accessdate=2008-08-04|publisher=Yahoo!] In 2004, Dunst starred in the critically acclaimed "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". [cite web|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040319/REVIEWS/403190302/1023|title=Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind|last=Ebert|first=Roger|date=2004-03-19|work=Chicago Sun-Times|publisher=Roger Ebert.com|accessdate=2008-08-04] [cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2004/04/26/eternal_sunshine_of_the_spotless_mind_2004_review.shtml|title=BBC Films - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind|last=Pierce|first=Nev|date=2004-04-28|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2008-08-04] She was ranked at #59 on VH1's 100 Greatest Kid Stars. [cite web|url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/92321/episode_featured_copy.jhtml|title=100 Greatest Kid Stars (60-41) list|accessdate=2008-08-04|publisher=VH1]

At the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, "Marie Antoinette" premiered. [cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/05/25/DI2006052501581_pf.html|title=Cannes Film Festival|last=Booth|first=William |date=2006-05-26|work=Washington Post|accessdate=2008-08-04] It was released in North America on October 20, 2006. [cite web|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kirsten_Dunst&action=edit&section=5|title=Marie Antoinette Review|last=Ebert|first=Roger|date=2006-10-20|work=Chicago Sun-Times|publisher=Roger Ebert.com|accessdate=2008-08-04] In the film, her second with director Sofia Coppola, Dunst plays the title character and uses an American accent in the role.cite web | title=Can-Mag | work=Modern Marie Antoinette | url=http://www.canmag.com/news/4/3/5417 | accessmonthday=October 16 | accessyear=2006] Dunst was next seen in the film "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People", co-starring Simon Peggcite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/2008-07-17-coming-attractions_N.htm|title=Coming attractions: Can 'Lose Friends' gain stardom for Simon Pegg?|last=Wloszcyna|first=Susan|coauthors=Brian Mansfield and Edna Gundersen|date=2008-07-17|work=USA Today|accessdate=2008-08-04] and released in October 2008. She will portray peace activist Marla Ruzicka in "Sweet Relief" scripted by Lorene Scafaria for Warner Independent Pictures in 2009. [imdb title|id=0485287|title=Sweet Relief] [cite web|url=http://atlanticreview.org/archives/410-Sweet-Relief-A-New-Book-about-Humanitarian-Activist-Marla-Ruzicka.html|title="Sweet Relief" - A New Book about Humanitarian Marla Ruzicka|accessdate=2008-08-04|date=2006-09-22|publisher=Atlantic Review] She is rumored to play the role of Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry in director Michel Gondry's upcoming biopic about the band. [cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/news/deborah-harry/31819|title=Debbie Harry backs Kirsten Dunst for Blondie biopic|date=2007-10-15|publisher=NME|accessdate=2008-08-04] Dunst also expressed interest in playing Jean Seberg in an upcoming biopic. [cite web|url=http://www.style.com/beauty/icon/060706|title=Jean Seberg: Beauty Icon|last=Phelps|first=Nicole|date=2006-07-06|publisher=Style.com|accessdate=2008-08-04]

Music

Dunst made her singing debut in the 2001 film "Get Over It", performing two songs written by Marc Shaiman. [cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1441324/20010306/basement_jaxx.jhtml |title=Kirsten Dunst Makes Singing Debut on Soundtrack|date=2001-10-30|publisher=MTV|accessdate=2008-08-04] She also lent her voice to the end credits of "The Cat's Meow", singing Henry Creamer and Turner Layton's jazz standard "After You've Gone". [cite video|year=2002|title=The Cat's Meow|medium=DVD|publisher=Lions Gate Films] In "Spider-Man 3", she sings two songs as part of her role as Mary Jane Watson, one during a Broadway performance, and one as a singing waitress in a jazz club. [cite video|year=2007|title=Spider-Man 3|medium=DVD|publisher=Sony Pictures] She also appeared in the music video for Savage Garden's "I Knew I Loved You". [cite web|url=http://www.theinsider.com/celebrities/Kirsten_Dunst|title=Kirsten Dunst Biography|publisher=The Insider|accessdate=2008-08-04] Dunst also sang two tracks, "This Old Machine" and "Summer Day", on Jason Schwartzman's solo album, "Coconut Records". [cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2007/apr/15/entertainment/ca-fasttracks15|title=Dunst as Harry? The abuse begins|last=Lee|first=Chris|date=2007-04-15|work=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=2008-08-04]

Personal life

In an article for "Premiere", Sam Raimi confirmed the long-standing rumor that Dunst and her "Spider-Man" co-star Tobey Maguire had "a thing" going on during the 2001 shooting of the first film. As Raimi explained for the article, "I'm so dumb, because I met with them for dinner one night during the shooting to talk about the next day's scenes. And I go, 'Okay, well, that's it for the meeting.' And then I ask Kirsten, 'Can I drive you home?' And they look at each other and she goes, 'No, no, I'm going to play a game of Touch 10 with Tobey.' I don't know, it was some game. I thought, 'That's weird. She's got to work tomorrow.'"cite web|url=http://www.premiere.com/features/3346/the-secrets-of-spider-man-3-page5.html|title=The Secrets of "Spider-Man 3"|accessdate=2007-05-01|date=January / February 2007|work=Premiere]

After briefly dating her longtime friend, playwright Jeff Smeenge, she started dating actor Jake Gyllenhaal in September 2002, after meeting him through his sister, Maggie her "Mona Lisa Smile" co-star.cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/kirsten_dunst/biography/0,,20005735_10,00.html|title=Kirsten Dunst Biography - Page 2|accessdate=2008-08-04|work=People] However, they broke up in July 2004. [cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,670687,00.html|title=Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal Split|accessdate=2008-08-04|date=2004-07-20|work=People] [cite web | title = Gyllenhaal, Dunst call it quits; | work = USA Today | url= http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-07-20-celeb-couples_x.htm | accessdate = 2006-08-02 ] In March 2007, she dated frontman Johnny Borrell of Razorlight. [cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20036533,00.html|title=Kirsten Dunst's Rocker Beau Opens Up|last=Jessen|first=Monique|date=2007-04-24|work=People|accessdate=2008-08-04] However, they broke up in the fall of 2007.

Dunst was featured on Richard Blackwell's famous Best Dressed List for 2005. [cite web|url= http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1147674,00.html|title= Britney: Blackwell's Worst Dressed of '05|accessdate= 2008-02-02|author= Stephen M. Silverman|date= 2006-01-10|work= People|quote= Among those anointed his Fabulous Fashion Independents of 2005: Reese Witherspoon, Kirsten Dunst, Kathy Hilton...]

Dunst confirmed that she was treated for depression early in 2008.cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20176719,00.html|title=Kirsten Dunst Enters Rehab|date=2008-02-07|work=People|accessdate=2008-08-04] She sought treatment at the Cirque Lodge treatment center in Utah. She explained that she had been feeling "low" in the six months prior to her going to rehab. In late March, she checked out from the treatment center and began filming "All Good Things". In May, she went public with this information to "highlight the struggle faced by so many other successful women" and to dispel false rumors that had "been very painful for my friends and family". [cite web|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUKSP9703920080528|title=Dunst says rehab was for depression|accessdate=2008-08-04|date=2008-05-28|publisher=Reuters] [cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20202682,00.html|title=Kirsten Dunst Breaks Silence on Rehab|last=Park|first=Michael Y.|date=2008-05-27|work=People|accessdate=2008-08-04]

Filmography

References

Further reading

*Hill, Anne E. "Kirsten Dunst". Lucent Books, 2005. ISBN 1590187156
*Hurst, Brandon. "Kirsten Dunst". A-Jot, 2007. ISBN 1905904495

External links

*imdb name|id=0000379|name=Kirsten Dunst
*ymovies name|1800018860
*people.com

Persondata
NAME=Dunst, Kirsten
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Dunst, Kirsten Caroline
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Actor
DATE OF BIRTH=Birth date and age|1982|4|30|mf=y
PLACE OF BIRTH=Point Pleasant, New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=