Who is Kirsten Caroline Dunst

Who is Kirsten Caroline Dunst? The world knows her as Kirsten Dunst, she is an American actress and singer. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories (1989). She appeared in Little Women (1994) opposite Winona Ryder and Claire Danes, before securing the role that brought her widespread recognition, as the vampire Claudia in Interview with the Vampire (1994). She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.

Dunst became well known when she was cast as Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-Man films. Since then, she has played the title role in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (2006), and How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008). She will next star in the 2009 films All Good Things, and Sweet Relief.

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


Dunst was born born April 30, 1982 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey to Klaus and Inez Dunst. She has a younger brother, Christian. Her father was a medical services executive and her mother was an artist and former gallery owner. On her father's side, Dunst is of German descent and on her mother's side, is of Swedish descent.

Dunst lived in New Jersey until the age of six, where she attended Ranney School, before she moved with her mother and younger brother, to Los Angeles, California in 1991. In 1995, her mother filed for divorce from her father. In 1996, she began attending Notre Dame, a private Catholic high school in Los Angeles. Dunst graduated from Notre Dame in 2000 and left to continue in her acting career. When asked if she had any regrets about the way she spent her childhood, Dunst said: "Well, it's not a natural way to grow up, but it's the way I grew up and I wouldn't change it. I have my stuff to work out... I don't think anybody can sit around and say: 'My life is more screwed up than yours.' Everybody has their issues."



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. At the age of eight, 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 (1989). Soon after, she landed a small part in The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) as Tom Hanks' daughter. In 1993, Dunst played Hedril in "Dark Page", the seventh season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. At the age of 15, Dunst was the voice of the title character, Kiki, a 13-year-old apprentice witch, who leaves her home village to spend a year on her own, in the 1997 anime film Kiki's Delivery Service. She also had a recurring role as a child prostitute, Charlie Chiemingo, taken under the guidance of Doctor Doug Ross, played by George Clooney, on NBC's medical drama ER.

Dunst portrayed young Amy March in the 1994 film adaptation of Little Women. The film received generally good reviews; 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."




She later appeared in the fantasy film Jumanji (1995), loosely based on Chris Van Allsburg's 1981 book of the same name. The story is about a supernatural and ominous board game which makes animals and other jungle hazards appear upon each roll of the dice. She was part of an ensemble cast that included Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, and David Alan Grier. The movie grossed $100 million worldwide. 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 the animated musical film Anastasia.

Dunst was also offered the role of Angela in the 1999 drama 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. Also adding, "When I read it, I was 15 and I don't think I was mature enough to understand the script's material." That same year, she appeared in the comedy Dick, alongside Michelle Williams. The film is a parody retelling the events of the Watergate scandal which lead to the resignation of then US president Richard Nixon.

She had the role of troubled adolescent Lux Lisbon in Sofia Coppola's independent film The Virgin Suicides. The film was screened at a special presentation at the 43rd San Francisco International Film Festival in 2000. The film received generally favorable reviews; The San Francisco Chronicle in review of the film, noted: "Dunst beautifully balances innocence and wantonness."

In 2000, she played Torrance Shipman the captain of a cheerleading squad in Bring It On. The film generated mostly critical reviews, with Charles Taylor of Salon.com noting: "'Bring It On' doesn't provide Dunst with as good a role as she had in last year's underrated political satire Dick or as she had earlier this year playing '70s dreamboat Rapunzel of The Virgin Suicides." While Jessica Winter of The Village Voice complimented Dunst, stating "Dunst... delivers a performance as sprightly and knowingly daft as her turn in Dick. She provides the only major element of Bring It On that plays as tweaking parody rather than slick, strident, body-slam churlishness." The movie grossed $68 million worldwide.

The following year, Dunst depicted the late American actress Marion Davies in The Cat's Meow (2001). The film was directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Derek Elley of Variety described the film as "playful and sporty" and said of Dunst, "[She] gives her best performance to date amid a skilled older cast. Believable as both a spoiled ingenue and a lover to two very different men, Dunst endows a potentially lightweight character with considerable depth and sympathy." In the Esquire review, Tom Carson called her performance "terrific". For her work, she won the Best Actress Silver Ombú category award at the 2002 Mar del Plata Film Festival. Also, in 2001, she had a role in the comedy Get Over It.


Dunst supported Democratic candidate John Kerry in the 2004 US presidential election. She supported Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.Viewed as a sex symbol, she was ranked in the "Hot 100 List" by Maxim magazine in 2003 and 2004.] She was ranked at number 59 on VH1's 100 Greatest Kid Stars.[80] Dunst was featured on Richard Blackwell's famous Best Dressed List for 2005.

Dunst confirmed that she was treated for depression early in 2008. 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". more