Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone (pronounced [d̪iːpɪkaː pəɖʊkoːɳ]; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian film actress and model. She has established a successful career in Bollywood films, and is cited in the media as one of the most popular and attractive Indian celebrities.

Padukone, the daughter of the badminton player Prakash Padukone, was born in Copenhagen and raised in Bangalore. As a teenager she played badminton in national level championships, but left her career in sport to become a fashion model. She soon received offers for film roles, and made her acting debut in 2006 as the titular character of the Kannada film Aishwarya. Padukone then played dual roles in her first Bollywood release—the 2007 blockbuster Om Shanti Om—and won a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.

Padukone received praise for portraying the lead female roles in the 2009 romance Love Aaj Kal and the 2010 drama Lafangey Parindey, but her performances in the 2008 romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno and the 2010 comedy Housefull met with negative reviews. She followed it with roles in a series of commercially unsuccessful films that failed to propel her career forward. The 2012 box office hit Cocktail marked a significant turning point in her career, earning her critical acclaim and Best Actress nominations at several award ceremonies. In 2013, Padukone established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema by playing primary roles in the comedies Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express (both of which rank among the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time), and won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance in the tragic romance Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela.

Alongside her acting career, Padukone participates in stage shows, has written columns for an Indian newspaper, and is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products. Her off-screen life is the subject of fervent tabloid reporting in India.

Early life and modelling career

Deepika Padukone was born on 5 January 1986 in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Konkani-speaking parents. Her father, Prakash, is a former badminton player of international repute, and her mother, Ujjala, is a travel agent. Her younger sister, Anisha, is a golfer. Her paternal grandfather, Ramesh, was secretary of the Mysore Badminton Association for many years. The family relocated to Bangalore, India, when Padukone was a year old. She was educated at Bangalore's Sophia High School, and completed her pre-university education at Mount Carmel College. She subsequently enrolled at the Indira Gandhi National Open University for a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, but later quit it due to scheduling conflicts with her modelling career.

Padukone has admitted to being socially awkward as a child, and did not have many friends. The focus of her life was badminton, which she played competitively from a young age. Describing her daily routine in a 2012 interview, Padukone said, "I would wake up at five in the morning, go for physical training, go to school, again go for playing badminton, finish my homework and go to sleep." Padukone continued to pursue a career in badminton throughout her school years, and played the sport in national level championships. She also played baseball in a few state level tournaments. While concentrating on her education and sporting career, Padukone also worked as a child model, first appearing in a couple of advertising campaigns at the age of eight. In the tenth grade, she changed focus and decided to become a fashion model. She later explained, "I realised that I was playing the game only because it ran in the family. So, I asked my father if I could give up the game and he wasn't upset at all." In 2004, she began a full-time career as a model under the tutelage of Prasad Bidapa.

Early in her career, Padukone gained recognition with a television commercial for the soap Liril, and modelled for various other brands and products. In 2005, she made her runway debut at the Lakme Fashion Week for designer Suneet Varma, and won the "Model of the Year" award at the Kingfisher Fashion Awards. Padukone's fame increased when she appeared in a highly popular print campaign for the 2006 Kingfisher Calendar; the designer Wendell Rodricks commented, "Since Aishwarya Rai, we haven't had a girl as beautiful and fresh." Rodricks had spotted her at a Ganjam jewellery class he was teaching and signed her up with the Matrix agency. At the age of 21, Padukone relocated to Mumbai and stayed at her aunt's home. That year, she gained wider recognition by featuring in the music video for Himesh Reshammiya's song "Naam Hai Tera."

Padukone soon began to receive offers for film roles. Believing herself to be too inexperienced as an actor, she instead enrolled for a course at Anupam Kher's film academy. Following much media speculation, the director Farah Khan, who had noticed her in Reshammiya's music video, made the decision to cast her for a role in Happy New Year.

Acting career

Film debut and breakthrough (2006–09)

Padukone announced in 2006 that she would make her film debut with Aishwarya, a Kannada film directed by Indrajit Lankesh. The romantic comedy was a remake of the Telugu film Manmadhudu, and she was cast in the titular role opposite the actor Upendra. The film proved a major commercial success. RG Vijayasarathy of Rediff.com was appreciative of Padukone's screen presence but added that "she needs to work on her emotional scenes."

By the end of 2006, Farah Khan's Happy New Year was shelved, and Khan had instead cast Padukone for the reincarnation melodrama Om Shanti Om (2007). Set against the backdrop of the Hindi film industry, the film tells the story of a struggling actor in the 1970s who dies soon after witnessing the murder of the woman he loved, and is reincarnated to avenge her death. Shah Rukh Khan starred as the protagonist, and Padukone featured in dual roles—Shantipriya, a leading actress of the 1970s, and later as Sandy, an aspiring actress. She said, "I've grown up watching [Shah Rukh] and always admired him so much. To get to work with him ... is quite wonderful. It was also fantastic that Farah showed faith in my talent and cast me opposite him." In preparation for her role, Padukone watched several films of actresses Helen and Hema Malini to study their body language, which she felt "were more graceful" and "completely different from today's actors." However, her voice was dubbed by the voice artist Mona Ghosh Shetty. For one of the songs in the film, "Dhoom Taana,” Padukone drew upon Indian classical dance, and according to Dorling Kindersley, "mesmeriz[ed] audiences" by using hasta mudras (hand gestures). Om Shanti Om was a commercial success, and emerged as the highest grossing film of the year, with a global revenue of INR1.49 billion (US$24 million). Taran Adarsh of the entertainment portal Bollywood Hungama reviewed, "Deepika has all it takes to be a top star—the personality, the looks and yes, she's supremely talented too. Standing in the same frame as [Shah Rukh] and getting it right is no small achievement. She comes as a whiff of fresh air!" At the annual Filmfare Awards ceremony, Padukone was awarded the Best Female Debut Award and received her first nomination in the Best Actress category.

Bollywood Hungama reported that the success of Om Shanti Om proved a breakthrough for Padukone. She followed this success with the role of Gayatri (one of star Ranbir Kapoor's love interests), a feisty student in Australia who moonlights as a cab driver in Yash Raj Films' romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008). The film was a financial success, but Namrata Joshi of Outlook wrote that Padukone's performance was disappointing: "She is mannequin-like and utterly lacks fire and zing."

Padukone's first release of 2009 came alongside Akshay Kumar in the Nikhil Advani-directed kung fu comedy Chandni Chowk To China, in which she portrayed the dual roles of Indian-Chinese twin sisters Sakhi and Suzy. Produced by Warner Bros., it had one of the widest international releases ever given to an Indian film. Padukone learned the Japanese martial art form of jujutsu, and performed her stunts without the use of a body double. Despite the hype, Chandni Chowk To China proved a major financial failure with worldwide earnings of INR554.7 million (US$9.0 million) on a budget of INR800 million (US$13 million). Film critics were generally disappointed with the picture and Padukone's performance; Justin Trout of Orlando Weekly noted that she "is so wasted in Chandni Chowk, my mind often wandered back to Om Shanti Om during her scenes, possibly as a defense mechanism."

That same year, Padukone featured in an item number (for a song called "Love Mera Hit Hit") in the drama Billu, following which she appeared alongside Saif Ali Khan in the romantic drama Love Aaj Kal from the writer-director Imtiaz Ali. The film documented the changing value of relationships among the youth, and had Padukone play the part of Meera Pandit, a head-strong career woman. With a worldwide gross of INR1.2 billion (US$19 million), Love Aaj Kal proved to be the third highest-grossing film of 2009. Aniruddha Guha of Daily News and Analysis said that Padukone "delivers the best of her four performances so far" and Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India mentioned her as "definitive and strong." At the 55th Filmfare Awards Padukone received a nomination for Best Actress.

Career struggles (2010–11)

Padukone had five film releases in 2010. Her first role was in Vijay Lalwani's psychological thriller Karthik Calling Karthik, where Padukone was cast as the supportive girlfriend of a depressed man (played by Farhan Akhtar) who goes through a series of changes after receiving mysterious phone calls every morning. Derek Elley of Variety found the film to be "thinly plotted" but added that "the uncomplicated ingenuousness of Padukone ... helps make the tall tale convincing." Commercially, the film performed poorly. Her most economically profitable film that year was Sajid Khan's INR1.15 billion (US$19 million)-grossing comedy film Housefull in which she featured alongside an ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Ritesh Deshmukh, Lara Dutta, Arjun Rampal, Jiah Khan and Boman Irani. Raja Sen described the film as a "festival of bad acting" and attributed Padukone's poor performance to her "plasticky expressions."

Pradeep Sarkar's drama Lafangey Parindey (2010) saw Padukone star opposite Neil Nitin Mukesh in the role of Pinky Palkar, a blind girl determined to win a skating competition. In preparation for her role, she observed the interactions of blind people and rehearsed scenes while blindfolded. Writing for The Hindu, Sudhish Kamath was particularly impressed by Padukone and wrote that she "exercises considerable restraint" in playing her part. Later that year, Hindustan Times published that the film helped change people's perception of Padukone, with focus directed on her acting prowess rather than her appearance. Her next role was opposite Imran Khan in the Danish Aslam-directed romantic comedy Break Ke Baad. CNN-IBN's Rajeev Masand found the film to be "reasonably engaging" and noted that it was "watchable largely for the performance of its leading lady." Both Lafangey Parindey and Break Ke Baad underperformed at the box office.

Padukone's final release of 2010 was Ashutosh Gowarikar's period film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Based on the book Do and Die by Manini Chatterjee, the film is a retelling of the 1930 Chittagong armoury raid. Bachchan featured as the revolutionary leader Surya Sen and Padukone played Kalpana Dutta, his confidante. Padukone said that she did not research for the role as there were "hardly ... any reference points as to what Kalpana looked like other than a few photos," and relied completely on Gowarikar's direction. A review published in The Telegraph was appreciative of Padukone's portrayal, and the film received a generally positive critical reception. Despite this, it proved a major commercial disappointment.

Padukone began 2011 with an item number in Rohan Sippy's Dum Maaro Dum. The song was a remixed version of the iconic song "Dum Maro Dum," from the 1971 film Hare Rama Hare Krishna, which featured Zeenat Aman. Padukone referred to it as "the wildest song any actress has done;" the song's "suggestive lyrics" and "raunchy moves" attracted controversy including a court case for indecency. Her next film was Prakash Jha's socio-political drama Aarakshan, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Manoj Bajpayee and Prateik Babbar, which dealt with the political issue of caste-based reservations in India. Trade journalists had high expectations for the film which ultimately flopped at the box office. Critical reaction was largely negative, though Pratim D. Gupta mentioned Padukone as the most "refreshing thing about [the] movie." Her final appearance that year was in Rohit Dhawan's comedy-drama Desi Boyz alongside Akshay Kumar, John Abraham and Chitrangada Singh, a role that failed to propel her career forward. The series of poorly received films led critics to perceive that Padukone had "[lost] her sparkle."

Cocktail and beyond (2012–present)

In an interview for The Indian Express, Padukone said that her starring role in the 2012 Homi Adajania-directed romantic comedy Cocktail marked a significant turning point in her career. Raja Sen of Rediff.com opined that she had successfully proved to be a "stunning girl who can also act." Set in London, Cocktail tells the story of a software engineer (played by Saif Ali Khan) and his relationship with two temperamentally different women—an impulsive party girl (Veronica, played by Padukone) and a submissive girl next door (Meera, played by Diana Penty). During the script narration, the producer Dinesh Vijan offered Padukone the choice of which woman to play; she decided on Veronica to expand her horizons as an actress. Portraying the role was a creative and physical challenge for her, and to achieve the physical requirements of her character she exercised extensively and followed a rigorous diet. Critics were divided in their opinion of the film, but particularly praised Padukone's performance; Devesh Sharma of Filmfare credited her as the "soul of the film" and wrote that she "excels in every scene, whether as a material girl who enjoys sex, drugs and rock and roll or as the jealousy ridden girl out to destroy herself." Cocktail earned Padukone Best Actress nominations at several award ceremonies, including Filmfare, Screen, and IIFA. The film proved a box office hit as well.

In 2013, Padukone established herself as a leading actress of contemporary Hindi cinema by featuring in four of the top-grossing productions of the year. She collaborated with Saif Ali Khan for the fourth time (alongside John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez, Ameesha Patel, and Anil Kapoor) in Abbas-Mustan's Race 2, an ensemble action thriller that served as a sequel to the 2008 film Race. The film received predominantly negative reviews from critics, but with a total collection of INR1.62 billion (US$26 million), it proved to be a commercial success. In a particularly scathing review, Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV wrote that both Padukone and Fernandez "strut around like wound-up automatons that are all decked-up but have nowhere to go."

Ayan Mukerji's romantic comedy Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani was Padukone's next film release. Co-starring alongside Ranbir Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin, and Aditya Roy Kapoor, she was cast as Naina Talwar, a "shy wallflower," which marked a departure from the glamorous characters that she had a reputation for portraying. Film critics praised Padukone's performance, though their response to the film was mixed. Raja Sen thought that the film "lacked a good story" but added that Padukone "acts within herself and eschews exaggeration, and the results are impressive ... This may be her most self-aware performance so far". The pairing of Padukone with her former boyfriend was highly anticipated, and the film proved a major success with a worldwide revenue of INR3.02 billion (US$49 million). Her next appearance was opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Rohit Shetty's action-comedy film Chennai Express. She played Meenalochini Azhagusundaram, a Tamil girl on the run from her father (a local don), which required that she adopt a Tamil accent. Critical opinion on her accent was mixed, but her performance received praise; film critic Aseem Chhabra concluded, "Padukone is delightful in the film—beautiful, smiling, and often a lot more playful and funny than Khan." Chennai Express was Padukone's second consecutive release to earn over INR3 billion (US$49 million) in worldwide ticket sales; both Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express rank among the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time.

Padukone next played opposite Ranveer Singh in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, an adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy of Romeo and Juliet from director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Her role was Leela, a Gujarati girl based on the character of Juliet. Initially titled Ram-Leela, the film's title was changed after a court case was registered against Bhansali, Padukone, and Singh for "offending the religious sentiments" of the Hindu community by showcasing sex and violence under a title that referred to the life of Lord Rama. Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela released among protests across several states in India, but was generally well received by critics. Meena Iyer of The Times of India mentioned Padukone as "breathtaking", and writing for Deccan Chronicle, Khalid Mohamed concluded that "it’s Deepika Padukone whom the film belongs to. Looking drop dead gorgeous and going at her part with a wallop, she’s the prime asset of Ram-Leela." The film earned INR2.02 billion (US$33 million) worldwide, making it Padukone's fourth consecutive box office hit of the year. Her performances in Chennai Express and Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela won her several awards, including the Screen Award for Best Actress for both films and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the latter.

In 2014, Padukone featured briefly opposite Rajinikanth in the Tamil film Kochadaiiyaan, a period drama that was shot using motion capture technology. In Homi Adajania's widely praised satire Finding Fanny, Padukone played a young widow who takes a road trip with her dysfunctional friends (played by Arjun Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia and Pankaj Kapur) in search of a woman named Fanny. The film was screened at the 19th Busan International Film Festival; critic Anuj Kumar of The Hindu wrote that Padukone successfully "takes off the fineries of Bollywood and you can sense the freedom from baggage in her performance". Farah Khan's renewal of Happy New Year saw Padukone work with Shah Rukh Khan for the third time. She played a bar dancer who trains a group of underachievers for a dance competition. Rajeev Masand wrote that she "strikes the right balance between broad humor and heartfelt emotion, giving us another winning character", though Sanjukta Sharma of Mint was more critical of her performance, and found her role to be of minimal importance that required her only to be "a pretty thing to be laughed at and pitied". The film earned over INR1.75 billion (US$28 million) in India, emerging a major financial success.

Upcoming projects

As of November 2014, Padukone has several upcoming projects. She is simultaneously filming Imtiaz Ali's Tamasha, a romantic drama opposite Ranbir Kapoor, and Shoojit Sircar's drama Piku, in which she plays the eponymous protagonist alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan Khan and Jisshu Sengupta. Padukone will portray Mastani opposite Ranveer Singh's Baji Rao I and Priyanka Chopra's Kashibai in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's historical romance Bajirao Mastani. She has also committed to star in two films under Homi Adajania's direction—a Hindi adaptation of John Green's novel The Fault in Our Stars and a short film on women's empowerment, titled My Choice.

Personal life and off-screen work

Padukone shares a close bond with her family, and visits them regularly in her hometown of Bangalore. She lives by herself in Prabhadevi, a neighbourhood in Mumbai, and admits to missing the presence of her family there. She says, "I miss them, but luckily I have a life of my own, which keeps me from getting homesick. I wouldn’t want them to uproot their lives from Bengaluru just to be with me." A practicing Hindu, Padukone considers religion to be an important aspect of her life and makes frequent visits to temples and other religious shrines. She has also been outspoken on issues such as feminism and has said, "New feminism isn't about being aggressive; it's about reaching the top yet being soft. It's about being you — feminine, strong and full of will power.”

While filming Bachna Ae Haseeno in 2008, Padukone began a romantic relationship with co-star Ranbir Kapoor. She spoke openly about the relationship and sported a tattoo of his initials on the nape of her neck. She has said that the relationship had a profound effect on her, transforming her into a more confident and social person. The Indian media speculated on an engagement, and reported that this had occurred in November 2008, although Padukone had stated that she had no plans to marry within the next five years. The couple broke up a year later; she professed in an interview to feeling "angry" and "betrayed" for a long time, but insisted that they remained on good terms. In a 2010 interview, Padukone made a comment that the media speculated was a reference to her break-up with Kapoor:

The first time he cheated on me, I thought there was something wrong with me or the relationship, but when someone makes a habit of it, you know the problem lies with him. Yet I was foolish enough to give him a second chance because he begged and pleaded, despite the fact that everyone around me said he was still straying. I guess I really wanted to believe in him. Then I actually caught him red-handed. It took me a while to get out. But having done that, nothing can make me go back. That ship has sailed.

Kapoor initially denied the allegations, but according to The Times of India, he later admitted to the infidelity. In 2013, following the production of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Padukone told Filmfare that she now "shares a great comfort level" with him.

In 2011, a set of pictures showing Padukone kissing the cricket manager Siddharth Mallya at an Indian Premier League match were made available on the web. This led to wide speculation in the media about the nature of their relationship, which Padukone declined to talk about publicly. The following year there were reports about a break-up, to which she said: "Just because we are not seen together, it doesn't mean that we are not friends anymore." She has since denied reports of other link-ups, stating that she is "not in a frame of mind to be in a relationship."

In addition to acting, Padukone has written opinion columns and has been involved with women's health and fitness magazines. She has also supported charitable organisations, and has performed for stage shows. In 2009, she was hired by Hindustan Times to write weekly columns for their lifestyle section; through these columns she interacted with her fans and passed details of her personal and professional life. That year, she participated in the World 10K Bangalore marathon, which raised INR13.1 million (US$210,000) in support of 81 NGOs. In 2010, Padukone adopted the Maharashtrian village of Ambegaon as part of NDTV's Greenathon Campaign, to provide the village with a regular supply of electricity. She visited Indian jawans (troops) in Jammu, for an Independence Day special episode of NDTV's reality show Jai Jawaan. Padukone also took part in the opening ceremony of the third season of the Indian Premier League at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Three years later, she performed alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Pitbull for the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League. In early 2013, Padukone performed at the Zee Cine Awards and later that year danced to a couple of her songs in Macau for the 14th IIFA Awards. In 2014, she participated in a concert tour across North America, entitled "SLAM! The Tour", in which she performed alongside her co-stars from Happy New Year. Padukone has also been involved with the Olympic Gold Quest team, established by her father and Geet Sethi to support Indian athletes at the Olympic Games, along with sports personalities such as Leander Paes and Viswanathan Anand and several other actors. In 2013, she launched her own line of clothing for women, in association with the retail chain Van Heusen.

In the media

The journalist Vir Sanghvi, in 2013, described Padukone as "strong, someone who makes up her own mind, [and] has motivation within herself." She is particularly known in the media as a professional, disciplined performer, whose "work takes precedence over everything else." A reviewer for Rediff.com described her personality as "simple," "grounded," and "accessible," and wrote, "She takes criticism in her stride, acknowledges her limitations and strives to work hard at getting better. She handles praise with equal composure." Ayan Mukerji (the director of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani) considers her to be "a woman who will flirt with you but you will love to take her home to meet your mom as well." Padukone has maintained a Twitter account since 2009, and launched an official Facebook page in 2013 where she has the most number of likes of any Bollywood celebrity.

One of the highest-paid actresses in Bollywood, Padukone is considered among the most popular and high-profile celebrities in India. Analysing her career, Reuters published that after making a successful debut with Om Shanti Om, she featured in a series of films for which critics labelled her as "wooden" and "mocked her accent." The Indian Express added, "Not too long ago after a few unwise script calls and the public blow up of her high profile relationship with Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika was written off. Credit to her much touted professionalism, dedication, discipline and perseverance that she bounced back." Following the major success of Cocktail, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and Chennai Express, several media publications began crediting her as the most successful contemporary actress in India. In 2013, she was ranked eleventh on the Indian edition of the Forbes '​ "Celebrity 100," a list based on the income and popularity of India's celebrities. The following year she was ranked eighth, with an estimated annual earning of INR672 million (US$11 million).

Padukone is considered a sex symbol and style icon in India – the media cites her figure, height 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in), smile, and eyes as her distinctive physical features. The actress ranks high on various listings of the most attractive Indian celebrities. In 2008, she topped Indian Maxim '​s "Hot 100" list, and in 2012, she was named "India's Most Beautiful Woman" by the Indian edition of People magazine. Padukone was ranked first on The Times of India '​s listing of the "Most Desirable Woman" in 2012 and 2013, after being ranked third and fourth, respectively, for the preceding two years. In 2010 and 2014, she was named the "World's Sexiest Woman" by the Indian edition of FHM. She has additionally featured in the UK magazine Eastern Eye '​s "World's Sexiest Asian Women" list from 2009 to 2013, ranking among the top ten each year. In 2013, Filmfare declared her as the winner of the "Most Fashionable Star" poll, and credited her as one of the "few actresses who experiments with colours, cuts and silhouettes." In the fitness book The Four-Week Countdown Diet, the actress was cited by Namita Jain as "the ultimate role model for a healthy, fit and active lifestyle."

Padukone is an active celebrity endorser for several brands and products, including Tissot, Sony Cyber-shot, Nescafe, Vogue eyewear, Maybelline and Pepsi, among others. In 2012, it was reported that Padukone had signed on for an endorsement deal with Garnier worth INR60 million (US$970,000), a record breaking remuneration for an Indian actress.

Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Dunst Biography

Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Caroline Dunst (born April 30, 1982) is a German American actress, singer, model and director. She made her film debut in Woody Allen's short film Oedipus Wrecks for the anthology film New York Stories (1989). At the age of twelve, Dunst gained widespread recognition playing the role of vampire Claudia in Interview with the Vampire (1994), a performance for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. She appeared in Little Women the same year and in Jumanji the following year to further acclaim. After supporting roles in the NBC medical drama ER (1996) and films such as Wag the Dog (1997), Small Soldiers (1998) and The Virgin Suicides (1999), Dunst transitioned into romantic comedies and comedy-dramas, starring in Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), Bring It On (2000), Get Over It and Crazy/Beautiful (both 2001).

Dunst achieved international fame for her portrayal of Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. Since then, her films have included the romantic comedy Wimbledon (2004), the science fiction romantic comedy-drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and Cameron Crowe's tragicomedy Elizabethtown (2005). She played the title role in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (2006) and starred in the comedy film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008). She won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Saturn Award for Best Actress for her performance in Lars von Trier's Melancholia (2011).

In 2001, Dunst made her singing debut in the film Get Over It, in which she performed two songs. She also sang the jazz song "After You've Gone" for the end credits of the film The Cat's Meow (2001).

Early life

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Dunst was born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, to Inez (née Rupprecht) and Klaus Dunst. She has a younger brother, Christian. Her father worked as a medical services executive, and her mother was an artist and one-time gallery owner. Dunst's father is German, originally from Hamburg, and Dunst's mother, who was born in New Jersey, is of German and Swedish descent.

Until the age of eleven, Dunst lived in Brick Township, New Jersey, where she attended Ranney School. In 1993, her parents separated, and she subsequently moved with her mother and brother to Los Angeles, California, where she attended Laurel Hall School in North Hollywood. In 1995, her mother filed for divorce. The following year Dunst began attending Notre Dame High School, a private Roman Catholic high school in Los Angeles.

After graduating from Notre Dame High School in 2000, Dunst continued the acting career that she had begun. As a teenager, she found it difficult to deal with her rising fame, and for a period she blamed her mother for pushing her into acting as a child. However, she later expressed that her mother "always had the best intentions". 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."

Career

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Early work

Kirsten Dunst Hot

Dunst began her career when she was three years old as a child fashion model in television commercials. She was signed with Ford Models and Elite Model Management. At the age of six, she made her film debut in a minor role in Woody Allen's short film Oedipus Wrecks that was released as one-third of the anthology New York Stories (1989). Soon after, she made her feature film debut with Tom Hanks in The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), as the daughter of Hanks' character. In 1993, Dunst guest-starred on Star Trek: The Next Generation in the season seven episode titled "Dark Page" as Hedril.

Critical success

The breakthrough role in Dunst's career came in Interview with the Vampire, a 1994 film based on Anne Rice's novel, in which she played the child vampire Claudia, a surrogate daughter to Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt's characters. The film received ambivalent reviews, but many film critics complimented Dunst's performance. Roger Ebert commented that Dunst's creation of the child vampire Claudia was one of the "creepier" aspects of the film, and mentioned her ability to convey the impression of great age inside apparent youth. Todd McCarthy in Variety noted that Dunst was "just right" for the family. The film featured a scene in which Dunst shared her first on-screen kiss with Pitt, who was eighteen years her senior. In an interview with Interview magazine, she revealed, while questioned about her kissing scene with Pitt, that kissing him had made her feel uncomfortable: "I thought it was gross, that Brad had cooties. I mean, I was 10." Her performance earned her the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, the Saturn Award for Best Young Actress, and her first Golden Globe Award nomination.

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Later in 1994, Dunst co-starred in the adaptation of the drama film Little Women opposite Winona Ryder and Claire Danes. The film received favorable reviews. Critic Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that the film was the greatest adaptation of the novel and 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."

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In 1995, Dunst co-starred in the fantasy adventure film Jumanji, 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 $262 million worldwide. That year, and again in 2002, she was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People. In 1996, Dunst had a recurring role in the third season of the NBC medical drama ER. She portrayed a child prostitute, Charlie Chiemingo, taken under the guidance of Dr. Doug Ross, played by George Clooney. In 1997, she voiced Young Anastasia in the animated musical film Anastasia. Also in 1997, Dunst co-starred in the political satire Wag the Dog, opposite Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman. The following year she voiced the title character, Kiki, a thirteen-year-old apprentice witch who leaves her home village to spend a year on her own, in the anime movie Kiki's Delivery Service (1998).

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Dunst was 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 the film's star Kevin Spacey. She later explained: "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 co-starred in the comedy film Dick, opposite Michelle Williams. The film is a parody retelling the events of the Watergate scandal which led to the resignation of U.S. president Richard Nixon.

In Sofia Coppola's drama film The Virgin Suicides (1999), Dunst played the role of troubled adolescent Lux Lisbon. The film was screened as a special presentation at the 43rd San Francisco International Film Festival in 2000. The movie received generally favorable reviews, and San Francisco Chronicle critic Peter Stack noted in his review that Dunst "beautifully balances innocence and wantonness."

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In 2000, Dunst starred in the comedy Bring It On as Torrance Shipman, the captain of a cheerleading squad. The film generated mostly positive reviews, with many critics reserving praise for her performance. In his review, A. O. Scott called her "a terrific comic actress, largely because of her great expressive range, and the nimbleness with which she can shift from anxiety to aggression to genuine hurt." Charles Taylor of Salon noted that "among contemporary teenage actresses, Dunst has become the sunniest imaginable parodist", even though he thought the film had failed to provide her with as good a role as she had either in Dick or in The Virgin Suicides. Jessica Winter from The Village Voice complimented Dunst, stating that her performance was "as sprightly and knowingly daft as her turn in Dick" and commenting that "[Dunst] provides the only major element of Bring It On that plays as tweaking parody rather than slick, strident, body-slam churlishness." Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle, despite giving the film an unfavorable review, commended Dunst for her willingness "to be as silly and cloyingly agreeable as it takes to get through a slapdash film."

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The following year, Dunst starred in the comedy film Get Over It (2001). She later explained that one of the reasons for accepting the role was that it gave her the opportunity to sing. Also in 2001, she starred in the period drama The Cat's Meow, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, as the late American actress Marion Davies. Derek Elley of Variety described the film as "playful and sporty," saying that this was Dunst's best performance to date: "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.

Spider-Man and other film roles

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In 2002, Dunst co-starred opposite Tobey Maguire in the superhero film Spider-Man, the most successful film of her career to date. She played Mary Jane Watson, the best friend and love interest of Peter Parker. The film was directed by Sam Raimi. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly remarked on Dunst's ability to "lend even the smallest line a tickle of flirtatious music." In the Los Angeles Times review, critic Kenneth Turan noted that Dunst and Maguire made a real connection on screen, concluding that their relationship involved audiences to an extent rarely seen in films. Spider-Man was a commercial and critical success. The movie grossed $114 million during its opening weekend in North America and went on to earn $822 million worldwide.

Following the success of Spider-Man, Dunst had a supporting role in Ed Solomon's drama film Levity (2003). That same year she co-starred opposite Julia Roberts, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Julia Stiles in the drama film Mona Lisa Smile (2003). The film generated mostly negative reviews, with Manohla Dargis of the Los Angeles Times describing it as "smug and reductive." She co-starred opposite Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, and Tom Wilkinson in Michel Gondry's science fiction romantic drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) as Mary Svevo. The latter film received very positive reviews, with Entertainment Weekly describing Dunst's subplot as "nifty and clever." The movie grossed $72 million worldwide.

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The success of the first Spider-Man film led Dunst to reprise her role as Mary Jane Watson in 2004 in Spider-Man 2. The movie was well received by critics and a financial success, setting a new opening weekend box office record for North America. With revenue of $783 million worldwide, it was the second highest grossing film in 2004. Also in 2004, Dunst co-starred opposite Paul Bettany in the romantic comedy Wimbledon where she portrayed a rising tennis player in the Wimbledon Championships, while Bettany portrayed a fading former tennis star. Reception for the film was mixed, but many critics enjoyed Dunst's performance. Claudia Puig of USA Today reported that the chemistry between Dunst and Bettany was potent, with Dunst doing a fine job as a sassy and self-assured player.

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In 2005, she co-starred opposite Orlando Bloom in Cameron Crowe's tragicomedy Elizabethtown as Claire Colburn, a flight attendant. The film premiered at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. Dunst revealed that working with Crowe was enjoyable, but more demanding than she had expected. The movie garnered mixed reviews, with the Chicago Tribune rating it one out of four stars and describing Dunst's portrayal of a flight attendant as "cloying." It was a box office disappointment.

In 2006, Dunst collaborated with Sofia Coppola again as the title character in Coppla's biographical film Marie Antoinette, adapted from Antonia Fraser's book Marie Antoinette: The Journey. The movie was screened at a special presentation at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, and was reviewed favourably. International revenues were $45 million out of $60 million overall.

In 2007, Dunst reprised her role as Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man 3. In contrast to the previous two films' positive reviews, Spider-Man 3 was met with a mixed reception by critics. Nonetheless, with a total worldwide gross of $891 million, it stands as the most commercially successful film in the series and Dunst's highest grossing film to the end of 2008. Having initially signed on for three Spider-Man films, she revealed that she would do a fourth, but only if Raimi and Maguire also returned. In January 2010, it was announced that the fourth film was cancelled and that the Spider-Man film series would be restarted, and therefore dropping Dunst, Maguire, and Raimi from the franchise.

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In 2008, Dunst co-starred opposite Simon Pegg in the comedy How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, an adaptation of the memoir of the same name by former Vanity Fair contributing editor Toby Young. After she signed on to the film, she revealed that she had joined the project because Pegg was scheduled to appear in it.

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Dunst directed the short film Bastard which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2010, and was later featured at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Dunst co-starred opposite Ryan Gosling in the mystery film All Good Things (2010), based on a true story as the wife of Gosling's character from a run-down neighborhood who goes missing. The feature received reasonable reviews, and earned $640,000 worldwide. Dunst co-starred with Brian Geraghty in Carlos Cuarón's short film The Second Bakery Attack, an adaptation of Haruki Murakami's short story of the same name.

In 2011, Dunst co-starred opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland and Charlotte Rampling in Lars von Trier's drama film Melancholia as a depressed woman at the end of the world. The film premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and received positive reviews and Dunst was singled out for praise. Steven Loeb of Southampton Patch wrote, "This film has brought the best out of von Trier, as well as his star. Dunst is so good in this film, playing a character unlike any other she has ever attempted... Even if the film itself were not the incredible work of art that it is, Dunst's performance alone would be incentive enough to recommend it." Sukhdev Sandhu wrote from Cannes in The Daily Telegraph that "Dunst is exceptional, so utterly convincing in the lead role – trouble, serene, a fierce savant – that it feels like a career breakthrough. Dunst won several awards for her performance, including the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Best Actress Award from the US National Society of Film Critics

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Dunst has signed on to star in Sweet Relief as peace activist Marla Ruzicka, a U.S. relief worker killed by a suicide bomb in Baghdad. She has expressed interest in playing the role of Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry in Michel Gondry's upcoming biographical film about the band.

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In 2012, Dunst co-starred in Juan Diego Solanas' science fiction romantic drama Upside Down opposite Jim Sturgess. She starred in Leslye Headland's comedy Bachelorette, produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. In 2012, she co-starred in the drama film On the Road as Camille, based on Jack Kerouac's novel of the same name. She made a cameo appearance in the short feature Fight For Your Right Revisited. It premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Reports have stated that she would join Clive Owen and Orlando Bloom in the international thriller Cities. In January 2014, Dunst began filming Jeff Nichols' science fiction drama Midnight Special, with Michael Shannon and Joel Edgerton.

Music

Dunst made her singing debut in the comedy film Get Over It, performing two songs written by Marc Shaiman. She recorded Henry Creamer and Turner Layton's jazz standard "After You've Gone" that was used in the end credits of The Cat's Meow. In Spider-Man 3, she sang two songs as Mary Jane Watson, one during a Broadway performance, and one as a singing waitress in a jazz club. Dunst revealed that she recorded the songs earlier and later lip-synced to it when filming began. She also appeared in the music videos for Savage Garden's "I Knew I Loved You", Beastie Boys's "Make Some Noise" and R.E.M.'s "We All Go Back to Where We Belong" and she sang two tracks which were "This Old Machine" and "Summer Day" on Jason Schwartzman's 2007 solo album Nighttiming. In an interview with The Advertiser, Dunst explained that she has no plans to follow the steps of other actors who release albums, saying: "Definitely not. No way. It worked when Barbra Streisand was doing it, but now it's a little cheesy, I think. It works better when singers are in movies."

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Dunst starred as the magical princess Majokko in the Takashi Murakami and McG directed short Akihabara Majokko Princess singing a cover of "Turning Japanese". This was shown at the "Pop Life" exhibition in London's Tate Modern museum. It shows Dunst prancing around Akihabara, a crowded shopping district in Tokyo. The exhibition was held from October 1, 2009 to January 17, 2010 in London.

Personal life

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Dunst was treated for depression in early 2008 at the Cirque Lodge treatment center in Utah. She explained that she had been feeling low in the six months before her admission. In late March 2008, she checked out of the treatment center and began filming All Good Things. In May 2008, she went public with this information in order to highlight the struggle faced by so many other successful women and to dispel rumors that had been very painful for her friends and family. She has also gone public detailing her "sedate lifestyle" and the fact that she has a single apartment in New York with one bedroom.

Dunst dated actor Jake Gyllenhaal from 2002 to 2004. In 2012, she began dating her On the Road co-star Garrett Hedlund.

On August 31, 2014, along with other female celebrities, Dunst had personal nude photos leaked online during the 2014 celebrity pictures hack.

Citizenship

She gained German citizenship in 2011 and now holds dual citizenship of Germany and the United States.

Politics

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Dunst supported Democratic candidate John Kerry for the 2004 U.S. presidential election. Four years later, she supported Democrat Barack Obama for the 2008 presidential election. Dunst revealed that she supported Obama "from the beginning" of the presidential campaign. In support of this, she directed and narrated a documentary entitled Why Tuesday, explaining the United States tradition of voting on Tuesdays. Dunst explained that Tuesday is "not a holiday, and the United States is one of the lowest democratic countries in voter turnout." She felt it important to "influence people in a positive way" to vote on November 4, 2008.

Charity work

Her charity work includes participation with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, in which she helped design and promote a necklace, for which all proceeds from sales went to the Glaser foundation. She also has helped with breast cancer awareness, in September 2008, she participated in the Stand Up to Cancer telethon, to help raise funds to accelerate cancer research. On December 5, 2009, she participated in the Teletón in Mexico, to help raise funds to treat cancer and children rehabilitation.