Kristen Stewart Biography

In 2008, actress Kristen Stewart landed the role of Bella Swan in the saga Twilight and the movies made her an instant star.

Synopsis

Actress Kristen Stewart was born on April 9, 1990, in Los Angeles, California. A talent scout discovered her while acting in a grade school Christmas play. Shortly after, she was cast in a Disney movie and has had steady work ever since. She starred with Jodie Foster in 2002's Panic Room and Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone in 2003's Cold Creek Manor. Her most notable role, however, has been playing Bella in The Twilight Saga films from 2008 to 2012.

Breakthrough Role

Kristen Jaymes Stewart was born on April 9, 1990, in Los Angeles, California. Her father John—a stage manager, producer and director—and mother Jules—a scriptwriter—immersed their daughter in the Hollywood scene at an early age. She made her first television appearance at the age of eight after her performance in a grade school Christmas play caught the eye of a talent scout. Shortly after, she landed a bit role on the Disney Channel TV movie,The Thirteenth Year (1999).

Two years later, Stewart landed a more substantial role in the independent film The Safety of Objects (2001). But the actress's big break didn't come until 2002, when she was cast as the lead in the blockbuster drama Panic Room, starring with film veterans Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker and Jared Leto. Stewart's role as the diabetic, troubled teen caught the attention of critics, who praised her understated and solid performance. Fans also resonated with Stewart, and the film raked in a respectable $95 million at the box office.

Early Film Roles

Stewart next signed on to play the daughter of Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone in another suspense drama, Cold Creek Manor (2003). Although Stewart and her co-stars turned out solid performances in the film, the plot was lambasted by reviewers and fans and performed poorly at the box office. Stewart followed up with two more low-performing films in the next year: the light-hearted teen film, Catch That Kid (2004), and the adventure filmUndertow (2004) which, despite decent reviews, went almost straight to video.

Stewart showed her versatility as a performer in the Showtime special feature, Speak (2005), about a teen who stops speaking after a sexual assault. That same year, she appeared in the sci-fi film Zathura, followed by the drama Fierce People (2006). After appearing in several more mild box-office successes, Stewart landed the role of a teenage commune dweller in the critically acclaimed biopic Into the Wild (2007). The role brought Stewart back to the spotlight, and that same year she landed in Mary Stuart Masterson's The Cake Eaters.

'Twilight' Saga

The year 2008 was a big one for Stewart, who starred across Robert De Niro in the Hollywood satire What Just Happened? (2008), then landed the starring role across from teen heartthrob Robert Pattinson in the film version of the successful Stephenie Meyer book series, Twilight (2008). The novels, about a teen who falls in love with a charming vampire, already had a legion of fans. Soon Stewart became the romantic icon for thousands of teens, launching her to A-List actor status. In fact, her popularity in the role overshadowed other projects in the works, including a starring part in the comedy Adventureland (2009), and her role in Welcome to the Rileys (2009), starring James Gandolfini.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon came out in 2009, and it proved to be an even bigger hit than the first installment. The film earned more than $290 million at box office in the United States alone, and Stewart and her co-star Pattinson found themselves with an ever growing young fan base. There was also much media speculation about an off-screen relationship between the pair. In an attempt to break out of the Bella mold, Stewart played rocker Joan Jett in the 2010 biopic The Runaways with Dakota Fanning.

Three more Twilight films followed, ending with its finale in 2012. The last film, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, brought in more than $140 million in its opening weekend alone. In all, the Twilight movies earned more than $3 billion worldwide, according to the Box Office Mojo website.

Life After 'Twilight'

The same year that the Twilight series concluded, Stewart enjoyed some box office success in another famous role. She portrayed the famed fairy tale heroine in Snow White and the Huntsman with Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron. The film, which transformed the Snow White character into a warrior of sorts, proved to be one of the summer's most popular hits.

Stewart, however, experienced a tremendous personal backlash later that year when it was revealed that she had been involved with the Snow White and the Huntsman's married director Rupert Sands. Stewart publicly apologized to her boyfriend and Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson about the indiscretion. Despite the mea culpa, the couple called it quits shortly thereafter.

While plans are in the works for Snow White and the Huntsman sequel, most reports indicate that a new director will be used for the project. Stewart has a challenging road ahead her as she struggles to find new roles after Twilight. Audiences embraced her as one-half of a popular fiction power couple, but it remains unclear how far she can propel herself out of Twilight's shadow.

Other Projects

Post Twilight, Stewart has remained busy. In 2014 she appeared in three films: Camp X-Ray, Clouds of Sils Maria, and Still Alice. The following year she starred in the indie film Anesthesia and in American Ultra, opposite her former Adventureland costar Jesse Eisenberg.

Megan Fox Biography

Model, Film Actress, Television Actress (1986–)
Megan Fox is an American actress known for her featured role in the Transformers film series.

Synopsis

Megan Fox was born on May 16, 1986, in Memphis, Tennessee. After winning modeling awards, she dropped out of high school and moved to LA. Her first big break came with the 2001 Olsen twins film, Holiday in the Sun. In 2007 Fox was cast opposite Shia LaBeouf in the block buster Transformers. She also appeared in the sequel but was cut from the third installment. Fox is married to Brian Austin Green.

Early Life

Megan Denise Fox was born on May 16, 1986, in Memphis, Tennessee. At the age of 5, Fox began taking singing and dancing lessons, which continued when she and her family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, when she was 10. At age 13, she added modeling classes to her repertoire.

In 1999, Fox won multiple awards at the American Modeling and Talent Convention. This success convinced her to drop out of high school and move to Los Angeles, California just a few years later, at the age of 16. That year, Fox landed her first big break when she was cast as a bratty heiress in the 2001 Olsen twins comedy film, Holiday in the Sun. The film, which had a large cult fanbase, went straight to DVD.

Over the next few years, Fox continued to appear in guest-spot television roles. Her next role was in 2002, when she appeared in the Swedish-produced soap opera, Ocean Ave. That same year, Fox also appeared in a guest-starring role on the WB network show What I Like About You, starring Amanda Bynes.

Television Roles

The year 2004 was a big one for Megan Fox. She made an appearance in the CBS hit comedy Two and a Half Men, starring Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer, and was a series regular on the short-lived WB sitcom, The Help. She also began appearing on the ABC sitcom Hope & Faith, in which she played the daughter of Faith Ford's character in the second and third seasons. Her performance earned her a Young Artists Award nomination in 2005. Fox also returned to film work that year when she won the role as Carla Santi, a rival of Lindsay Lohan's character, in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.

Career Breakthrough

But Fox landed her biggest break in 2007, when she was cast alongside Shia LaBeouf in the Steven Spielberg-produced blockbuster Transformers. Fox played romantic lead Mikaela Banes in the film. She was nominated for the 2008 MTV Movie Award for breakthrough performance. The following year, Fox joined the cast of the comedy How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. The movie did well in England due to featuring lead comedian Simon Pegg, but didn't achieve much commercial success in the United States.

In 2009, Megan reprised her role as Mikaela Banes in the sequel to the hitTransformers in Transformers: Rise of the Fallen. The sequel was again a box office success, and kept Fox in the media spotlight. She signed on to do the third installment of the franchise, which is tentatively titled Transformers 3, but later left the project. Rumors swirling around the sudden casting change suggest that Fox was released from the film after making several disparaging remarks about director Michael Bay to prominent media outlets. Both parties deny the allegation.

In 2009, Fox appeared in the horror film Jennifer's Body, which opened to minor success. Later film credits include playing Leila, the gun-toting mistress, in the Wild West film Jonah Hex (2010), and starring in This Is 40(2012). More recently, she signed on to star as April O'Neil in the 2014 filmTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Personal Life

Fox has appeared in several "sexiest" lists in recent years, including FHMmagazine's "Sexiest Woman Alive" list and Maxim's "Hot 100" collection (2009). She has also been ranked in the Top 20 on multiple "rising star" lists, including No. 1 on Moviefone's list of "The 25 Hottest Actors Under 25" and No. 17 on Interview magazine's "Future Stars of Tomorrow."

In June 2010, Fox became engaged to actor Brian Austin Green (of Beverly Hills: 90210 fame). The couple had been engaged previously, following a two-year relationship, but canceled their wedding in 2009. Shortly after their second engagement, Fox made headlines when she lost her two-carat diamond ring on a beach while vacationing with Green in Hawaii. It was later revealed that the couple actually exchanged vows while they were in Hawaii.

The couple has three sons, Noah (b. 2012), Bodhi (b. 2014), and Journey (b. 2016).

In August 2015 Green and Fox announced their separation after 11 years together, but in 2016 the pair was reported to have reconciled.

Jamie Foxx Biography

A talented singer, comedian, and actor, Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx has proved to be a triple threat in the entertainment industry.

Synopsis

Born Eric Morlon Bishop on December 13, 1967, in Terrell, Texas, Jamie Foxx has emerged as one of the most diversely talented entertainers of his generation. Foxx started out landing a spot on the TV's In Living Color in the early 1990s. He then proved himself as a dramatic actor, appearing in Ray in 2004, a role that earned him an Academy Award. Two years later, Foxx impressed music fans with his hit collabration with Kanye West for the song "Gold Digger." More recently, he starred in Quentin Tarantino's westernDjango Unchained (2012).

Early Life

A talented singer, comedian, and actor, Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx has proved to be a triple threat in the entertainment industry. After his parents' marriage dissolved, Foxx was adopted by his maternal grandparents when he was less than a year old. He enjoyed sports and music as a child, and attended Terrell High School in his hometown.

After receiving a scholarship, Foxx enrolled at the U.S. International University in San Diego where he majored in music. It was during college that he was encouraged by friends to take the open mike one night at a comedy club, and his career in entertainment began.

In Living Color

Leaving college, Foxx moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy. In 1991, he was hired as a regular cast member on the Fox variety show In Living Color. Foxx also explored his interest in music during the 1990s, releasing the album Peep This, in 1994. With its traditional, smooth R&B sound, the album reached as high as No. 12 on the R&B and hip-hop charts with the single, "Infatuation," attracting some attention from listeners and radio stations.

That same year, Foxx left In Living Color, but he soon returned to television. Because of his huge popularity on the show, the network gave him his own series, The Jamie Foxx Show, in 1996. Foxx played a struggling Los Angeles actor who lived in a hotel owned by his aunt and uncle. During the show's five years on the air, his character had an on-again, off-again relationship with the front desk clerk played by Garcelle Beauvais.

Big Screen Debut

By the time the show ended in 2001, Foxx was beginning to be viewed a talented dramatic actor. This was due in large part to his performance in the sports drama Any Given Sunday (1999). Playing football star Willie Beamen, Foxx showed incredible range in his performance and held his own against one of film's greats Al Pacino. His next notable film role was in Michael Mann's Ali, followed by two powerful performances in 2004: opposite Tom Cruise in the thriller Collateral and starring in the eagerly anticipated biopicRay. Foxx earned both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe award for his authentic turn as Ray Charles.

Following Ray, Foxx took an interesting array of roles with mixed results. The military action film Stealth (2005) with Josh Lucas and Jessica Biel was a critical and financial dud. That same year, he garnered some critical praise for his turn as a marine serving in the Middle East in Jarhead (2005) with Jake Gyllenhaal, but the movie failed to attract much of an audience.

Commercial Success as a Musician

In 2006, Foxx released a new album, Unpredictable (2006). The recording reached the top of pop and the R&B and hip-hop charts, driven by the title track single, "DJ Play a Love Song," and "Can I Take You Home." At the 2006 Black Entertainment Television Awards, Foxx won Best Duet/Collaboration with Kanye West for his work on the single "Gold Digger." Foxx released his third album, Intuition, in 2008, which featured Kanye West and Lil Wayne, among others. The album's second single, "Blame It," hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

More Recent Roles

Foxx also teamed up with Colin Farrell for Michael Mann's big screen adaptation of the popular 1980s cop show Miami Vice (2006). Returning to his dramatic and musical roots, Foxx co-starred in Dreamgirls (2006) with Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé. He played a scheming car saleman who becomes a manager for R&B star James Thunder Early (played by Eddie Murphy). His character then transformed Early's backup singers, the Dreamettes, into an all-female supergroup. The film is loosely based on the 60s pop group the Supremes.

Returning more action-oriented fare, Foxx starred in The Kingdom (2007), a thriller about a terrorist attack on Americans in Saudi Arabia. In 2009 Foxx portrayed Nathaniel Ayers in the drama The Soloist with Robert Downey Jr. and as Nick Rice in the film Law Abiding Citizen.

Returing to lighter fare, Foxx appeared in the 2010 romantic comedyValentine's Day with Jessica Biel and Jennifer Garner. He also had a supporting role in the workplace comedy Horrible Bosses starring Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Spacey and lent his voice to the animated children's film Rio the following year.

In late 2012, Foxx burst back onto the big screen with a leading role in Quentin Tarantino's action western Django Unchained. He starred as Django, a freed slave who teamed up with a bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) and learned his trade. Django then searched for his wife, played by Kerry Washington, and had to face off against the plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio) who had her as his slave. The cast also included Samuel L. Jackson and Jonah Hill.

More recently Foxx appeared in the 2013 action film White House Down co-starring with Channing Tatum. He played the role of President Sawyer in the film. In 2014, he starred as the villain Electro in the The Amazing Spider-Man 2 alongside Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. He also lent his voice to the character Nico in the animated film Rio 2.