© Egentum des Jeweiligen Studios / Vertriebes

Child prodigy
Kirsten was acting and modelling at the tender age of 3. Born on 30th April 1982 in New Jersey to German and Swedish parents, young Kirsten was on the books of the famous Elite modelling agency when she was barely out of nappies. With her blonde curls and star quality, Kirsten picked up small roles in films such as Woody Allen's New York Stories (1989), then played Tom Hanks' daughter in The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990). She celebrated her 12th birthday on the set of Interview With A Vampire...so even before that kiss with Brad Pitt, Kirsten was already a force to contend with in Hollywood.   

Rising star
Kirsten's career went into orbit during her teens. She was nominated for an Emmy and received critical acclaim for her role in Little Women. It was the classic hit Virgin Suicides (2000), directed by Sofia Coppola, that elevated her to leading actress status. Kirsten brought a striking radiance to the role of the troubled, highly sexual Luz, who commits suicide along with her sisters. Coppola and Dunst obviously have a great working relationship. 

Strength to strength
Kirsten has continued to make waves ever since. 2002's Spider-Man 2 cemented her placed in the $5m club, that elite group of actresses who can command a minimum of 5 million dollars per film. She played a sexy, neurotic Marie Antoinette, again under the direction of Sofia Coppola, and then had a supporting role in the Jim Carrey fantasy Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, under Michel Gondry. She also played alongside Orlando Bloom in Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown.  

Gongs
Kirsten won an MTV Movie award for her role as Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man, and also took home the gong for Best Kiss with Tobey Maguire!

Down-to-earth
"When you grow up in the movie world, you grow up fast," says Kirsten. She's certainly made the difficult transition from child prodigy to leading lady look easy. What's more, she's still down-to-earth and keen to expand her horizons further. Kirsten certainly knows how to turn heads, but she keeps her own firmy on her shoulders. 

O.P.