Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress and singer known for her roles across film and television. She began her career at age three as a child fashion model in television commercials before making her feature film debut in the 1989 anthology film New York Stories. Over the course of her career, she has received nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golden Globe Awards.

Dunst was born on April 30, 1982, in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Her father worked as a medical services executive for Siemens, while her mother was a flight attendant for Lufthansa, an artist, and a gallery owner. Dunst grew up in Brick Township, New Jersey, alongside her younger brother, attending the Ranney School. Following her parents' separation in 1993, she relocated to Los Angeles with her mother and brother.

Her breakthrough came in 1994 when she played the child vampire Claudia in the horror drama Interview with the Vampire, earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. That same year, she appeared in the adaptation of Little Women. During her youth, Dunst appeared in films such as Jumanji, Small Soldiers, and Wag the Dog, voiced characters in Anastasia and Kiki's Delivery Service, and held a recurring role in the television series ER. In the late 1990s, she transitioned to leading roles in Dick, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides.

In 2000, Dunst starred as cheerleading captain Torrance Shipman in the comedy Bring It On. She followed this with roles in Get Over It, Crazy/Beautiful, and The Cat's Meow, winning the Best Actress Silver Ombú award at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival for the latter. Dunst achieved wider global recognition playing Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. During this period, she also appeared in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Wimbledon, Elizabethtown, and Marie Antoinette.

In 2011, Dunst starred in Lars von Trier's drama Melancholia, winning the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. She later earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her performance as Peggy Blumquist in the second season of the FX series Fargo. Her work continued with roles in the film Hidden Figures, Coppola's The Beguiled, and the series On Becoming a God in Central Florida, which earned her a third Golden Globe nomination.

Dunst received her first Academy Award nomination and fourth Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the 2021 psychological drama The Power of the Dog. Following a two-year hiatus, she led the 2024 dystopian thriller Civil War and co-starred in the true-crime drama Roofman. Dunst is married to actor Jesse Plemons, and they have two sons.