Kirsten Dunst

Born: 30 April 1982
Where: Point Pleasant, New Jersey, USA

The actress attracted international attention as Spider-Man's love interest in the 2002 comic book blockbuster.

The daughter of an art gallery owner and business executive, she started out in showbiz at the age of three when she began filming TV adverts, eventually racking up 70 appearances.

Dunst made her feature film debut with a small part in Woody Allen's 1989 New York Stories and that same year her family moved to Los Angeles to further her career.

In 1994 she made her breakthrough performance in Interview With The Vampire, alongside Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.

It was for this role, at the tender age of 11, that she performed her first screen kiss with Brad Pitt, earning her a Golden Globe nomination.

She co-starred with Robin Williams in Jumanji and received rave reviews for her role in Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides.

In Bring It On she starred as a cheerleader and consolidated her success in the gritty romantic drama Crazy/Beautiful.

In 2002, she raised her profile in Spider-Man opposite Tobey Maguire, a role she reprised in the 2004 sequel.

Recent appearances have included Mike Newell's Mona Lisa Smile and the hugely popular romantic comedy Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

After Spider-Man 2, Kirsten took the lead role in the hit comedy Wimbledon, opposite Brit star Paul Bettany.

She has also started her own production company with her mother, called Wooden Spoon Productions.

Upcoming projects include Elizabethtown, opposite flavour-of-the-month Orlando Bloom, and Spider-Man 3.