Blonde and beautiful she may be, but her talents as an actress are what have catapulted the young Kirsten Dunst into the Hollywood limelight. Embarking on a career in show business at the age of 3, appearing in numerous TV commercials, it was only a matter of time before she made her leap to the silver screen — and what a leap it was.
Indicative of her first-rate talents as an actress, Dunst has worked alongside a number of Hollywood hunks, including, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney.
In 1989, Dunst made her big screen debut in Woody Allen’s New York Stories. From that point on, things only got better for the future star.
This summer, fans nationwide and abroad caught Kirsten in Universal Pictures smash hit, Bring It On. Some of her other blockbuster hits include Virgin Suicides, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Little Women, Jumanji and Wag the Dog. Her list of honors include, the Blockbuster Video Award for “Best Supporting Newcomer” for her role in Interview With a Vampire, as well as the “Best Breakthrough Artist” award from MTV. Her television achievements haven’t gone unrecognized either. The Hollywood Reporter named Dunst as “Best Young Star” for her role as a teenage prostitute in NBC’s, ER.
A native Jersey girl, Dunst now lives in Toluca Lake, CA with her mother and brother. When she is not busy on the set, Kirsten enjoys a number of pastimes including, attending Lakers games, painting, swimming, shopping, horseback riding, and spending time with her four cats and dog.
Her cats, siblings, Taz, Felix, and Zorro are the babies of the crew at just two and a half. Inky, on the other hand, is the senior citizen and head honcho at the age of 23. Her dog, Beauty, a Yorkshire Terrier, tags along whenever Kirsten goes on location. Being around actors and actresses so often, Beauty has picked up a few pointers. According to Kirsten, “If you walk into a room with your hand pointed like a gun and say, ‘Bang, bang, The Sopranos,’ Beauty will fall down and lie like he is dead! Quite amusing. The cat’s talents are a bit less amusing, according to Kirsten. They enjoy parading around with their various hunted victims.
Keep a watchful eye for Kirsten’s upcoming projects in the new millennium, Miramax’s Getting Over Allison and Disney’s At Seventeen.
By Luisa Nunez