Robert Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. He has been cited as one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood. Pattinson is best-known for playing Edward Cullen in the film adaptations of the Twilight novels by Stephenie Meyer, and for the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In 2010, Pattinson was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World, and also in the same year Forbes ranked Pattinson as one of the most powerful celebrities in the world. His upcoming films include Bel Ami, Water For Elephants, Unbound Captives and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I.
Pattinson plays guitar and piano, and composes his own music. He also appears as the singer of two songs on the Twilight soundtrack: "Never Think", which he co-wrote with Sam Bradley, and "Let Me Sign", which was written by Marcus Foster and Bobby Long. The songs were included in the film after director Catherine Hardwicke added Pattinson's recordings into an early cut without his knowledge, and he agreed that "one of them specifically, it really made the scene better. It was like it was supposed to be there." The soundtrack for the film How To Be features three original songs performed by Pattinson and written by composer Joe Hastings.
Aside from recording for the soundtracks, Pattinson has said, "I've never really recorded anything – I just played in pubs and stuff", and when asked about a professional music career, he said, "Music is my back-up plan if acting fails." In 2010, Pattinson was awarded the 'Hollywood's Most Influential Top Unexpected Musicians' award.