Kirsten Dunst has catapulted her way into the spotlight by capturing some of the most coveted roles being offered young actresses. She starred in the record-breaking, box office smash Spider-Man opposite Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe. Directed by Sam Raimi, Spider-Man earned $114.8 million in its first weekend, giving it the largest domestic opening of all time.

In addition to Spider-Man, Dunst recently starred in the independent film Levity opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Morgan Freeman. She also starred in the Columbia Pictures release of Revolution Studios' Mona Lisa Smile with Julia Roberts and Julia Stiles, as well as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, written by Charlie Kauffman, directed by Michel Gondry and starring Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet and Mark Ruffalo. Dunst portrayed Marion Davies opposite Edward Hermann's William Randolph Hearst in Lions Gate Entertainment's The Cat's Meow, a semi-biographical murder mystery directed by Peter Bogdanavich. Upcoming is the tennis comedy Wimbledon, in which she stars opposite Paul Bettany, and Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown.

Dunst's performances in Universal's comedy Bring it On, which opened at #1, and the critically acclaimed Virgin Suicides with James Woods and Kathleen Turner, pleased critics and fans alike. In 2001, she won rave reviews for her role as a troubled girl in Disney's Crazy/Beautiful.

Earlier in her career, Dunst was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in Interview with the Vampire, for which she also received the Blockbuster Video Award for Best Supporting Newcomer, an MTV award for Best Breakthrough Artist and the Saturn Award for Best Young Actress. Dunst recently copped an MTV award as Best Actress for her role in Spider-Man and shared a Best Kiss MTV honor with co-star Tobey Maguire for their memorable lip lock in the film. Earlier in her career, Dunst was named by The Hollywood Reporter as Best Young Star for her portrayal of a teenage prostitute in NBC's hit series ER. Dunst's other motion picture credits include starring roles in Drop Dead Gorgeous with Ellen Barkin and Kirstie Alley, Dick with Michelle Williams, Little Women with Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder, Jumanji with Robin Williams, Mother Night with Nick Nolte, the Golden Globe-nominated Barry Levinson film Wag the Dog starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro and Small Soldiers with the late Phil Hartman.

Dunst got her professional start at the age of three when she began filming television commercials. With more than 100 commercials to her credit, she made the jump to the big screen in 1989 in Woody Allen's New York Stories.

Dunst has also made a notable impression on the small screen. In addition to a critically acclaimed recurring role on ER, she starred in Showtime's The Outer Limits and Devil's Arithmetic, which was produced by Dustin Hoffman and Mimi Rogers. Additional appearances include the telefilm Ruby Ridge: An American Tragedy, the Wonderful World of Disney's Tower of Terror and Lifetime's 15 and Pregnant.

Dunst, a Point Pleasant, NJ native, currently lives in Los Angeles. She is active in charity organizations such as the Pediatric AIDS Foundation and frequently attends philanthropic functions that benefit women and children.