Kirsten Dunst began her career when she was just 3 years old, modeling and appearing in commercials. Subsequently making her film debut with a small role in Woody Allen's "New York Stories" (1989) when she was 6, she received her first film credit in "The Bonfire of the Vanities" (1990). She experienced breakthrough through an appearance in "Interview with the Vampire" (1994), starring as vampire Claudia. The character earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress, an MTV Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and the Saturn Award for Best Young Actress.

In the following years, Dunst continued starring in a series of big screen projects, including "Little Women" (1994), "Jumanji" (1995), "Wag the Dog" (1997), "Drop Dead Gorgeous" (1999), "Dick" (1999), and "Bring It On" (2000). She received rave reviews for taking a more mature role of Lux Lisbon in Sophia Coppola's "The Virgin Suicides", but it wasn't until she starred as Peter Parker's love interest, Mary Jane Watson, in "Spider-Man" (2002) that she achieved her worldwide fame.

Dunst reprised her role as Mary Jane Watson in "Spider-Man" sequels; "Spider-Man 2" (2004) and "Spider-Man 3" (2007). Besides the superhero installments, she also landed roles in some other features, like "Marie Antoinette" (2006), "Melancholia" (2011), "Upside Down" (2012), "The Two Faces of January" (2014), and "Midnight Special" (2015).

Dunst was born as Kirsten Caroline Dunst on April 30, 1982 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, USA. She dated actor Jake Gyllenhaal from 2002 to 2004, and in 2012 she began dating her "On the Road" co-star, actor Garrett Hedlund.