Nikki Reed Biography

Nikki Reed photo

Born: May 17, 1988

NIKKI REED

Date of Birth: May 17, 1988

A native of Los Angeles, Nikki Reed became a screenwriter at the age of 13 and a film actress less than a year later. It started when director/writer Catherine Hardwicke began dating Reed's father, Seth, an art director who has worked on films such as Minority Report and I Heart Huckabees. Hardwicke got to know the young teen and became interested in writing a film based on her life as a rebellious 13-year-old girl. They wrote the first draft in less than a week while Reed was on winter vacation. Hardwicke hurried the film along, hoping to shoot it the next summer while Reed was still the right age to star in it.

The film, entitled Thirteen (2003), went into production when Reed was 14, and she took the co-starring role as Evie rather than playing Tracy, the role based on her own life. Working opposite Holly Hunter and Evan Rachel Wood, Reed won a 2004 Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance, a 2003 Young Hollywood Award as "One to Watch - Female" and shared a Screenwriting Award with Catherine Hardwicke at the Nantucket Film Festival.

Back at school, Nikki realized she missed acting, and returned to work in 2004 at age 16 in the Lolita-themed dark comedy Mini's First Time (2006) opposite Alec Baldwin, who played her love interest. She also starred in Man of God (2005) before re-teaming with Hardwicke for Lords of Dogtown (2005) starring Heath Ledger. Since then, she has completed the and American Gun (2005) with Forest Whitaker. On television, she played a recurring role in the hit series The O.C..

When Catherine Hardwicke was chosen to direct the screen version of the popular book Twilight, she cast Reed as Rosalie, the sister of the lead character, Edward Cullen. Although Hardwicke didn't continue with the series, Nikki reprised her role, working with new directors in the sequels, The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011) and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2011).

In October 2011, Nikki married American Idol contestant Paul McDonald, but in May 2014, she filed for divorce. She then married The Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder in April 2015. When not working, Nikki is an accomplished equestrian, which she put to good use when playing a rider who works as barn help in order to earn enough money to buy a top quality competition horse in A Sunday Horse (2016). She also enjoys painting. She is the godmother of Twilight co-star Jackson Rathbone's child.

Filmography:

A Sunday Horse (2016)
Enter the Dangerous Mind (2015)
Murder of a Cat (2014)
In Your Eyes (2014)
Empire State (2013)
Enter the Dangerous Mind (2013)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012)
Catch.44 (2011)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
Chain Letter (2010)
Privileged (2010)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
Last Day of Summer (2009)
Twilight (2008)
Familiar Strangers (2008)
Cherry Crush (2007)
Mini's First Time (2006)
American Gun (2005)
Lords of Dogtown (2005)
Man of God (2005)
Thirteen (2003)
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