Age, Biography, and Wiki
Kirsten Caroline Dunst was born on April 30, 1982, in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, making her 43 years old in 2025. She is the daughter of Klaus Hermann Dunst, a German-born executive, and Inez Dunst, an artist and former flight attendant. Kirsten is of German and Swedish descent. She spent her early years in Brick Township, New Jersey, where she attended Ranney School. After her parents’ separation, she moved with her mother and brother to Los Angeles, enrolling in Laurel Hall School and later Notre Dame High School.
Her biography is marked by a precocious start in entertainment—she began modeling at age three and landed her first film role at six in Woody Allen’s segment of Oedipus Wrecks (1989). Dunst’s Wikipedia page provides an extensive overview of her life and career highlights.
| Occupation | Voice Actress |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 30 April 1982 |
| Age | 43 Years |
| Birth Place | Point Pleasant, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Taurus |
| Country | Jersey |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Publicly available details about Kirsten Dunst’s physical attributes are limited and vary between sources. However, general consensus places her at around 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) in height. Her weight is estimated to be between 125–135 lbs (57–61 kg). Her body measurements are often cited as approximately 34-25-35 inches (86-64-89 cm).
| Height | 5 feet 7 inches |
| Weight | 135 lbs |
| Body Measurements | |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Kirsten Dunst has been in the spotlight for both her work and her personal life. As of 2025, she is engaged to actor Jesse Plemons, with whom she has co-starred in several projects, including Fargo and Civil War. The couple has two children together and has been a prominent Hollywood pairing for several years.
Dunst's father worked for Siemens as a medical services executive, and her mother worked for Lufthansa as a flight attendant. She was also an artist and one-time gallery owner. Dunst's father is German, originally from Hamburg, and her American mother is of German and Swedish descent; she described herself in a 2001 interview as "Aryan. Like a Swedish milkmaid". Until the age of eleven, Dunst lived in Brick Township, New Jersey, and attended Ranney School in Tinton Falls.
In 1993, she moved to Los Angeles with her mother and brother, after her parents separated. In her teens, she found it difficult to cope with her rising fame, and for a period she blamed her mother for pushing her into acting as a child. However, she later said that her mother "always had the best intentions". When asked if she had any regrets about her childhood, Dunst said, "Well, it's not a natural way to grow up, but it's the way I grew up and I wouldn't change it. I have my stuff to work out... I don't think anybody can sit around and say, 'My life is more screwed up than yours.' Everybody has their issues".
In 2002, Dunst starred opposite Tobey Maguire in the superhero film Spider-Man, the most financially successful film of her career up until this date. She played Mary Jane Watson, the best friend and love interest of Peter Parker (Maguire). The film was directed by Sam Raimi. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly noted Dunst's ability to "lend even the smallest line a tickle of flirtatious music". Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan reviewed that Dunst and Maguire made a real connection onscreen, concluding that their relationship "involved audiences to an extent rarely seen in films". Spider-Man was a critical and commercial success. The film grossed US$114 million during its opening weekend in North America and earned US$822 million worldwide.
Dunst made her screenwriting and directorial debut with the short film Bastard, which she co-wrote with Sasha Sagan. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2010 and was later featured at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. She co-starred opposite Ryan Gosling in the mystery drama All Good Things (2010), based on the true story of New York real estate developer Robert Durst, whose wife disappeared in 1982. The film received fair reviews, but was a commercial failure, earning only US$640,000 worldwide. The critic Roger Ebert praised Dunst for her ability to capture "a woman at a loss to understand who her husband really is, and what the true nature of his family involves". The San Francisco Chronicle complimented her performance as "the only one worth watching", despite the film's "slow crawl" and lack of suspense. Also in 2010, Dunst co-starred with Brian Geraghty in Carlos Cuarón's short film The Second Bakery Attack, based on Haruki Murakami's short story.
Hossein Amini's The Two Faces of January (2014) was Dunst's next major role, starring alongside Viggo Mortensen and Oscar Isaac. Playing Colette MacFarland, the wife of a con artist, the thriller is based on Patricia Highsmith's 1964 novel of the same name. Garnering mostly favorable reviews, the Los Angeles Times complimented the 1960s Greek setting and observed Dunst "brings a potent complexity to Colette; every mood shift registers to the bone". Jake Wilson of The Sydney Morning Herald praised the script for "condensing the book's plot while retaining its spirit", although he thought there was some uneven editing. Of Dunst's performance, he called her "typically teasing yet sympathetic". Finally in 2014, Dunst voiced a character in the eighth episode of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, and made a guest appearance in an episode of Portlandia. Throughout 2015, Dunst focused solely on television work. She was cast as hairdresser Peggy Blumquist in the second season of the critically acclaimed FX crime dark comedy-drama Fargo, which earned her nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
In 2016, Dunst co-starred in Jeff Nichols' science fiction drama Midnight Special with Michael Shannon and Joel Edgerton. The story is about a father and his eight-year-old son who go on the run upon discovering that the boy possesses mysterious powers. The film opened to mostly positive reviews; Tim Grierson of The New Republic was impressed by Midnight Special's special effects which imitated a late 20th century retro style. However, he questioned the purpose of Dunst's character which "simply has nothing to do". Dunst had a supporting role in the biographical drama Hidden Figures (2016), a loose adaptation of the book of the same name, about African-American mathematicians who worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Space Race. Dunst's portrayal of a white supervisor drew praise from Slant Magazine's Elise Nakhnikian, while The Guardian thought the film was educational and entertaining despite its underdeveloped supporting cast. The film was a commercial success, grossing US$236 million worldwide and was nominated for three Academy Awards. The cast also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In addition to acting, Dunst served as a member of the main competition jury of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. In that year, Dunst planned to direct an adaptation of Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar, starring Dakota Fanning, but stepped down from the project before production.
Dunst was in a relationship with her On the Road co-star Garrett Hedlund from 2012 to 2016. Dunst and Hedlund were briefly engaged before eventually breaking up. She began a relationship with her Fargo co-star Jesse Plemons in 2016 and they became engaged in 2017. In a cover shoot for W directed by long-time collaborator Sofia Coppola, she announced that she was pregnant with her second child, and later gave birth to their second son in May 2021. Dunst and Plemons were married in July 2022 at a resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Jesse Plemons (m. 2022) |
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Net Worth and Salary
Kirsten Dunst’s net worth in 2025 is estimated at $35 million by some sources, while others peg it at $25 million. The variation may stem from differences in how assets and income streams are calculated. Her wealth primarily comes from her acting roles in movies and television, as well as modeling and occasional singing engagements.
Dunst’s salary per film can vary widely, but her earnings from blockbuster franchises like the Spider-Man trilogy contributed significantly to her fortune. Her more recent roles in award-winning films and series have also boosted her net worth.
Career, Business, and Investments
Career Highlights:
- Childhood and Breakthrough: Began modeling at age three, appeared in commercials, and made her film debut at six in Oedipus Wrecks (1989).
- Early Success: Gained recognition for her role in Interview with the Vampire (1994) at age 12.
- Blockbuster Fame: Achieved worldwide fame as Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-Man trilogy.
- Critical Acclaim: Starred in acclaimed films such as Melancholia, Hidden Figures, The Beguiled, and Civil War.
- Television: Notable for her role as Peggy Blumquist in Fargo (2015) and lead in On Becoming a God in Central Florida.
Dunst first gained recognition for her role as child vampire Claudia in the horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also had roles in her youth in Little Women (1994) and Jumanji (1995). Dunst transitioned to leading roles in teen films of 1999, the satires Dick and Drop Dead Gorgeous and Sofia Coppola’s drama The Virgin Suicides. After the leading role in the cheerleading film Bring It On (2000), she gained wider attention for her role as Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007). Her career progressed with a supporting role in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), followed by a lead role in Cameron Crowe's tragicomedy Elizabethtown (2005), and as Marie Antoinette in Coppola's Marie Antoinette (2006).
Dunst began her career at age three as a child fashion model in television commercials. She was signed with Ford Models and Elite Model Management. In 1988, she appeared in Saturday Night Live as the granddaughter of George H. W. Bush. Later that year, she made her feature film debut with a minor role in Woody Allen's short film Oedipus Wrecks; it was released as one-third of the anthology film New York Stories (1989). Soon after, Dunst performed in the comedy-drama The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), based on Tom Wolfe's novel of the same name, in which she played the daughter of Tom Hanks' character. In 1993, Dunst made a guest appearance in an episode of the science fiction drama Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The success of the first Spider-Man led Dunst to reprise her role as Mary Jane Watson in 2004 in Spider-Man 2. The film was acclaimed by critics and a commercial success, setting a new opening weekend box office record for North America. With box office revenues of US$783 million worldwide, it was the second highest-grossing film in 2004. Also in 2004, Dunst co-starred opposite Paul Bettany in the romantic comedy Wimbledon in which she portrayed a rising tennis player in the Wimbledon Championships, while Bettany portrayed a fading former tennis star. The film received mixed reviews, but many critics enjoyed Dunst's performance. Claudia Puig of USA Today observed that the chemistry between Dunst and Bettany was potent, with Dunst doing a "fine job as a sassy and self-assured player".
Social Network
Kirsten Dunst has a relatively low-key presence on social media, preferring to keep her personal life private. She does not have verified profiles on major platforms like Instagram or Twitter. However, she is frequently featured in entertainment news and fan accounts.
In 1995, Dunst starred in the fantasy adventure film Jumanji, a loose adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg's 1981 children's book of the same name. The story is about a supernatural and ominous board game in which animals and other jungle hazards appear with each roll of the dice. She was part of an ensemble cast that included Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt and David Alan Grier. The film was a financial success and grossed US$262 million worldwide. In that year, and again in 2002, Dunst was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People.
Dunst next co-starred with Billy Bob Thornton, Morgan Freeman and Holly Hunter in the drama Levity (2003), a story of a man who is released on parole and returns to his hometown seeking redemption. That same year, she co-starred opposite Julia Roberts, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Julia Stiles in the drama Mona Lisa Smile (2003). The film received mostly negative reviews, with Manohla Dargis of the Los Angeles Times describing it as "smug and reductive". Dunst co-starred as Mary Svevo opposite Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet and Tom Wilkinson in Michel Gondry's science fiction romantic comedy-drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). The latter film was critically acclaimed, with Entertainment Weekly describing Dunst's subplot as "nifty and clever". The film grossed US$72 million worldwide.
Dunst's next role was in 2008, in which she co-starred opposite Simon Pegg in the comedy How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, based on former Vanity Fair contributing editor Toby Young's memoir of the same name. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 37%, with the film gaining mostly negative reviews. Robert Wilonsky of The Village Voice was critical of Dunst's performance, writing she "seems to be speaking in four different accents at once, none of them quite of the English variety". He added that the film "plays like a made-for-CBS redo of The Devil Wears Prada".
In 2011, Dunst co-starred opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland and Charlotte Rampling in Lars von Trier's drama film Melancholia as a woman suffering depression as the world ends. It premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and received positive reviews, in particular for Dunst's performance. Steven Loeb of Southampton Patch wrote "This film has brought the best out of von Trier, as well as his star. Dunst is so good in this film, playing a character unlike any other she has ever attempted... Even if the film itself were not the incredible work of art that it is, Dunst's performance alone would be incentive enough to recommend it". Sukhdev Sandhu of The Daily Telegraph wrote: "Dunst is exceptional, so utterly convincing in the lead role—trouble, serene, a fierce savant—that it feels like a career breakthrough. Dunst won several awards for her performance, including the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Best Actress Award from the U.S. National Society of Film Critics.
Dunst made a cameo in Beastie Boys' 2011 music video Fight For Your Right Revisited which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. A year later, she starred in Juan Diego Solanas' science fiction romance Upside Down with Jim Sturgess. Described as a Romeo and Juliet story, Peter Howell of the Toronto Star opined that there was no character development and Dunst "brings competence but no passion to her underwritten roles". The film's consensus on Rotten Tomatoes was also negative, with a 28% approval rating. Next, she had a role in Leslye Headland's romantic comedy Bachelorette (2012), starring Isla Fisher, Rebel Wilson and Lizzy Caplan; the film was produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Dunst plays Regan Crawford, one of three women who reunite for the wedding of a friend who was ridiculed in high school. Dunst appeared in the drama On the Road (2012), an adaptation of Jack Kerouac's novel of the same name, in which she plays Camille Moriarty. Dunst was first approached for the role by director Walter Salles several years prior. The film premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, and was released in the United States on December 21, 2012. On the Road gained mixed reviews and under-performed at the box office. Writing for Time magazine, Richard Corliss compared On the Road to "a diorama in a Kerouac museum ... [the film] lacks the novel's exuberant syncopation", but praises Dunst's performance. Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips was more positive, giving the film 3 out of 4 stars, praising the cinematic quality, and actors for their "kind of fluid motion and freedom that periodically makes On the Road make sense and makes it feel alive".
Education
- Early Education: Ranney School, Tinton Falls, New Jersey
- After Relocation: Laurel Hall School, North Hollywood; Notre Dame High School, Los Angeles
From 1996 to 1997, Dunst had a recurring role in season three of the NBC medical drama ER. She played Charlie Chemingo, a child prostitute who was being cared for by the ER pediatrician Dr. Doug Ross (George Clooney). In 1997, she voiced Young Anastasia in the animated musical film Anastasia. Also in 1997, Dunst appeared in the black comedy film Wag the Dog, opposite Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman. The following year she starred in Small Soldiers and voiced the title character in the English Disney/GKIDS dub of Studio Ghibli's Kiki's Delivery Service. She also starred in Sarah Kernochan's period comedy All I Wanna Do (1998), playing a student at an all girls' boarding school in the 1960s, opposite Gaby Hoffmann, Rachael Leigh Cook, and Lynn Redgrave. Writing for The New York Times, A. O. Scott opined that "the film is surprisingly pleasant, thanks to smart, unstereotyped performances—especially by Hoffmann and Dunst—and the filmmaker's evident respect and affection for her characters".
Dunst had two film releases in 2017. She starred alongside Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning in the drama The Beguiled, which marked her third collaboration with Sofia Coppola, who wrote and directed the film. It is a remake of Don Siegel's 1971 film of the same name about a wounded Union soldier who seeks shelter at an all-girls' school in the Confederate States of America. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 79% approval rating which was "enlivened by strong performances from the cast". Matthew Norman of the Evening Standard similarly took note of the "impeccable" acting performances and wrote, "Dunst lends the ideal measure of coiled physical longing to her prim spinster".
Dunst then starred in the psychological thriller Woodshock, written and directed by her friends, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, founders of the Rodarte fashion label. The film is about a woman who falls deeper into paranoia after taking a deadly drug. The Mulleavys' personally approached Dunst for the lead role, which gave Dunst an "emotional safety net" during filming. She prepared for the role over the course of a year, undertaking dream experiments in order to try to inhabit the character's state of mind. Upon release, the film was unpopular with critics. Katie Rife of The A.V. Club acknowledged the "sophisticated" cinematography but thought "Character development and motivation are practically nonexistent, and the already-thin plot pushes ambiguity to the point of incoherence". Variety's Guy Lodge shared a similar opinion with the character, writing "Dunst has form in playing irretrievably inverted depression to riveting effect, but the Mulleavys' script hardly gives her as complex an emotional or intellectual palette to work with".
Conclusion
Kirsten Dunst is a versatile and enduring figure in Hollywood, with a net worth of $25–35 million in 2025, reflecting her decades-long success as an actress, model, and occasional singer. Her career is marked by both commercial blockbusters and critically praised indies, and she continues to be a respected and influential presence in the entertainment industry.
