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Robert "Rob" Pattinson born 13 May 1986 in London, England) is an English actor and model, best known for playing Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

With his rippling brow and matinee-idol chin, Robert Pattinson became a minor movie heartthrob before he turned 20. (He was once described by the BBC as "a strapping 6 ft. 1.") Pattinson was born in London and began acting in his teens, performing with the historic Barnes Theater Company in London. He won a small part in a German TV production of The Ring of the Nibelungs (2004) and was darkly handsome in a brief appearance opposite Reese Witherspoon in the 2004 film Vanity Fair. That led to his biggest break: he was chosen to play the broad-shouldered young wizard Cedric Diggory in the films Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). Diggory is a student in the Hufflepuff house at Hogwarts and a rival of Harry Potter for the heart of Cho Chang (played in the film by Katie Leung).
He became involved in amateur theatre through the Barnes Theatre Club. After some backstage experience there, he took on acting roles. He caught the attention of an acting agent in a production of Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and began looking for professional roles. Since then he has performed in an amateur version of Macbeth at the Old Sorting Office Arts Centre (also in West London), as well as trying his hand at modelling, for which he was sometimes credited as Robert Thomas-Pattinson. He had supporting roles in the made for television film Ring of the Nibelungs (2004), and in director Mira Nair’s 2004 Vanity Fair, although his scenes in the latter were deleted, and only appear on the DVD version. He was slated to appear in a stage production of The Woman Before in May 2005, but was fired shortly before the opening night. He was replaced by Tom Riley.

In late 2005, Pattinson appeared as the character Cedric Diggory in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Consequently, he was named that year's British Star of Tomorrow by Times Online and has more than once been touted as the next Jude Law, and was considered for the 2007 membership list for The Coterie as an honorary member. He names Jack Nicholson as his acting inspiration. He is sometimes credited as Robert Thomas-Pattinson. He has a role in the as-yet unreleased short film The Summer House, and the film How To Be. He will next work on Little Ashes (in which he plays Salvador Dali), and the vampire film After Dark. He appears advertising campaign for Hackett's Autumn 2007 collection.

Source: Answers.com