Happy birthday, Robert Pattinson!

In honor of his 29th birthday this week, here are 10 reasons we’re celebrating the life of Robert Pattinson.

 

10. Robert Pattinson was born in London on May 13, 1986. He was so adorable as a little kid that his mother apparently had to keep him on a leash so nobody stole him away.

 

9. He began modeling at 12 and was successful for a few years thanks to his androgynous look, as he puts it. Here’s a close-up from one of his early gigs modeling underwear:

 

8. His movie debut was sort of in the 2004 adaptation of Vanity Fair. Sort of, because his scene was cut. Fortunately, that deleted scene turned up on the DVD as the alternate ending, and we can watch it below.

 

7. One year later, Pattinson joined the biggest movie franchise of the time for the minor yet very significant role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Here he had his first taste of being a fan favorite.

 

Of course, that was nothing compared to the Team Edward phenomenon that came with his most famous role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight franchise.

 

6. When Pattinson was cast in Twilight, the press liked to ask him to compare the franchise with Harry Potter. Check out one of his diplomatic responses:

 

5. He is also a singer and songwriter and has contributed original tunes to the soundtracks for Twilight and How to Be, in which he plays an aspiring musician. Watch him perform the title song from that movie here:

 

4. Here is Robert Pattinson’s movie career in 5 great gifs:





 

3. He is very much into charity and getting into the action, even becoming a certified first responder through the International Medical Corps. He also participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, as nominated by Zac Efron. Watch him get drenched and pummeled for a good cause:

 

2. Last year, Russian astronomer Timur Kryachko named asteroid “246789 Pattinson” after the actor. Here is where it is right now in relation to the other planets, according to the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center:

 

1. Coming up, Pattinson stars in two movies portraying historical figures. He’s T.E. Lawrence for Werner Herzog’s Queen of the Desert and photojournalist Dennis Stock in Anton Corbijn’s Life. Watch him in the latter in this clip: