Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the anthology film New York Stories (1989). Dunst 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 was born on April 30, 1982, at Point Pleasant Hospital in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. 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 2001, Dunst purchased a house in Toluca Lake, California, selling it in September 2019 for $4.5 million. In 2010, she sold a property in Nichols Canyon, California, for $1.4 million. Dunst owned a Lower Manhattan apartment which she listed for sale in 2017.

In early 2008, Dunst was treated for depression at the Cirque Lodge treatment center in Utah. In late March 2008, she left the treatment center and began filming All Good Things. Two months later, she went public with this information in order to dispel rumors of drug and alcohol abuse, stating, "Now that I'm feeling stronger, I was prepared to say something. Depression is pretty serious and should not be gossiped about".