Edward Cullen

Edward Cullen
Twilight character
Edward Cullen as portrayed by Robert Pattinson in the Twilight film series
First appearance	Twilight
Last appearance	Breaking Dawn
Created by	Stephenie Meyer
Portrayed by	Robert Pattinson
Information
Aliases	Edward Anthony Masen (human name)
Species	Vampire
Gender	Male
Occupation	Student
Family	Edward Masen, Sr. (biological father) Elizabeth Masen (biological mother) Carlisle Cullen (adoptive father) Esme Cullen (adoptive mother) Emmett Cullen and Jasper Hale (adoptive brothers) Alice Cullen and Rosalie Hale (adoptive sisters) Charlie Swan (father-in-law) Renée Dwyer (mother-in-law)
Spouse(s)	Bella Swan
Children	Renesmee Cullen

Edward Cullen ( Edward Anthony Masen) is a fictional character in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. He is featured in the books Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, and their corresponding film adaptations, and the as yet unfinished novel Midnight Sun—a re-telling of the events of Twilight from Edward's perspective. Edward is a telepathic vampire who, over the course of the series, falls in love with, marries, and has a child with Bella Swan, a human teenager who later chooses to become a vampire as well. In the Twilight film series, Edward is played by actor Robert Pattinson.

Stephenie Meyer stated that the original concept of Edward originated in a dream that she had, in which an "average girl" and a "fantastically beautiful, sparkly ... vampire ... were having an intense conversation in a meadow in the woods." In this dream, the pair "were discussing the difficulties inherent in the facts that ... they were falling in love with each other while ... the vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of her blood, and was having a difficult time restraining himself from killing her." She chose the name "Edward" because she thought it was "a name that had once been considered romantic, but had fallen out of popularity for decades". The development of the character was influenced by the fictional characters Gilbert Blythe, Fitzwilliam Darcy, and Edward Rochester—particularly the last, who, like Edward Cullen, sees himself as a "monster". A recurring theme in the series, especially in the first three books, is that Edward is constantly trying to avoid accidentally harming Bella, due to his vampire nature.