Twilight Saga Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Elizabeth Ann Reaser (born on June 15, 1975) appears in all five movies of the series as Esme Cullen.

Background[]

Early life[]

4575927841 4c70b056ff

Elizabeth Reaser as Esme.

Reaser was born in West Bloomfield, Michigan and wanted to be an actor from childhood. As the middle child in a trio of sisters, she grew up in rural Milford, Michigan. Her mother (a homemaker), and her father (an attorney turned restaurateur turned substitute teacher) are divorced. Through high school, she worked several odd jobs, including being a caddy at a country club.

Career[]

Reaser began college at Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan, but after one year she yearned to leave the Midwest and expand her horizons. She applied (with her parents' blessing) to the Julliard School of Drama, and was accepted. From Julliard she was awarded a Bachelor's of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in 1999. She struggled at first, but soon found adequate representation and a part on the daytime drama series, Guiding Light. Since then, she has become an accomplished film, television, and stage actor, landing numerous supporting and leading roles. Reaser appeared as a multi-episode patient named Ava (aka Rebecca) on Grey's Anatomy, and later returned for a few episodes as Alex Karev's mentally unstable girlfriend. She earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for this role. She was also the lead character on the short-lived show The Ex List. In 2008, she played the role of Esme Cullen in the movie Twilight. She returned for the film's sequels, New Moon and Eclipse. Reaser recently played P.J. Lanes in the two part lifetime show Bonnie and Clyde.

Reaser once appeared in a London stage production for only two audience members, and in preparation for her role on Saved she hung out in an emergency room, researching the behavior of medical staff. In October 2004, Interview magazine hailed her as one of the "14 To Be" emerging creative women. She earned the "Jury Award" at the Newport Beach Film Festival in 2006 for her work in the film Sweet Land, and in 2007 was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award as "Best Female Lead" for the same part.

Filmography[]

Year Film Role Notes
1999 Scrubs Molly (short film)
2001 Thirteen Conversations About One Thing Young Woman in Class
The Believer Miriam
2002 Emmettā€™s Mark Alison Holmes
2004 Mind the Gap Malissa Zubach
2005 The Family Stone Susannah Stone Trousdale
Stay Athena
Sweet Land Inge
2006 Puccini for Beginners Allegra Castiglione
The Wedding Weekend Julep
2007 Purple Violets Bernadette
Grey's Anatomy Ava/Rebecca Pope
2008 Twilight Esme Cullen
2009 The Twilight Saga: New Moon Esme Cullen
Against the Current Liz Clarke
2010 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Esme Cullen
2011 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 Esme Cullen
2012 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 Esme Cullen November 16, 2012
2013 Bonnie and Clyde P.J. Lane
2018 The Haunting of Hill House Shirley Crain

Trivia[]

  • Reaser's favorite book from The Twilight Saga is Twilight.
  • She is listed as a vegetarian.

External links[]

Advertisement