Catherine Hardwicke Biography

Fast Facts

• Won the Women in Film Dorothy Arzner Directors Award in 2009
• Used her architecture degree to design a solar townhouse complex built around a man-made lake on a 20-acre site
• A number of young actors reached teen idol status as a result of appearing in her films, including Evan Rachel Wood, Emile Hirsch, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner
• Her films, which include "Twilight" and "Red Riding Hood" often have a dark story and tone
• Broke the record for biggest opening weekend for a female director when "Twilight" was released
• Offered swimming lessons to girls when she was in high school and taught herself how to surf as an adult
• Wrote "Twilight: Director's Notebook: The Story of How We Made the Movie Based on the Novel by Stephanie Meyer," which was published in 2009