This gives the background information for all of the characters in the film as well as the Twilight series of books. Wikipedia was pretty detailed in their descriptions so there may be *spoilers* ahead. I only posted snippets for each character. For the full version visit List of Twilight Characters.

Bella Swan- Kristen Stewart

Isabella “Bella” Marie Swan is an average, clumsy, accident-prone girl who moves from Phoenix, Arizona, to Forks, Washington, to live with her father, Charlie. Though many boys are attracted to her when she arrives, she falls in love with Edward Cullen, a mysterious boy she discovers to be a vampire. In an attempt to protect Bella from his dangerous lifestyle, Edward leaves her. Bella falls into a depression and is comforted by her friend, Jacob Black. She comes to love Jacob as well, though not as deeply as she loves Edward. She eventually marries Edward and, after giving birth to their daughter Renesmee, becomes a vampire. After her transformation she has the ability to shield her and others’ minds from mental attacks.

 

 

Edward Cullen – Robert Pattinson

Edward Cullen (born Edward Anthony Masen) was born on June 20, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois, and is frozen in his 17-year-old body. While dying of the Spanish influenza, he was changed into a vampire by Dr. Carlisle Cullen after Edward’s mother, Elizabeth, begged him to save Edward as her dying wish. Edward has the special ability to read minds, with the exception of Bella Swan’s. He falls in love with Bella soon after she arrives in Forks. Edward knows that he could kill Bella easily, a fact that torments him so much that in New Moon he decides to leave Forks so he and his family won’t be able to hurt her. He returns, however, because he realizes he cannot live without her. Edward marries Bella in Breaking Dawn and they have a child, Renesmee.

 

 

Jacob Black – Taylor Lautner

Jacob Black is Bella’s best friend. He is a Quileute Native American and a werewolf, later revealed to be a shape-shifter as he doesn’t transform on the full moon. In Twilight, Jacob plays a minor role, being a forgotten childhood friend of Bella’s. In an attempt to learn more about Cullens, Bella flirts with Jacob, and he tells her tribe legends about them being “the cold ones”, or vampires. After Edward leaves Bella in New Moon, Bella spends much of her time with Jacob, trying to heal her broken heart and move on. Though at first only a friend, Jacob later falls in love with Bella. Although he spends most of his time in Eclipse trying to win Bella, in Breaking Dawn he imprints on Bella and Edward’s daughter, Renesmee.

 

 

Carlisle Cullen – Peter Facinelli

Carlisle Cullen  is Esme’s husband and Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper’s adoptive father. His first appearance was inTwilight and his physical age is 23. Carlisle is described to look like a model; he has blond hair, stands at 6′2″, and is slender but muscular. Carlisle theorizes that when a human is turned into a vampire, they will have an enhanced ability from their previous life. He believes he brought compassion from his human life. Carlisle has had centuries to perfect his medicinal talents, therefore making him an excellent doctor. Unlike most vampires, he is not at all tempted by the scent of human blood, due to the over 300 years he has spent holding back his temptations. Carlisle Cullen was the son of an Anglican pastor, born in 1640s London, England, during a time of religious upheaval. His father and other pastors would hunt down creatures such as witches, werewolves, and vampires, often mistaking humans for them. As his father got older, Carlisle was put in charge. One night, he was attacked by a vampire and left to die on the streets. Knowing he would not be accepted by society, he hid himself and silently went through the painful transformation, emerging as a vampire. Horrified, he tried various methods of killing himself, but nothing worked due to his power. One night, he could endure hunger no longer and fed on a group of passing deer. Subsequently realizing that he did not have to live off humans, he set out to perfect his resistance to blood lust and become a doctor. 

 

Esme Cullen – Elizabeth Reaser

 

Esme Cullen (born Esme Anne Platt and later Esme Anne Evenson) is the wife of Carlisle and adoptive mother of Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper. She enjoys restoring old houses and her physical age is 26. She has no special power, but has a strong ability to love passionately. Esme is described as being 5′6″ with caramel-colored hair; she also has a heart-shaped face with dimples, and her figure is slender, but rounded and soft. Esme was born in the late 1800s, living in Columbus, Ohio, where she was treated at the age of 16 by Carlisle after breaking her leg when climbing a tree. She married Charles Evenson, but was abused by him. After finding out she was pregnant, she ran away and gave birth to a son, who subsequently died a few days later. Mournful of his death, Esme attempted to kill herself by jumping off of a cliff. Presumed dead, she was brought to a morgue. Carlisle, who remembered treating her years before, was able to sense her heartbeat and changed her into a vampire. Esme fell in love with and married Carlisle soon after. She loves her adoptive children as much as she did her own son, but still grieves that she cannot bear children.

 

 

Rosalie Hale – Nikki Reed

Rosalie Lillian Hale is the adopted daughter of Esme and Carlisle, adoptive sister of Edward, Alice, and Jasper, and wife of Emmett. Her physical age is 18, and she was born in 1915 in Rochester, New York, as the daughter of a banker. Rosalie is described as being astoundingly beautiful, even for a vampire; she is tall, statuesque, and has long, wavy blonde hair. As a human, Rosalie was described as a woman who had beauty, elegance, class, and eyes resembling violets. Royce King II took an interest in her and soon the two became engaged. Rosalie was extremely envious of her good friend Vera and her baby boy and, while on a visit, noticed that she did not share the same relationship with Royce as Vera did with her husband. Dismissing it, Rosalie later walked home and met an intoxicated Royce and his friends. Royce bragged about his fiancée’s beauty, leading to her being beaten, presumably raped, and left to die. Carlisle, coming across her, decided to change her into a vampire. After her transformation, she tortured and killed those who had beaten her, including Royce, but did not drink their blood.

 

 

Emmett Cullen – Kellan Lutz

Emmett Cullen is Rosalie’s husband, Carlisle and Esme’s adopted son, and Edward, Alice, and Jasper’s adoptive brother. Emmett is described as being tall, burly, extremely muscular, and, to most humans, the most intimidating of his adoptive siblings. He has slightly curly dark hair and dimpled cheeks.

Emmett was 20 and living in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in 1935 when he was mauled by a bear. The injuries from the attack were severe and he was found by Rosalie, who had been hunting in the area at the time. Rosalie, who was reminded of her friend’s baby having the same curls and innocent appearance, carried him over a hundred miles to Appalachia where Carlisle Cullen was, asking him to spare Emmett’s life by turning him into a vampire. Emmett joined Carlisle’s coven, but initially had trouble adjusting to the family’s diet of animal blood. In Twilight, Emmett is at first wary of Bella, but eventually warms up to her. He often teases her for her clumsiness and constant blushing, and votes in favor of her becoming a vampire in New Moon. In Breaking Dawn Emmett jokingly makes innuendos about Bella’s sex life, until being silenced when she defeats him in an arm wrestling match.

 

Alice Cullen – Ashley Greene

Alice Cullen is the adopted daughter of Carlisle and Esme, adoptive sister of Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett, and wife of Jasper. Alice is described as being petite and pixie-like at 4′10″, with a graceful gait and hair that is short, spiky, and black. Her special ability is to see the future, an enhanced version of her ability to have premonitions as a human. However, her ability is limited; she is only able to see the outcome of a decision once it is made. Due to this, decisions made in the spur of the moment can not be foreseen. Alice can see futures involving humans and vampires, though is unable to see the futures of werewolves or half-breeds, such as Renesmee. InBreaking Dawn, Alice theorizes that she can see vampires very clearly because she is one, can see humans somewhat less clearly because she was one, and cannot see werewolves or half-breeds because she never was one. Alice is portrayed as being bubbly and optimistic, and loves and cares for Bella like a sister. Her hobbies include shopping, make-overs, and throwing parties. Alice’s early history is very vague, as she remembers nothing of her human life and woke up alone as a vampire. It is eventually revealed that she was born around 1901 in Biloxi, Mississippi, and was kept in an asylum because she had premonitions. Alice was changed by an old vampire who worked at the asylum in order to protect her from James, a tracker vampire who was hunting her. After doing some research, Alice found her grave and discovered that the date on her tombstone matched the date of her admission to the asylum. Through her research she additionally discovered that she had a little sister named Cynthia, and that Cynthia’s daughter, Alice’s niece, was still alive in Biloxi.

 

 

Jasper Hale – Jackson Rathbone

Jasper Hale is the adopted son of Carlisle and Esme, adoptive brother of Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie, and husband of Alice. He was born in Texas and joined the Confederate States Army in 1861 to serve in the Civil War. Due to his extremely charismatic personality, he ascended through the ranks quickly. Jasper was turned into a vampire in 1863 by a vampire named Maria when he was 20 years old. As a vampire, he gained the ability to manipulate the emotions of those around him. Recognizing his high rank in the army, Maria decided to change him into a vampire to help her claim territory in Monterrey. Jasper’s responsibility was to train young vampires and then kill them when they were no longer useful (about a year after their transformation- when their strength began to fade). After about a century of this, he grew weary of the lifestyle and joined an old friend, Peter, and his mate Charlotte. Jasper left the two eventually, not wanting to feed on humans because he could feel his prey’s emotions as they died. Alice, foreseeing that they would be together, met him in a half-empty diner in Philadelphia, and together they sought out the Cullen family. Due to his past, where he was able to feed on humans whenever he chose, Jasper lacks strong self-control. He is described as tall with honey blond hair, and is muscular but lean. His body is covered with crescent-shaped scars, after the many years of fighting and training newborn vampires.