From precocious child star to 'Twilight' vampire -- Happy 16th Birthday, Dakota Fanning!

Dakota Fanning, you've managed to make the transition from precocious child star to adult actress without going completely off-the-rails and for that we salute you.


Little Miss Fanning got her start in some small TV apperances, but really made a splash as Sean Penn's daughter in "I Am Sam" at the tender age of seven. That performance sparked a whirlwind of roles, from "Sweet Home Alabama" to "Uptown Girls" to "War of the Worlds" and suddenly Dakota was all grown up and starring as wicked vampire Jane in the "Twilight" saga.

Her most recent project, due out in 2010, is "The Runaways," starring fellow "Twilight" actress Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett and Fanning as Cherie Currie, a music biopic of when the real-life women started their eponymous 1970s band.

It's actually pretty hard to believe Fanning is still only 16 years old. She has always seemed so mature. We can't wait to see how she progresses into full adulthood in Hollywood.

Happy Birthday, Dakota!

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Photo credit: WireImage