Carlisle Cullen is Esme's husband and Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper's adoptive father. His first appearance was in Twilight 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 Angelican pastor, born in 1640s in 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 not take his hunger anymore and fed on a group of passing deer. Realizing he did not have to live off humans, he set out to perfect his resistance to blood lust and become a doctor.
For a short time, Carlisle lived with the Volturi, though he eventually left and travelled to the New World. While treating patients with the Spanish influenza, he met a woman who begged him to do whatever he could to save her son, Edward. Out of loneliness, Carlisle transformed him into a vampire and Edward became his companion. Soon after, in 1921, Carlisle moved to Wisconsin where he treated Esme, after a failed suicide attempt brought on by the loss of her infant son. Carlisle felt compelled to save her life and turned her into a vampire, subsequently falling in love with her, and marrying her later on. Carlisle then turned Rosalie Hale, a young woman who was almost killed by her drunken fiancé and his friends in Rochester, New York and left in the street to die. Later, while hunting, Rosalie found a young man named Emmett who had been mauled by a bear. She carried him over 100 miles to Carlisle. Carlisle then changed Emmett, since Rosalie was unwilling to do it herself for fear of accidentally draining him. After Carlisle changed Emmett, Carlisle and his family moved to Hoquiam, Washington, where they made a treaty with the Quileute Indian tribe, that the Quileutes would leave the Cullens alone if the Cullen family did not bite any humans or trespass on their land. The Cullens agreed to this treaty, and lived in relative peace until they had to move on. Between the Cullens' first and second stay in Forks, Alice and Jasper joined his coven as well, having found Carlisle on their own.
Information from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlisle_Cullen#Carlisle_Cullen
