Daniel Radcliffe

The guy behind the glasses

Full Name: Daniel Jacob Radcliffe.
Nickname: Dan.
Birthdate: July 23 1989.
Birthplace: London, England.
Resides in: Fulham, West London, UK.
Parents: Alan Radcliffe and Marcia Gresham.
Siblings: None.
Harry Potter Character: Harry Potter. (You can read about Harry here)

The biography

Daniel Jacob Radcliffe was born in July 23 1989 in a suburb named Fulham just inside London, England. He’s the only child of Alan Radcliffe and Marcia Gresham.

Unlike his co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, Daniel made his acting debut before Harry Potter in the BBC’s televised two-part version of the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield, portraying the title character as young boy in December 1999. Daniel’s performance was described as “heartbreaking”.

The casting for Harry Potter movies had been started long ago and many young boys had auditioned to get the role of Harry. It was Dan, however, who got the part. After having seen Dan in David Copperfield, director Chris Colombus had Dan brought in for an audition. Daniel was asked to audition for the role of Harry Potter in 2000 by producer David Heyman, while in attendance at a play in London. Later that year, after several auditions, and to Dan’s surprise, he was selected to portray Harry Potter. He was in the bath when his dad received a phone call and was told the good news. Dan admits he cried and even woke up in the middle of the night to ask his dad if it was a dream. J.K. Rowling was very supportive since the beginning stating “it was like being reunited with her long, lost son. Having seen Daniel’s screen test, I don’t think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry.”

In 2001, months before he appeared in the movie that made him world-wide known, he had a small appearance in the film The Tailor of Panama as Mark Pendel having a change to act with Jamie Lee Curtis, Geoffrey Rush and Pierce Brosnan. In November of that year he made his first appearance as Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Philoshoper’s Stone. Daniel reprised Harry Potter for the second installment of the series Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002. Both movies made Daniel very well know around the world and he was very well accepted by fans and critics, and he also got many nominations, winning some of them.

In November 2002, just after the second movie was released, Daniel had the opportunity to appear for the first time on stage, making a guest appearance in London’s West End in The Play What I Wrote by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben. Directed by Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy Lockhart in Chamber of the Secrets), this play invites a mystery guest each opening night to participate in the comedy skit for that evening.

In 2004, he returned for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in which he had the opportunity to act alongside his idol, Gary Oldman (Sirius Black). This movie brought mixed reviews for Daniel but that didn’t stop him. He came back in 2005 for the fourth film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in which his acting skills improved greatly.

At the age of sixteen, Dan became the youngest non-royal ever to have an individual portrait in Britain’s National Portrait Gallery. On 13 April 2006, his portrait, drawn by Stuart Pearson Wright, was unveiled as part of a new exhibition opening at London’s Royal National Theatre, then moved to the National Portrait Gallery where it resides. Daniel was fourteen at the time of the portrait’s creation.

After having said he wanted a new role beside Harry Potter, in November 2005, he signed to appear in the independent Australian drama December Boys. Based Michael Noonan’s novel, he portrays the eldest of the four orphans, Maps. The movie was filmed in six weeks but the movie was not released till September 2007, months after the fifth installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released.

Daniel has also made guest appearances in comedy shows, Foley and McColl’s This Way Up and HBO’s Extras, both appearances in 2006.

In February 2007, Dan made his stage debut in Peter Shaffer’s Equus as Alan Strang, a stable boy who has an obsession with horses. The role generated significant pre-opening media interest and advance sales topped two million pounds, as Daniel appeared nude in one scene in the play. Daniel’s performance received positive reviews, as critics were impressed by the nuance and depth of his against-type role. Dan’s last performance in Equus took place on June 9, 2007. When the production transfers to New York City in 2008, Dan may reprise the role; he has stated that he is nervous about repeating the role on Broadway because he considers American audiences more discerning than those in London.

On July 9, 2007, Radcliffe and fellow cast members Rupert Grint and Emma Watson left imprints of their hands, feet and wands in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

In August 2007, he finished filming My Boy Jack an ITV drama movie in which he plays Jack Kipling, a World War I-era soldier and the son of author Rudyard Kipling. The TV film was released in November 2007.

Daniel came back to reprise his role of Harry Potter in the sixth movie of the series Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in September 2007. The movie was set to be released in November 2008 but was changed to July 17th next year due various reasons, among them the aftereffects of the writers’ strike. He will also come back for the las film of the series Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, set to be released in 2010/2011.

Daniel is currently in New York, to reprise his role as Alan Strang in Equus in Broadway.

Daniel previously attended the Sussex House School, an all-boys school, and for his AS levels at City of London School. He achieved A grades in the three AS-levels he sat in 2006, but then decided to take a break from education. He plays bass guitar (taught by Gary Oldman) and is a fan of punk rock music; he admires a diverse lineup of bands, from Sex Pistols to Arctic Monkeys. While on set, to keep busy, he enjoys playing table tennis and video games with his fellow cast members. He has become a keen follower of cricket and attended the first England vs. India test match on his 18th birthday.

Written by Anna

His Family

We fans support him, but these are the people that have been supporting him long before he became famous.

Alan Radcliffe (Father) – His dad worked as a Literary Angent and now is working as Daniel’s chaperone.
Marcia Gresham (Mother) – Casting Director

Filmography

	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (PART II) (2011) as Harry Potter
	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (PART I) (2010) as Harry Potter
	Journey (2009) as Daniel Eldon
	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 2009) as Harry Potter
	Equus on Broadway (Play) (September 2008 – February 2009) as Alan Strang
	My Boy Jack (TV-Film) (November 2007) as Jack Kipling
	December Boys (September 2007) as Maps
	Equus on West End (Play) (February-June 2007) as Alan Strang
	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (July 2007) as Harry Potter
	Extras (Television) (September 2006) Special Apparition as “Himself”
	This Way Up (Television) (17 December 2005) Special Apparition as Himself as a Traffic Warden
	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (November 2005) as Harry Potter
	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (June 2004) as Harry Potter
	The Play What I Wrote (Play) (23 November 2002) Special Apparition as Himself
	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (November 2002) as Harry Potter
	Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (November 2001) as Harry Potter
	The Tailor of Panama (March 2001) as Mark Pendel
	David Copperfield (TV-Film) (December 1999) as Young David Copperfield