The biography of Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor

who rose to prominence playing the titular character in the Harry
Potter film series. His work on the series has earned him several
awards and more than 60 million.
Radcliffe made his acting debut at age ten in BBC One's
television movie David Copperfield (1999), followed by his film debut in
2001's The Tailor of Panama. Cast as Harry at the age of eleven,
Radcliffe has starred in eight Harry Potter films since 2001, with the
final instalment released in July 2011. In 2007 Radcliffe began to
branch out from the series, starring in the London and New York
productions of the play Equus, and the 2011 Broadway revival of the
musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The Woman
in Black (2012) will be his first film project following the final Harry
Potter movie.
Radcliffe has contributed to many charities, including Demelza
House Children's Hospice and The Trevor Project. He has also made
public service announcements for the latter. In 2011 the actor was
awarded the Trevor Project's "Hero Award".

Early life
Radcliffe was born on 23 July 1989 in West London, England,[1]
the only child of Alan George Radcliffe, a literary agent, and Marcia
Jeannine Gresham (ne Marcia Gresham Jacobson), a casting agent
who was involved in several films for the BBC, including The Inspector
Lynley Mysteries and Walk Away And I Stumble.[2][3] Radcliffe's mother
is Jewish and a native of Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex (her family's surname
was anglicised from "Gershon");[3][4] his father, originally from Northern
Ireland, is Protestant.[5] Radcliffe first expressed a desire to act at the
age of five.[6] In December 1999, aged ten, he made his acting debut in
the BBC One's televised two-part adaptation of the Charles Dickens
novel David Copperfield, portraying the title character as a young boy.
[7]
Radcliffe was educated at independent schools for boys, [8] including
Sussex House School, a day school in Cadogan Square in Chelsea,
London.[9]
Following the release of the first Harry Potter movie, attending
school became hard, with some students becoming hostile. Radcliffe
said it was people just trying to "have a crack at the kid that plays
Harry Potter" rather than jealousy. [10] As his acting career began to
consume his schedule, Radcliffe continued his education through on1

set tutors. The actor admitted he was not very good at school,
considered it useless, and found the work to be "really, really
difficult."[8] However, he did achieve A grades in the three Advanced
levels he sat in 2006 but then decided to take a break from education
and did not go to college or university. [11] Part of the reason was he
already knew he wanted to act and write. Another reason was it would
be difficult to have a normal college experience. "The paparazzi, theyd
love it, he told Details magazine in 2007. "If there were any parties
going on, theyd be tipped off as to where they were, and it would be
all of that stuff."[10]

Career
Harry Potter

Handprints, footprints and wand prints of (from left to right)

Watson, Radcliffe, Grint.
In 2000, producer David Heyman asked Radcliffe to audition for
the role of Harry Potter for the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's Stone, the best-selling book by British author J.K.
Rowling.[12][13] The author had been searching for an unknown British
actor to personify the character. However, Radcliffe's parents did not
want him to audition for the role as the contract required shooting all
seven films in Los Angeles, California, so they did not tell him. [14] Once
the movie's director Chris Columbus saw a video of the young actor in
David Copperfield, he recalled thinking, "This is what I want. This is
Harry Potter".[14] Eight months later, after several auditions, he was
selected to play the part.[15] Rowling also endorsed the selection,
saying the filmmaker could not "have found a better Harry". [16] Warner
Bros offered him a two-movie contract, with shooting in the UK, and
assured his parents he would be protected. [14] When signing up,
Radcliffe was unsure if he would do any more pictures.[17]
The release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (released
as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States) took
place in 2001. The story follows Harry, a young boy who learns he is a
wizard and is sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to
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begin his magical education. He got a seven figure salary for the lead
role but asserted that the fee was not "that important" to him. [18] His
parents chose to invest the money for him. [14] The film broke records
for opening-day sales and opening-weekend takings and became the
highest-grossing film of 2001. With a total of US$974 million in ticket
sales, Philosopher's Stone stands as the most commercially successful
in the series.[19] The adaptation met with strong reviews, [20] and critics
took notice of Radcliffe: "Radcliffe is the embodiment of every reader's
imagination. It is wonderful to see a young hero who is so scholarly
looking and filled with curiosity and who connects with very real
emotions, from solemn intelligence and the delight of discovery to
deep family longing," wrote Bob Graham of the San Francisco
Chronicle.[21]

Radcliffe at the July 2009 premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince
A year later, Radcliffe starred in Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets, the second instalment of the series. Reviewers were positive
about the lead actors' performances but had polarised opinions on the
movie as a whole. Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post labelled it
"big, dull and empty", whereas Desson Thomson of the same
publication had more positive feelings.[20] Observing that Radcliffe and
his peers had matured, Los Angeles Times's staff writer Kenneth Turan
believed the novel's magic could not be successfully duplicated in the
film.[22] Nonetheless, it still managed to earn US$878 million, taking the
second spot of the highest-grossing 2002 films worldwide behind The
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers[23]
The 2004 release Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
marked the third in the series. While garnering the highest critical
acclaim of the series[20] and grossing US$795.6 million worldwide, the
film's performance at the box office ranks the lowest in the series. [19]
3

Meanwhile, Radcliffe's performance was panned by critics, who found

him to be "wooden", with New York Times journalist A. O. Scott writing
that Watson had to carry him with her performance. [24] Next was Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005. The film explored romantic
elements, included more humour and saw Harry selected as a
competitor in a dangerous multi-wizard school competition. Goblet of
Fire set records for a Harry Potter opening weekend, as well as for a
non-May opening weekend in the US and an opening weekend in the
UK. In a 2005 interview, Radcliffe singled out the humour as being a
reason for the movie's creative success.[25]
Despite the success of the past movies, the future of the
franchise was put into question as all three lead actors were unsure
about signing on to continue their roles for the final two episodes.
However, by 2 March 2007, Radcliffe signed for the final films, which
put an end to weeks of press speculation that he would be denied the
part due to his involvement in Equus.[26] Radcliffe reprised his role for
the fifth time in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007),
which details Harry's return to Hogwarts after his recent encounter with
Lord Voldemort. It opened to positive responses from the press. [20] IGN
movie critic Steven Horn found Order of the Phoenix to be one of
"those rare films that exceeds the source material" [27] and Colin
Bertram of New York's Daily News publication dubbed it the best movie
in the series.[28] Radcliffe has stated that he had formed a special bond
with actor Gary Oldman while working with him on set[29] and that
director David Yates and actress Imelda Staunton made Order of the
Phoenix the "most fun" film in the series to work on. [30] His performance
earned several nominations, and he picked up the 2008 National Movie
Award for "Best Male Performance". [31] As the fame of the actor and the
series continued, Radcliffe and fellow Harry Potter cast members
Rupert Grint and Emma Watson left imprints of their hands, feet, and
wands in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.[32]
On 15 July 2009, the series's sixth instalment, Harry Potter and
the Half-Blood Prince, was released. It centres around Harry discovering
an old book belonging to the Half-Blood Prince and beginning to learn
more about Lord Voldemort's past. The film did considerably better
than the previous movie, breaking the then-record for biggest midnight
US showings, with US$22.2 million at 3,000 theatres[33] and with
US$7 million, giving the UK its biggest Wednesday ever. [34] In its total
run, Half-Blood Prince totalled in US$933 million ticket sales.[19] The film
remains one of the most positively reviewed entries within the series
among film critics, who praised the film's "emotionally satisfying"
story, direction, cinematography, visuals and music.[35][36][37] At the 2010
MTV Movie Awards, Radcliffe received nominations for "Best Male
Performance" and "Global Superstar".[38]
4

David Yates directs Radcliffe for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 in 2009.
For financial and scripting reasons, the last book was divided into
two films that were shot back to back, [39][40] drawing criticism from the
book's fanbase. The actor defended the split, pointing out that it would
have been impossible to properly adapt the final novel into a single
film.[41] He added that the last movie was going to be extremely fastpaced with a lot of action, while the first part would be far more
sedate, focussing on character development. Had they combined
them, those things would not have made it to the final cut. [42] Filming
lasted for a year, concluding in June 2010. On the last day of shooting,
like most of the cast and crew, Radcliffe openly wept.[43] Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (2010) was released in November and
grossed over US$950 million.[19] Its most lucrative territory was the UK,
where it reportedly had the highest-grossing three-day opening in
history. Overseas, its earnings of US$205 million in 91 markets made it
the top-grossing foreign opening for a non-summer picture. [44] The
movie received mostly favourable reviews in the media.[20]
The final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, was
released worldwide starting on 13 July 2011 in Australia. It was named
the most highly anticipated film of 2011 by Fandango users[45] and won
the National Movie Awards's "Must See Movie of the Summer"
accolade.[31] Radcliffe admitted that some people would never be able
to separate him from the character but also said he is "proud to be
associated with this film series forever." [46] Despite positive feelings
about the movies, he has no interest in doing more Harry Potter films.
After Rowling suggested writing an eighth book, Radcliffe was asked if
he would do another film; he replied: "[It is] very doubtful. I think 10
years is a long time to spend with one character." [47] Despite devoting
so much time to the series, Radcliffe has asserted that he did not miss
5

out on a childhood like other child actors: "Ive been given a much
better perspective on life by doing Potter.[48]
In 2007, Radcliffe was in a relationship with Laura O'Toole, an
understudy for one of his co-stars in a play. Following the break-up,
they remained friends.[72] He is an atheist and has also stated that he is
"very proud of being Jewish."[73][74][75] In 2008, he revealed that he
suffers from a mild form of the neurological disorder dyspraxia. The
motor skill disorder sometimes gets so bad that he has trouble doing
simple activities, such as writing or tying his own shoelaces. "I was
having a hard time at school, in terms of being crap at everything, with
no discernible talent," the actor commented. [76] In August 2010, he
stopped drinking alcohol after finding himself becoming too reliant on
it.[77]
Radcliffe is a supporter of the Liberal Democrats.[78] He has
voiced support for the political party's Nick Clegg and pledged to spend
more time in the UK to help increase his profile to a younger audience.
[78]
At the age of 16, Radcliffe 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 the Royal National Theatre, then
moved to NPG where it resides.[79]
He is a fan of underground[80] and punk rock music,[81][82] and is a
keen follower of cricket.[83] Writing short stories and poetry is also a
passion.[84] In November 2007, the actor published several poems
under the pen name Jacob Gershon a combination of his middle name
and the Jewish version of his mother's maiden name Gresham in
Rubbish, an underground fashion magazine.[74][84] He enjoys a close
friendship with his fellow Harry Potter co-stars Emma Watson[85] and
Tom Felton[80] and is tight-knit with his family, whom he credits for
keeping him grounded.[86]

Radcliffe at the 2008 BAFTA Awards

Speaking out against homophobia, Radcliffe filmed public service
announcements for The Trevor Project promoting awareness of gay
teen suicide prevention beginning in 2009. [87][88] He first learned of the
organisation while working on Equus on Broadway in 2008[88] and has
contributed financially to it.[89] "I have always hated anybody who is not
tolerant of gay men or lesbians or bisexuals. Now I am in the very
fortunate position where I can actually help or do something about it,"
he said in a 2010 interview. In the same interview, he spoke of the
importance of public figures advocating for equal rights. [88] Radcliffe
considers his involvement to be one of the most important things in his
career.[87] For his work for the organisation, he was given the "Hero
Award" in 2011.[87]
Radcliffe has supported various charities. He designed a Cu-Bed
for Habitat's VIP Kids range, and all the royalties from the sale of the
bed went directly to his favourite charity, Demelza House Children's
Hospice, in Sittingbourne, Kent.[90] Radcliffe has urged his fans to make
donations in lieu of Christmas presents to him to that charity's Candle
for Care program. In 2008, he was among several celebrities to donate
their old eyeglasses to an exhibit honouring victims of the Holocaust.[91]
During the Broadway run of Equus, the actor also auctioned off a pair
of jeans he wore in the show for several thousand dollars. [92] He has
also donated money to Get Connected UK, a London-based free
confidential national helpline for troubled youth.[93]
He is reported to have earned 1 million for the first Potter film[18]
and around 15 million for the sixth movie. [8] Radcliffe appeared on the
Sunday Times Rich List in 2006, which estimated his personal fortune
to be 14 million, making him one of the richest young people in the
UK.[94] In March 2009, he was ranked number one on the Forbes list of
"Most Valuable Young Stars".[95] By April, The Daily Telegraph measured
his net worth at 30m, making him the 12th richest young person in
the UK. According to the publication, he is expected to have amassed
70m by the time the series of movies concludes. [96] Radcliffe was
considered to be the richest teenager in England as of June 2009. [8] In
February 2010, he was named the sixth highest paid Hollywood male
star[97] and placed at number five on Forbes's December list of
Hollywood's
highest-grossing
actors,
with
the
revenue
of
US$780 million thanks to one movie released that year:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.[98] The actor was reported
in 2010 to have personal assets of 28.5 million, making him richer
7

than Princes William and Harry.[99] Despite his wealth, Radcliffe has said
he does not have expensive tastes. His main expense is buying books:
"I read a lot."[100] He also stated that money would never be the focus
of his life.[8]