Daniel Radcliffe Biography
Summary
"Daniel Jacob Radcliffe" (born 23 July 1989) is a British film, television and stage actor. He is best known for playing school-aged wizard Harry Potter in each of the first five films based on the best-selling "Harry Potter" book series, and will also appear in the final two films of that series.
Biography
Early life
Radcliffe was born in Fulham, London, England, the only child of Alan Radcliffe, a literary agent, and Marcia Gresham (born 'Marcia Gresham Jacobson'), a casting agent who was involved in several films for the BBC, including "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries" and, most recently, "Walk Away And I Stumble." Radcliffe's mother is Jewish and grew up in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex; his father is a Protestant who grew up in Northern Ireland. Radcliffe first expressed a desire to act at the age of five. In December 1999, he made his acting debut in the BBC's televised two-part version of the Charles Dickens novel "David Copperfield", portraying the title character as a young boy.
Career
Radcliffe was asked to audition for the role of Harry Potter in 2000 by producer David Heyman, while in attendance at a play named "Stones in His Pockets" in London. In August of that year, after several auditions, he was selected to play the role in the big-budget adaptation of the award-winning book series by J.K. Rowling. Rowling herself also approved of this selection: 'Having seen Dan Radcliffe's screen test I don't think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry'. Radcliffe made his film debut in 2001 with a supporting role alongside Pierce Brosnan in "The Tailor of Panama", and the first Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (United States title: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone") was released later that year.
Radcliffe has also starred in the four subsequent Harry Potter film adaptations: "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002), "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004), "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (2005) and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007). He has signed on for the sixth and seventh films; "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", scheduled to start filming in September 2007 for release on November 21, 2008, and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", expected in 2010. The films continue to produce high box office results worldwide.
In 2002 Radcliffe appeared as a guest in the West End production "The Play What I Wrote" directed by Kenneth Branagh (who appeared with Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"). In 2006, he began to make the transition from child to adult actor, appearing in the television series "Extras" as a parody of himself, as well as filming the independent Australian drama "December Boys". The film, which was filmed in six weeks was released in North America by Warner Bros. on September 14, 2007. Radcliffe worked with a language coach for six months to perfect an Australian accent. He took the role because he wanted to appear in a film in which he played a supporting role rather than the central character. Next, Radcliffe opened on 27 February, 2007 in a revival of Peter Shaffer's play "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 Radcliffe appeared nude in one scene in the play. Radcliffe's performance received positive reviews, as critics were impressed by the nuance and depth of his against-type role. Radcliffe's last performance in "Equus" took place on June 9, 2007. When the production transfers to New York City in 2008, Radcliffe 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.
During the summer of 2007, he filmed the ITV drama "My Boy Jack", which aired in the UK on Remembrance Day 2007 and will premiere in 2008 in the United States. In the film, Radcliffe played Jack Kipling, a World War I-era soldier and the son of author Rudyard Kipling. About the role, he stated:
"For many people my age, the First World War is just a topic in a history book. But I've always been fascinated by the subject and think it's as relevant today as it ever was."
At the age of sixteen, 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 London's Royal National Theatre, then moved to the National Portrait Gallery where it resides. Radcliffe was fourteen at the time of the portrait's creation.
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.
Personal life
Radcliffe 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.
Radcliffe has said that he is 'very proud of being Jewish' but is not religious. 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 and Hard-Fi. His favourite band is The Hold Steady. He is also a fan of Fulham Football Club. While on set, to keep busy, he enjoys playing table tennis and video games with his fellow cast members.
Radcliffe appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List in 2006, which estimated his personal fortune to be GB£14 million, making him one of the richest young people in the United Kingdom. He made another appearance on the British young people's rich list in 2007, which placed him as the thirty-third richest young person in Britain with an estimated wealth of £17 million. He is reported to have earned approximately £250,000 for the first Potter film, around £5.6 million for the fourth film, and more than £8 million for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". He will earn over $50 million for the next two films in the franchise. Despite his wealth, Radcliffe has said he does not have expensive tastes. Radcliffe has said that his main expense is books, as he 'reads a lot'. Radcliffe has been a supporter of various charities, including Demelza House Children's Hospice in Sittingbourne, Kent, to which he has requested fans make donations in lieu of birthday presents.
In February 2005, Dan put a 'Hogwarts Crew' t-Shirt which he autographed up for auction to help raise money for the Tsunami victims in 2005. His t-shirt was part of the Tsunami Celebrity Clothes Auction which raised money for the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Organization. He wore the t-shirt during the making of the film, 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone .' These t-shirts were only issued to members of the cast and crew. His shirt raised $995 or £520.
He has become a keen follower of cricket and attended the first England v India test match on his 18th birthday. He queued up for the autographs of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar and English opening batsman Andrew Strauss at the end of the final day's play. Regarding this, he stated:
"I was telling people in a recent interview that I had a dream that Andrew Strauss was chasing me with a cricket bat. It was during the West Indies series when Andrew wasn't doing too well and an Australian who was listening in piped up and said, 'I wouldn't worry about Strauss, if he had a swing at you at the moment he'd probably miss'."
Regarding the milestone of turning 18, Radcliffe stated:
"I don't plan to be one of those people who, as soon as they turn 18, suddenly buy themselves a massive sports car collection or something similar. I don't think I'll be particularly extravagant. The things I like buying are things that cost about 10 pounds -- books, CDs and DVDs."
Awards
Nominations
"2006"
Best Young Actor (Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards)
Actor of the Year (AOL Moviefone Moviegoer Awards)
Best Performance by a Young Actor (Saturn Awards)
Best Hero (MTV Movie Awards)
Best On-Screen Team (with Emma Watson and Rupert Grint; MTV Movie Awards)
"2005"
Best Performance by a Young Actor (Saturn Awards)
Best Young Actor (Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards)
"2003"
Best Performance by a Young Actor (Saturn Awards)
Best Acting Ensemble (Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards)
Most Unforgettable Scene (for the scene 'Harry Battles The Basilisk' in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) (American Moviegoer Awards)
"2002"
Best Performance by a Young Actor (Saturn Awards)
Best Young Performer (Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards)
Breakthrough Male Performance (MTV Movie Awards)
Best Newcomer (Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards)
Best Debut (with Emma Watson and Rupert Grint; Sony Ericsson Empire Awards)
Outstanding Actor (American Moviegoer Awards)
Best Performance in a Feature Film: Leading Young Actor (Young Artist Awards)
Best Ensemble in a Feature Film (with Emma Watson and Rupert Grint; Young Artist Awards)
Wins
"2007"
Best Male Performance (National Movie Awards, UK)
"2006"
Best Actor (Cine Awards, Belgium)
Best Male Film Star (Gold): Otto Awards, 2006
Best Actor/Movie (SyFy Portal's SyFy Genre Awards)
"2005"
Best Young Actor (SyFy Portal's SyFy Genre Awards)
"2004"
Top 10 Child Stars (RTL Television, Germany)
Best Breakthrough Male Actor (Star Channel Star Awards, Japan)
Best Junior Achiever (for viewers' favorite under-16 guest on the show Relly Awards)
Young Talent of the Year (ITV Celebrity Awards)
Best Movie Actor (K-Zone Kids Awards, Philippines)
Best Film Star/Actor (Dutch Kids Choice Awards)
"2003"
Best Young Actor (SyFy Portal's SyFy Genre Awards)
Best Actor (Roadshow Cinema Grand Prix Awards, Japan)
"2002"
Person of the Year ("Time For Kids")
Targa d'Oro ('Gold Plate', David di Donatello Awards)
Outstanding New Talent (Sir James Carreras Award for the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards)
"2001"
Male Youth Discovery of the Year (Hollywood Women's Press Club)
Further reading
"Daniel Radcliffe" (2004, ISBN 1584152508)
"Daniel Radcliffe: no ordinary wizard" (2005, ISBN 1416913904)
External links
(DanRadcliffe.co.uk) Unofficial site; works directly with Warner Bros., Daniel's publicist, and Daniel's family.
(DanRadcliffe.com) Unofficial site; works directly with Warner Bros., Daniel's publicist, and Daniel's family.
(Daniel Radcliffe interview for Order of the Phoenix) at (TheCinemaSource.com)
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Daniel Radcliffe.
