Lyrics, Artist and Movies ( Book 1 )

⚡️Daniel Radcliffe

B

orn Daniel Jacob Radcliffe
23 July 1989 (age 26)
Fulham, London, England
Residence Manhattan, New York, United States
Occupation Actor
Years active 1999-present
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989)[1] is an English actor who rose to prominence as the title character in the Harry Potter film series. He made his acting debut at 10 years of age in BBC One's 1999 television film David Copperfield, followed by his cinematic debut in 2001's The Tailor of Panama. At age 11, he was cast as Harry Potter in the first Harry Potter film, and starred in the series for 10 years until the release of the eighth and final film in 2011.

Radcliffe began to branch out to stage acting in 2007, starring in the London and New York productions of Equus, and in the 2011 Broadway revival of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He starred in the 2012 horror film The Woman in Black, and played beat poet Allen Ginsberg in the 2013 independent film Kill Your Darlings.

He has contributed to many charities, including Demelza Hospice Care for Children, and The Trevor Project for suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth, which gave him its Hero Award in 2011.

Early life
Radcliffe was born in West London, England.[2] He is the only child of Alan George Radcliffe, a literary agent, and Marcia Jeannine Gresham (née 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.[3][4] His father is from "a very working-class" Protestant background in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland.[5][6] His mother is Jewish, and was born in South Africa and raised in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. Her family had originally come from Poland and Russia.[7][8] Radcliffe's parents had both acted as children.[9][10]

In a 2012 interview, Radcliffe stated: "There was never [religious] faith in the house. I think of myself as being Jewish and Irish, despite the fact that I'm English."[9] He has stated: "We were Christmas tree Jews",[11] and that he is "very proud of being Jewish".[12][13]

Radcliffe first expressed a desire to act at the age of five,[14] and in December 1999, aged 10, he made his acting debut in BBC One's televised two-part adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield, portraying the title character as a young boy.[15] He was educated at two independent schools for boys:[16] Sussex House School, a day school in Chelsea's Cadogan Square,[17] and the City of London School, a day school on the North Bank of the River Thames in London's financial district (known as the City of London).[18] Attending school became difficult for Radcliffe after the release of the first Harry Potter film, with some fellow pupils becoming hostile, though he says it was people just trying to "have a crack at the kid that plays Harry Potter" rather than jealousy.[19]

As his acting career began to consume his schedule, Radcliffe continued his education through on-set tutors. He admitted he was not very good at school, considering it useless and finding the work "really difficult."[16] He achieved A grades in the three AS-level exams that he took in 2006, but decided to take a break from education and did not go to college or university.[20][21] Part of his reasoning was that he already knew he wanted to act and write, and that it would be difficult to have a normal college experience. "The paparazzi, they'd love it," he told Details magazine in 2007. "If there were any parties going on, they'd be tipped off as to where they were."[19]

Career
Harry Potter

Radcliffe at the July 2009 premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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.[22][23] Rowling 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, and so they did not tell him.[24] The movie's director Chris Columbus recalled thinking, "This is what I want. This is Harry Potter", after he saw a video of the young actor in David Copperfield.[24] Eight months later, and after several auditions, Radcliffe was selected to play the part.[25] Rowling also endorsed the selection saying, "I don't think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry."[26] Radcliffe's parents originally turned down the offer, as they had been told that it would involve six films shot in Los Angeles.[27] Warner Bros. instead offered Radcliffe a two-movie contract with shooting in the UK though,[24] when signing up, Radcliffe was unsure if he would do any more pictures.[28]

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. Radcliffe received a seven figure salary for the lead role, but asserted that the fee was "not that important" to him;[29] his parents chose to invest the money for him.[24] The film was highly popular and was met with positive reviews, and critics took notice of Radcliffe:[30] "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.[31]

Handprints, footprints and wand prints of (from left to right) Watson, Radcliffe, Grint, at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
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. The 2004 release Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was the third film in the series. Radcliffe's performance was panned by New York Times journalist A. O. Scott, who wrote that Watson had to carry him with her performance.[32] Next was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005. The film was the second-highest grossing Harry Potter film at that point,[33] and Radcliffe singled out the humour as being a reason for the movie's creative success.[34]

The future of the franchise was put into question when Radcliffe and his co-leads Emma Watson and Rupert Grint hesitated signing on to continue their roles for the final two episodes; however, by March 2007 Radcliffe had signed for the final films, which put an end to weeks of press "speculation that he would be denied the role due to his involvement in Equus", in which he had performed nude on stage.[35] Radcliffe reprised his role for the fourth time in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). Radcliffe stated that director David Yates and actress Imelda Staunton made Order of the Phoenix the "most fun" film in the series to work on.[36] His performance earned several award nominations, and he received the 2008 National Movie Award for "Best Male Performance."[37] As his fame and the series continued, Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson left imprints of their hands, feet, and wands in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.[38] In July 2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released, the series' sixth instalment. Radcliffe received nominations for "Best Male Performance" and "Global Superstar" at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards.[39]

Radcliffe, Watson and Grint at the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 premiere in London
For financial and scripting reasons the last book was divided into two films, shot back to back,[40][41] which drew criticism from the series' fanbase. Radcliffe defended the split, stating that it would have been impossible to properly adapt the final novel into a single film.[42] He added that the last movie was going to be extremely fast-paced with a lot of action, while the first part would be far more sedate, focusing on character development; he added that, had they combined them, those things would not have made it to the final cut.[43] Filming lasted for a year, concluding in June 2010 and on the last day of shooting, like most of the cast and crew, Radcliffe openly wept.[44]

The final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, was released in July 2011. Radcliffe, along with the film,[30] was critically acclaimed: Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post asked, "Who could have predicted that Radcliffe, Grint and Watson would turn out to be good actors?";[45] similarly, Rex Reed said: "Frankly, I'm sorry to see [Radcliffe] go";[46] while Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers commented on Radcliffe: "Well played, sir."[47] Roger Ebert gave the film a highly positive review, but felt that Radcliffe, Grint and Watson were "upstaged by the supporting [actors]."[48]

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."[49] Despite positive feelings about the movies, he has no interest in doing more Harry Potter films. After Rowling hinted about writing an eighth book, Radcliffe was asked if he would do another film to which he replied: "[It is] very doubtful. I think 10 years is a long time to spend with one character."[50] Despite devoting so much time to the series, Radcliffe has asserted that he did not miss out on a childhood like other child actors: "I've been given a much better perspective on life by doing Potter."[51]