Daniel Radcliffe
Photo: dallasvoice.com
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe was born on 23rd July 1989 in the London suburb of Fulham. From the tender age of five, Dan expressed an interest in acting, although his early experience was limited to playing a monkey in a school production. He became officially involved in the acting profession "by accident".
He had missed out on auditioning for a part in a television production of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist - his parents didn’t think it would be a very good idea - but he was destined to make his small screen debut as another of Dickens’ famous titular characters: David Copperfield, starring alongside Maggie Smith and Bob Hoskins.
Dan followed up his appearance in "David Copperfield" by taking a small part, to gain some experience, in the film "The Tailor of Panama" released in March 2001. He played Mark Pendel, the son of Harry and Louisa Pendel, who were played by Geoffrey Rush and Jamie Lee Curtis. While the filming was taking place, a major talent search was underway in the UK to find someone to portray a certain popular literary character and Curtis was struck by a particular insight:
Photo: danielradcliffepictures.org
Radcliffe has also starred in the five 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), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009). He has signed on for the seventh, and eighth films (year seven is being made in two parts); Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I and II, expected in 2010 and 2011. Radcliffe is ‘very happy’ that the decision has been made to split the last film into two parts, as he doesn’t believe that anything should be cut out of the climactic book. The films continue to produce high box office results worldwide.
On 9 July 2007, 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. It was announced in the New York Times on 28 December 2007 that Radcliffe will portray deceased photojournalist Dan Eldon in an upcoming biopic entitled Journey or The Journey is the Destination.
Eldon’s mother, Kathy, personally chose Radcliffe over other actors such as Heath Ledger, Ryan Phillippe and Joaquin Phoenix, noting Radcliffe’s "puckishness, sense of humour and energy" as similar to her son’s.
Sources: danradcliffe.com, wikipedia.org
