The 17-year-old Daniel Radcliffe has carved quite a career for himself since his 2001 debut as the world’s most important boy wizard, Harry Potter. The talented young thesp beat out thousands of hopefuls looking to portray the title role in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” after wowing director Chris Columbus with his impressive acting skills and remarkable physical resemblance to J.K. Rowling’s boy wonder. With the Potter franchise still in full swing, Radcliffe has gained respect as a mature actor, with many suggesting that his career will equal the success of the renowned Brits who make up the Potter supporting cast.
Born in Fulham, London on July 23, 1989, Daniel is the son of casting agent Marcia Gresham and Alan Radcliffe, a literary agent. The young Daniel expressed an interest in acting shortly after he learned to speak complete sentences, and eventually made his screen debut in a 1999 TV version of Charles Dickens’s “David Copperfield,” playing the title character as a young boy. Mere months before the first Potter film was released, Radcliffe appeared in a small role in John Boorman’s “The Tailor of Panama,” a taut thriller starring Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush, Jamie Lee Curtis, and future Potter cast member Brendan Gleeson.
“The Sorcerer’s Stone” (released as “The Philosopher’s Stone” everywhere but the U.S.) quickly catapulted Radcliffe to international stardom, and began what would become arguably the most successful film franchise in history. The series has allowed audiences around the world to watch Radcliffe grow into a young adult, and with the fifth film, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” the wand-wielding wizard has become a true heartthrob. Teen girls all over – beware..
Radcliffe is set to star in the final two Potter films, and has recently branched out to other projects as well. 2007 will see him in the British TV film “My Boy Jack” (playing the son of author Rudyard Kipling) as well as the orphan drama “December Boys.” Radcliffe made headlines earlier this year by starring on stage in Peter Shaffer’s “Equus” on London’s West End, in which he appeared fully nude. The acclaimed revival will move to Broadway in 2008, though Radcliffe has not yet decided whether or not to reprise his role.