Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English 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 appear in the final two films of that series as well.

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Source: Wikipedia

Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English 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 appear in the final two films of that series as well.

Biography

Early life
Radcliffe was born in Fulham, London, 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. He has two dogs, Binka and Nugget. 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
In August 2000, after several auditions, he was selected for his most prominent role to date: Harry Potter in the big-budget adaptations of the popular book series by J.K. Rowling. Radcliffe made his film debut in 2001 with a supporting role alongside Pierce Brosnan in The Tailor of Panama, while 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 scheduled for release on July 11, 2007. He has signed on for the sixth and seventh films; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, scheduled for release in November 2008 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows expected sometime 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 recently bought by Warner Bros., is currently set for an August 2007 release. He 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; another production of the play will open in New York City in the summer of 2008, and Radcliffe may reprise his role. He is additionally signed on for the ITV drama My Boy Jack as Jack Kipling, a WWI-era soldier and the son of author Rudyard Kipling. Filming is scheduled for July 2007.
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.

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 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. 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 is expected to earn more than £8 million for the next film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. 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.
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