Early Life
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe was born in London on July 23rd, 1989. He is the only child of Marcia Jeannine Gresham and literary agent Alan George Radcliffe. Confusingly, one of the schools he went to was Redcliffe School.
He showed an early interest in acting from the age of five, and his first TV role came five years later in BBC One’s 1999 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield. His big screen debut came two years later in the 2001 adaptation of John le Carré’s spy novel, The Tailor of Panama.
It’s Who You Know
In 2000, around the time Daniel filmed his first movie, his literary agent father took his 11-year-old boy to the theater. There, they bumped into Alan’s good friend, David Heyman.
The British film producer suggested that young Daniel audition for the role of Harry Potter for the film adaptation of J. K. Rowling’s best-selling book Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. In America, the book and the film are known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Winning the Role of a Lifetime
Producers had been searching for a young, unknown British actor to play the bespectacled boy wizard. When director Chris Columbus saw a video of the young actor in David Copperfield, he said, “This is what I want. This is Harry Potter.”
J.K. Rowling was equally delighted, stating, “I don’t think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry.” Eight months later, after several auditions, Daniel eventually won the part. His parents got the phone call and delivered the good news when he was at home in the bath!
Refusal of the Call
If you’re a fan of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey/monomyth, you’ll know that – through internal or external devices – the hero has to refuse the call to adventure. And that’s exactly what happened with Daniel Radcliffe. He very nearly didn’t play Harry Potter.
Radcliffe’s parents initially turned down their son’s offer, as he would have to shoot six films in Los Angeles. Warner Bros. wanted Harry so much that they moved the production to England and offered the young actor a two-film contract.
Contact Details
Daniel was perfect for playing Harry Potter on the silver screen, but in Rowling’s books, she “repeatedly emphasized that Harry’s eyes are a bright, arresting shade of green, just like his mother’s.” However, Radcliffe’s eyes are blue, meaning he had to wear contact lenses to play the part.
However, Daniel suffered an allergic reaction, resulting in red, swollen eyes. Luckily for Daniel, J.K. Rowling agreed that the color of the wizard’s eyes had no bearing on the storyline, so they went with Daniel’s natural blue eyes.
Harry’s Iconic Spectacles
Yet, as soon as the contact lens problem was solved, Daniel was struck down by another allergy. He’s allergic to nickel, which almost robbed fans of an even more iconic Harry Potter look – his round eyeglasses.
The actor explained, “These two rings of whiteheads and spots had come up around my eyes. It took us about a week to realize that it was actually the glasses.” After that, Radcliffe wore specially made glasses that did not irritate his skin.
Hogwarts Keepsake
After filming the movies, Radcliffe kept two pairs of his famous round-rimmed glasses, one pair from The Philosopher’s Stone and one pair from Deathly Hallows: Part 2. He admitted they were his favorite prop from the entire series.
In 2011, he told The Daily Mail, “The ones from the first film are absolutely tiny now, but they are very sweet. They are all lensless as well. There was rarely ever any glass in the actual glasses because of filming problems with reflections.”
Daniel Has Dyspraxia
Allergies are not the only medical condition that Radcliffe suffers from. In 2008, Radcliffe disclosed during an interview with The Daily Mail that he grapples with mild dyspraxia, a neurological disorder that impacts a person’s coordination. As a result, he struggles with things like playing sports and tying his shoelaces.
He once admitted, “I was having a hard time at school, in terms of being crap at everything, with no discernible talent.” Thankfully, the condition didn’t affect his acting or wand-wielding. Quidditch requires less hand-eye coordination than other sports.
Harry Potter Mania
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was released just in time for Christmas 2001. The inaugural adventures of Harry, Hermione, and Ron’s freshman year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were not only a critical and commercial success – they captured the imaginations of children and adults alike.
All over the world, fans went mad for Harry, Quidditch, and everything to do with wizards. The film franchise was one of the biggest British exports since the Beatles or Spice Girls!
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Radcliffe earned rave reviews for playing the film’s protagonist and earned a cool million dollars for his first outing. However, the young lad insisted that the fee was “not that important” to him, and his parents wisely invested the money on his behalf.
Yet Daniel’s parents didn’t need to worry about wisely investing their son’s money, as the first film was such a huge success that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was released the following year, and their son was about to triple his salary…
The Funky Drummer
Daniel proved an extremely reliable and punctual cast member. During the almost decade he spent filming seven Harry Potter films, from The Philosopher’s Stone to Harry Deathly Hallows: Part 2, he only ever took two days off sick.
However, the cheeky little fellow did get through at least 80 magic wands because he kept using them as drumsticks and breaking them. So, while the production manager would have been happy with his conscientiousness, the props department would have cursed him.
Harry’s Scar
The props department wasn’t the only department that would have cursed Daniel. The make-up department was probably just as unhappy with him. That’s because, between takes, he could be found constantly scratching his iconic scar off his forehead, meaning they continually had to redo his scar.
It’s bad enough that fans of the book had to have a blue-eyed, non-green-eyed Harry Potter – but can you imagine him without his iconic glasses and scar?
He Avoids Social Media
Being one of the most recognizable faces in the world, Daniel fervently avoids social media. He admitted he’s not mentally strong enough to see people writing negative things about him or to face the torrent of abuse that people hurl towards celebrities.
Radcliffe also confessed he doesn’t have the patience to deal with online trolls, stating, “I 100% know that if I did, you all would be waking up to stories of like, ‘Dan Radcliffe gets into fight with random person on Twitter.'”
He Avoids the Internet
Social media isn’t the only technology that Daniel avoids; he believes that people his age and younger have become too reliant on tech – especially the internet – and thinks this affects the way we communicate and love.
The actor once said, “I think love is generally difficult to achieve. The way we talk online is less personal, less about actual communication, and often not representative of who we are. Technology is supposed to be about bringing people together. In terms of hooking up, I suppose it is and does.”
He’s an Incurable Romantic
Daniel believes you won’t find true love on a dating app. The deep-thinking, incurable romantic once told Parade magazine, “We all grow up with an idea of what love is. It’s this all-conquering thing that when you find it, all the other problems you have will be overwhelmed and conquered by it.”
Daniel continued, “Especially if you’re in that situation where you are a friend and are thinking about potentially jeopardizing your friendship for something more.” Jeapordizing friendships? Who on earth could he be talking about?
Hogwarts Schoolboy Crush
Since Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint spent their entire adolescence making films together, it’s no surprise that Daniel and Rupert had major crushes on Emma. Both actors were rumored to have been romantically linked to Watson, yet both kept quiet on whether they actually dated.
In a 2009 interview, Rupert told The Telegraph, “As for who has the worst crush on her – me or Radcliffe – I’d rather not say.” However, Daniel told The Independent he would never date Watson, likening the idea to dating a sister.
Celebrity Crushes
Daniel might have been a world-famous actor, but like all adolescents, he still had his Hollywood crushes. As a kid, he had posters of Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore taped to his bedroom wall. But he was infatuated with Kirsten Dunst after he saw her in Spider-Man and Get Over It.
Talking to BuzzFeed about his crush, Kirsten Dunst, locking lips with Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, he revealed: “That whole upside-down kiss moment … I think that was a moment for a lot of us.”
Humble Harry
One of the most impressive things about Daniel’s career is how well-adjusted he remained as he transitioned from teen star to adult actor. Unlike many child actors who go off the rails, Daniel has never let fame and fortune go to his head, has remained humble throughout, and has been relatively scandal-free over the years.
In an interview on the BBC’s The Graham Norton Show, Daniel confessed he has “worked really hard to not be seen as a jerk and be as far away from that as possible.”
He’s Incredibly Self-Critical
Daniel is even modest enough to admit when he hasn’t turned in his best work as an actor. Despite only being 19 when he made the sixth film in the franchise, he heavily critiqued his work in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The actor explained, “My acting is very one-note, and I can see I got complacent.”
Radcliffe was less harsh on himself regarding his performance in Order of the Phoenix, saying it was a progression from his work in the previous four movies.
He Loves Acting
As well as being humble, Daniel is eternally grateful he played Harry Potter and […] loves acting.” Admonishing unnamed young actors for being bored on set, Daniel told Playboy magazine, “This is the best place on Earth. I loved it from the word go.”
He continued, “I loved being on set. I loved the hours. I loved the people. I loved the crazy, weird [stuff] I got to do every day. Acting was the focus for me, and I wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize being an actor.”
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Daniel was very close with Severus Snape actor Alan Rickman. After the movies, the two became friends. Radcliffe told the Today Show, “He is one of the [most loyal] and most supportive people I’ve ever met in the film industry. He was so encouraging of me both on set and in the years post-Potter.”
After the Harry Potter films wrapped, Rickman stayed in touch, often wrote about Daniel in his diaries, and attended all of his apprentice’s stage performances in London and New York.
Losing a Dear Friend
When Alan Rickman passed away in 2016, Daniel was devastated. He wrote, “Alan Rickman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with. As an actor, he was one of the first of the adults on Potter to treat me like a peer rather than a child.”
He continued, “I will carry the lessons he taught me for the rest of my life and career. Film sets and theatre stages are all far poorer for the loss of this great actor and man.”
He’s a Poet, But You Don’t Know it!
Did you know that Daniel once revealed he’d published poems in his late teens? The reason this might be news to some Harry Potter fans is because he published the poetry under the pen name Jacob Gershon.
In an interview with Elle, he explained, “I was writing poetry more consistently when I was 16 to 19 or 20. In that period, I would have written a lot of love poems. I have none that I want to see in print on the internet forever.”
More Strings to His Bow
Acting and poetry aren’t Radcliffe’s only skills; he also loves writing fiction, especially short stories.” As an actor, there’s room for a certain amount of creativity, but you’re always ultimately going to be saying somebody else’s words.” Luckily, that somebody else was usually J.K. Rowling.
The actor told The Guardian, “I don’t think I’d have the stamina, skill, or ability to write a novel, but I’d love to write short stories and poetry because those are my two passions.”
Literature Lover
Daniel is an avid reader and once revealed his six favorite books. He said Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the funniest book he’s ever read. Also on Daniel’s reading list is Emile Zola’s masterpiece Germinal, Jorge Luis Borges’ collection of short stories Labyrinths, Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, and Ernest Hemingway’s classic short story The Old Man and the Sea.
If you can count, you’ll have noticed that’s only five books. That’s because Daniel’s favorite book is so special to him, it deserves its own entry.
His All-Time Fave Book
Daniel’s favorite author is Russian novelist Mikhail Bulgakov. He was also a medical doctor and playwright who mainly wrote about the Russian Civil War in the first half of the 20th century.
Radcliffe’s favorite book by Bulgakov is the supernatural satirical dark comedy The Master And Margarita, in which the devil turns up in Soviet-era Russia and its citizens’ beliefs and behavior. Daniel loves Bulgakov so much that for his 21st birthday, he traveled to Moscow to the author’s apartment.
His All-Time Favorite Film
Even though he once went to San Diego Comic-Con disguised as Spider-Man, Dan’s all-time fave film is the 1957 black-and-white courtroom drama 12 Angry Men – starring Henry Fonda (pictured). It tells the tale of a jury who argue the case of a teenager charged with homicide.
If you haven’t seen it, check it out because it’s totally gripping. He also lists Dr. Strangelove, Little Miss Sunshine, and Jason and the Argonauts among his other favorite movies.
Language Lover
Daniel’s school language teachers must have loved him almost as much as Severus Snape loved teaching Harry Potter to be a wizard. Radcliffe is fluent in three languages – English (obviously), plus French and Spanish. He also learned Japanese. But, his cunning linguistic skills don’t end there…
When promoting the Harry Potter films, he’d often briefly break into many other languages, including Russian, Chinese, German, Italian, and Portuguese! He definitely has a knack for the written and spoken word. He also reads spells in Latin, speaking of which…
Herbivicus Charm
As the teenage hormones kicked in, Daniel didn’t grow as fast as Emma and Rupert. Now fully grown, the diminutive actor only stands 5’5″. He should have used the Herbivicus Charm spell!
He told The Telegraph, “I used to be very self-conscious about my height, but then I thought, [screw] that, I’m Harry Potter!” Speaking of his short stature, he admitted that he realized he could be bitter about it, or he could see the funny side. He chose the latter option.
Stage Work
After the success of the Harry Potter movies, the world eagerly awaited Radcliffe’s next projects. While he could have chosen any tent-pole blockbuster he liked, Daniel delighted in unusual roles in stage plays and small indie movies.
Aged 17, between Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince, he appeared naked on stage as a man who’s obsessed with horses in Equus. It was such a success that Radcliffe and late English actor Richard Griffiths (who played Harry’s uncle Vernon Dursley) took the play from the West End to Broadway.