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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. (Today, Dan’s perspective on his first role today is "I hope no one ever finds any pictures of that!"). 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.

"A friend suggested that I audition, as a bit of fun, for the role of David Copperfield. I never expected to actually get the part as I knew there would be hundreds of boys trying for it, so when I did, it came as a huge surprise."

The annual Christmas BBC period drama is very popular in the UK and this 1999 adaptation of the classic novel was particularly well received. Copperfield producer Kate Harwood had these comments after working with Dan:

"He has a particular quality of naturalness and innocence. One normally dreads working with child actors, but in his case he was wonderful. He has a great deal of charm and simplicity."

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:

"One day I was looking at Daniel, who was standing beside the swimming pool. I turned to his mother and said: 'He could be Harry Potter.' "

There are a few parallels to be drawn between the apprentice wizard and Dan. Thrust into the limelight at an early age, both Harry and Dan have had to deal with the hazards of the media circus. Both are coping well. It is possible to imagine Dan walking the corridors of his school with people muttering "Bless my soul, it's Daniel Radcliffe!" but happily, this does not seem to be the case! Dan says that his life has changed surprisingly little since taking on the role of the world’s most famous boy wizard. When Dan himself is asked what qualities he shares with the bespectacled schoolboy hero, he states that loyalty, curiosity, standing up for himself and a propensity to land himself in trouble are the greatest similarities. His friends are, like Harry's, incredibly important and they have not changed their attitude towards him since stardom has struck.

Dan attends an all-boys private school in London when not receiving private tutoring on set and he has diverse interests. He supports his local football (soccer) team, Fulham, and looks after his two dogs, Binka and Nugget. He has credited Chris Columbus with giving him a love of film, and counts ‘Apollo 13’, '12 Angry Men', ‘Moulin Rouge’ and 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' among his favourites. He has developed a love of classic punk music (The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Pixies) and he isn’t at all shy about sharing his opinions on any band. He has a lot to keep him occupied in his free time - practising the bass guitar, really studying magic (he's a dab hand at card tricks), working out and trying his hand at writing his own stories.

Over the last several years, Dan has put his fame and influence to good use, quietly engaging in charity projects. In May 2002, Dan contributed to a video which is designed to help autistic people learn to recognise facial expressions, an act which inspired fans here at DanRadcliffe.com to raise over £2000 for the National Autistic Society to mark his 14th birthday.

In March 2003, a lock of his hair and an autograph raised over £750 for the British charity Comic Relief, which benefits deprived areas in the UK and around the world. In February 2005, Dan’s autographed Hogwart’s Crew T-Shirt was auctioned by the Tsunami Celebrity Clothes Auction to raise over £500 for victims in Southeast Asia.

Dan also participated on the buyer’s side of a recent charity auction by submitting the winning bid for a handwritten copy of the Sirius Black family tree donated by J.K. Rowling to Book Aid International. Another very worthwhile cause that he has chosen to support is Demelza House Children's Hospice in Kent, south-east England. Dan's request to fans that they make a donation to Demelza House has raised thousands of pounds to help improve the quality of life for terminally ill children (click here for details).

Reviews of Dan's portrayal of Harry Potter thus far have been consistently positive and, in February 2002, he won the Variety Club Award for Outstanding New Talent. Since then, he has received a number of popular awards, including two Silver Otto Awards from German magazine "Bravo", TIME for Kids 2002 Person of the Year, "Relly" Awards for Junior Achiever of the Year from the Regis and Kelly show in the US in 2003 and 2004, and Best Actor awards from 7 Extra Magazine (Belgium, Jan 2006), Roadshow Magazine (China, August 2004), and the KZONE Kids Choice Awards (July 2004).

The enormous success of the Potter franchise doesn't seem to faze the young actor. He has stated that he never watches his performances once the premieres are over and, in order to stay focused and grounded, does not pay attention to his own press.

"To this day I have never ever read a word that has been printed about me or the films - and I never ever watch interviews I have given on television."

Playing the world’s most beloved young wizard has had another side effect - Dan has earned quite a large female following recently, which is doubtless set to increase this year! He has received thousands of letters, but does he consider himself a heartthrob? Comes the modest reply:

"Personally I can't see it, but if other people can, fine. Cool!"