Daniel Radcliffe – still best known for playing Harry Potter in the movie series celebrates his 37th birthday today – but how much do you know about him?
Daniel Radcliffe shot to fame when he was just a child after he landed the title character role for the Harry Potter film series, which featured eight films released between 2001 and 2011.
But since then, Daniel has shaken off the wizard’s cloak and enjoyed a successful career, including stints in the West End and on Broadway, as well as appearing in many movies, such as the biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.
So while many people remember him as the wizard boy from Harry Potter, it isn’t the only thing he is known for.
But how much do you know about Daniel Radcliffe? Here are some facts you might not know.
Daniel’s love of acting started early
Daniel’s interest in acting was first sparked when he was five years old. His mother was supportive of his ambitions and, thanks to a friend who was a casting agent, Daniel got an audition for a role in a BBC adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield. He impressed the casting director and landed the role of the young David – his first on-screen role.
He made his big screen debut two years later, in The Tailor of Panama (2001), an American film based on John le Carré’s 1996 spy novel, which was a moderate success. However, he says that he has never actually watched the movie since it was made.
Then, of course, came a film about a boy wizard…
He’s proud of harry Potter, but doesn’t want to go back
Playing Harry Potter in such a successful series of films is something that Daniel has acknowledged would always be something he is associated with no matter what else he did in his career. But he has said he is “proud” to be associated with the series forever.
However, he has said that he has no desire to do any more Harry Potter work. When an eighth book was mooted, Daniel was asked if he might reprise the role and he said he would decline, adding that 10 years is a long time to spend with one character. He is also not involved in the new adaptation being developed by Netflix.
Daniel has also said that he doesn’t feel like he missed out on his childhood as some other child actors feel, saying that doing the Potter movies gave him a much better perspective on life.
He’s a huge music fan
Daniel has a long-standing love of music, especially indie rock, with bands including The Killers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Strokes, The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Pixies on his playlist.
He also likes to play music, and has learnt to play the bass guitar.
He loves practical jokes
Daniel has become known for being a bit of a practical joker on set. Back in the Harry Potter days he once took co-star the late Robbie Coltraine’s – Hagrid – cellphone and changed the language to Turkish.
He also once scared the makeup departments by walking in covered in bloodied sticking plasters, claiming he’d been in a fight the previous day – but it was all a joke.
He has dyspraxia
In 2008, Daniel revealed that he has a mild form of neurological disorder dyspraxia, which includes symptoms such as problems with coordination or spatial awareness.
He said the condition was discovered after struggling in school – “being crap at everything” he quipped. However, once diagnosed, he could get assistance for this.
He has given up drinking and smoking
In early 2026, he discussed having given up smoking after having smoked “pretty heavily” for 20 years.
Previously, he has also given up alcohol, having found himself becoming too reliant on it during his later teenage years.
