 | Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) |
Birthplace: Fulham, London, England, UK Radcliffe's parents, Alan Radcliffe and Marcia Gresham, discouraged their only child from show business when, at age five, he said that he wanted to perform. However, they must have soon changed their minds, as in December 1999, he made his first on-screen appearance as the young David Copperfield in David Copperfield, the BBC's televised version of the Dickens novel David Copperfield. This was followed in 2001 by his first film appearance, as Mark Pendel in The Tailor of Panama. In 2001, he starred in his most remembered role; that of Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. In 2002, he had a role in the play The Play What I Wrote directed by Kenneth Branagh; a production well known for their "suprise guest". In 2004 and 2005 he returned to the Potter franchise in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Radcliffe starred in the independant Australian film December Boys directed by Rod Hardy within the next year and in 2007 he again put on the famous lightning-bolt shaped scar and round glasses in the fifth Harry Potter film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. |
 | Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) |
Birthplace: Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire, England, UK Rupert Grint was such a big Harry Potter fan that as soon as he heard they were holding auditions for the first movie, he set to work. For his audition, Rupert preformed a rap he had written himself about his character, Ron Weasley! When Rupert turned 16 he decided to write his final exams and focus all of his attention on the Harry Potter flicks. Just like his co-star Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert enjoys to play the guitar, play football and listen to music (especially rap!).Rupert Grint Says... "When I read the books, I imagined that the family of Ron Weasley was my family. After reading the books, I knew the Weasleys inside out." Rupert was born in 1988 in Herfordshire to Nigel (race-car memorabilia dealer) and Jo (formerly Parsons). He is the eldest of five children, with a younger brother James, and three younger sisters (Georgina, Samantha and Charlotte). Rupert attended the Richard Hale School, and left after finishing his GCSEs in 2004. |
 | Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) |
Birthplace: Paris, France Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was born in Paris, France on April 15, 1990. At school, she took the lead role in several plays, including "Arthur: The Young Years" and "The Happy Prince". Along with plays, Emma participated in many other school productions, including the Daisy Pratt Poetry Competition, in which she won first place for her year at age seven. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), is Emma's debut into the world of professional acting. Competing against many other girls for the role of Hermione Granger, she didn't expect to get the part. Away from the cinematic world, Emma enjoys playing hockey most of all, and she also likes debating. Although her hair is brown in the movie, she's naturally a blonde. She once dressed up as a witch for Halloween, but she had no idea that years later, she would be playing one in the Harry Potter movie. Her parents, Jacqueline, (b. 1958), a lawyer and Chris, who is also a lawyer, are divorced. Emma lives with her mother and younger brother Alex, (b. 1993). Her role models are Julia Roberts, Goldie Hawn, John Cleese and Sandra Bullock. On kissing her co-stars: "Oh my God, no, no chance, no chance. That's not in my contract!"On Other Roles: "Now that I've played the snotty, bossy, posh Hermione Granger, I'd like to play some American high school girl. I want to play something totally different. I want to play every kind of character and every point of view, but I'm probably going to be playing Hermione for a while." |
 | Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) |
Birthplace: Leeds, West Yorkshire Matt was born on June 27, 1989. He was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He started acting at the age of 5 following in the footsteps of his older brother Anthony. When he is older he plans to join the RAF (Royal Air Force). He currently attends St Mary's RC High School in Menston, Nr Leeds. He enjoys watching football, his favourite team is Leeds United. He likes playing his PS2 and playing computer games on his dads PC. His current favourites are Counter Strike and Battle field 1942. He also enjoys playing tennis and badmindton. |
 | Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) |
Birthplace: Kensington, London, England, UK Born in 1987, Tom has 3 older brothers. He attended Effingham School in Surrey. Tom has been acting since he was eight, and worked with Jodie Foster (Anna and the King) before landing the part of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series of films. Always a keen singer, Tom has been a member of several choirs, and was once offered a place in the Guildford Cathedral Choir. His hobbiles include: football, iceskating, roller blading, basketball, cricket, swimming, tennis and fishing. |
 | Professor Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) |
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland After joining the National Theatre, under the Artistic Directorship of Sir Laurence Olivier, Michael went on to appear in a number of leading roles in plays written by Alan Ayckbourn. His career was catapulted in 1980 when he took the lead role in John Dexter's production of Galileo. Since then Michael has regularly appeared at the Royal National Theatre and the RSC. Roles include, King Lear, Othello, Mark Anthony and Volpone. He was described by the late Sir Ralph Richardson as being 'The Great Gambon' and he is now considered to be one of the British theatre's leading lights. |
 | Lord Voldemort - Tom Riddle (Ralph Fiennes) |
Birthplace: Suffolk, England Ralph was born on December 22, 1962 in Suffolk, England. He is the eldest of 6 children. His father is photographer, Mark Fiennes and his mother Jini is novelist, Jennifer Lash. He is the eldest of six children. Ralph and his brother Joseph Fiennes are actors. His sister, Martha Fiennes is a director and his sister, Sophie Fiennes is a producer. His brother Magnus Fiennes is a musician. Following his graduation from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1987, Ralph joined the Royal National Theatre. A year later, he became of member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and performed in stage productions of many Shakespeare plays. Ralph made his film debut in 1992 with the role of Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. He did not become well known internationally until 1993 when he played the Nazi concentration camp commander, Amon Goth, in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List. Ralph was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for that role. In 1996, Ralph garnered another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in The English Patient. Ralph married Alex Kingston in September, 1993 and they were divorced on October 28, 1997. He has been dating Francesca Annis since 1995. |
 | Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) |
Birthplace: Rutherglen, Scotland, UK Coltrane's career in acting began when he reached his early 20's. He decided to change his name to Robbie Coltrane as a tribute to Jazz singer John Coltrane of who he was a fan. He worked in various different acting jobs and dabbled in theatre and some stand up comedy, in 1982 he had roles in 'The Comic Strip Presents' alongside the likes of Rik Mayall and Jennifer Saunders and went on to appear in 'Laugh, I nearly paid my licence fee' in 1984. Soon Robbie Coltrane decided it was time to start auditioning for roles in films, he managed to win roles in a number of different movies in the 80's-90's including 'Scrubbers' 'The fruit machine' 'Krull' 'Mona Lisa' and 'Death Watch' and even landed himself a small role in the popular comedy TV show 'Black Adder' in 1987. In 1990 one of Robbie Coltrane's biggest movies was the hit comedy 'Nuns on the run' in which he starred alongside Eric Idle playing two criminals who go undercover as nuns with hilarious results. His big break however, was soon to come when he won the role of Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald in the Granada TV series 'Cracker'. He remained in the role from 1993-1996 and recently returned in 2006 to reprise his role for a one off special episode. Coltrane's recent movies include a major role alongside Johnny Depp in the thriller 'From Hell' in 2001, and two of the popular Bond films 'The world is not enough' and 'Goldeneye'. However, he has now become a firm favourite with children as well as adults, capturing their hearts since taking on the larger than life role of Rubeus Hagrid, the giant like character who has a major reoccurring part in the hit 'Harry Potter' movies originally written by JK Rowling. This proves just how versatile an actor Robbie Coltrane is, and his ability to literally take on anything thrown at him. |
 | Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) |
Birthplace: New Cross, London, England, UK Gary hails from London, England. His father left the family when Gary was only seven. Gary was raised by his mother and his two sisters. He dropped out of school at the age of sixteen and started working at a sports-equipment store. After being rejected for admission into Britain's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he won a scholarship to the Rose Bruford College, where he received a BA in Drama in 1979. Gary studied with the Greenwich Young People's Theatre and went on to appear in a number of plays throughout the early 80s. Throughout his career, Gary has become well-known for playing eccentrics and for his mastery of accents. Gary's characters are usually borderline psychotics. In 1997, he directed, produced, and wrote Nil by Mouth, partially based on his life, which went on to win the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film, a BAFTA Award and also the British Academy Award for Best Screenplay, the Channel 4 Director's Award, and the Empire Award, and was declared by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts as one of the one hundred best films of all time. Recently Nil By Mouth was listed by Time Out as one of the top two of the top fifty best British films ever. Gary has been married three times. His first marriage was to Lesley Manville. Together they had one child, Alfie, born in 1988. His second wife was actress Uma Thurman to whom he was married from 1990 till 1992. His third wife was Donya Fiorentino, an American photographer who he first met at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in October 1996. They where married from 1997 to 2001. They have 2 children together: Gulliver Flynn Oldman, born on the 20th of August 1997 and Charlie John, born on the 11th February 1999. Gary gained custody of the children when he divorced Donya. |
 | Professor Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) |
Birthplace: Hammersmith, London, England Alan Rickman was born Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman in Hammersmith, London on the 21st of February 1946. Son of Irish/Welsh parents he attended the Royal College of Art with the plans to become a Graphic Artist. However at the age of 26, he won a scholarship at RADA and studied there for three years. His first movie success was as the evil villian Hans Gruber in Die Hard along side Bruce Willis. Other major movie credits include Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, Truly, Madly, Deeply, Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood-Prince of Thieves, Galaxy Quest and most notably Professor Severus Snape in the beloved Harry Potter film series. Alan has won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performances as an movie actor. His first love, however, is theatre and he has passed up many choice movie roles in favour of the stage. He is devoted to his longtime love and partner - Rima Horton and the couple have been together since the 1960's. Alan is a true British gentleman, actor extraordinaire, adored and admired by millions, he is undeniably one of the world's finest actors. |
