Product Description

By now, most fans have learned the fate of J.K. Rowling's beloved character, Harry, with her recent completion of the Harry Potter saga. But what has Hollywood's most famous teen wizard, Daniel Radcliffe, been up to lately? Though undoubtedly one of the hottest teens in Hollywood, there's little down time for this actor; in addition to two more Harry Potter flicks currently in the works, Dan has been keeping busy by staying focused on his acting. Stepping out of his Hogwarts robes, Dan has branched out from his image as Harry by taking on eclectic and daring new roles, both in film and on stage. Find out how he got started and get the latest scoop on the actor and his pals, including a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Potter films! This newly updated biography also contains 8 pages of brand-new, full-color photos!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #652048 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 118 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781416967712
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

When the millions of Harry Potter fans out there think of the sweet, unassuming boy wizard they have grown to love, a picture of Daniel Radcliffe immediately pops into their heads. That's because Dan -- as all his friends and family members call him -- is the young actor who, at age eleven, won the role of Harry Potter in the first movie and has been the face of the famous wizard on-screen ever since!

So just how similar is Dan to the famous wizard we all know and love? Well, quite similar, actually. Except for his lack of magical powers, Dan shares a lot of similarities with the fictional character that has made him a household name. First off, they are both British, and very cute! But there are a lot of other, somewhat less obvious, characteristics that they share. According to Dan, they seem to have so much in common he has even joked that one day he'll have to go into therapy, because every time he reads J. K.'s books he finds more links between his and Harry's personalities. Not that the two boys share any bad traits. In fact, it's just the opposite!

"We have curiosity [and] loyalty," Dan told People magazine -- two very important attributes to have. Despite his ever-rising celebrity status, Dan has managed to remain pretty levelheaded, and becoming famous hasn't at all changed the way he treats his friends and loved ones or lessened the time he makes for them in his life. Actually, whenever he gets a chance on the movie set, Dan keeps in touch with his school chums by telephone, e-mail, or text messaging. Just as Draco Malfoy discovered about Harry at the beginning of their first year at Hogwarts, Dan also has no trouble spotting the wrong sort of people. He knows how essential it is to keep sight of the important things in life. Instead of getting wrapped up in his fame, Dan, like Harry, keeps his head out of the clouds and devotes his time to the "right" sort of people, the friends who have always stood by him, movie star or not.

Another similarity that Dan and the fictional wizard seem to share is a level of wisdom and maturity that is beyond their years, which is probably due to the fact that they both had to handle a great deal of responsibility at such a young age. While Harry has the special lightning-bolt scar that means he will have to single-handedly battle the forces of evil and save the world, Dan has had his own earthly challenges. The Harry Potter books and movies have all been such huge hits that there is hardly a corner of the globe that hasn't been touched by the unprecedented phenomenon. Because of this, an insane media storm, usually reserved only for the top echelon of A-list celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, has surrounded Dan as he has grown from a skinny, small kid to the hunky teenager he is today. Throughout his time in the spotlight, however, Dan has proved himself to be as gracious and professional as any adult.

Not that Dan, or Harry for that matter, is always a choirboy. They both partake in their fair share of mischief -- just ask any of the other actors on the Harry Potter sets who have been on the receiving end of Dan's practical jokes. But they never take it too far. Although they both "get in trouble," as Dan told People, "we don't break the rules, we just kind of bend them."

Moviegoers watching Harry Potter escape one hair-raising adventure after another may think they know Dan Radcliffe. Sometimes it's so easy to get swept up in the magic and mania of Harry Potter that people start thinking of Dan and the fictional character he plays on-screen as one and the same. But let the record show, despite their similarities, Dan is different from the character he plays in many ways. Just as Clark Kent took off his glasses to unveil Superman, when Dan takes off his trademark Harry Potter spectacles and that snug, Hogwarts blazer, he reveals his true self. When he is not battling the forces of evil on the big screen, Dan likes to kick back and listen to music by the Sex Pistols or New York Dolls, brash loud punk music one wouldn't associate with such a soft-spoken and polite boy. And he's got a lot of other tricks up his sleeve. Let's discover the magic that has made Dan Radcliffe into one of the hottest, most talented young stars in the world.

Copyright © 2005 by Simon & Schuster

Customer Reviews

Great Daniel Biography!!!
I really enjoyed reading this book. I'm a huge fan of Harry Potter, the books and the movies, and I had a lot of fun reading this bio. It tells all about Dan - how he got cast as Harry, how he, Emma, and Rupert spend their time on the set, and tons of personal information about Daniel. The author also talked a lot about the filming of the first 3 movies, special effects, and what it was like for Dan to grow up in front of a camera. The book also has a bunch of full-color photos of Dan with his co-stars and J.K. All in all, a really entertaining read about one of my favorite people!

The perfect gift.
This book was a surprise for a twelve-year-old who loves all things Harry Potter. She read this book cover-to-cover, and she is not a huge fan of reading because of so many truly haneous books being forced down her throat by ill-advised teachers, who know how to spoil the fun of reading for pleasure.

I briefly skimmed some of this book before wrapping it. In my opinion, it's not perfectly written, but clearly fills the bill for Radcliffe fans. And... Any book that can communicate that joy of reading again to a girl who used to love reading... Well, I'm all for it!

Good for any age
it is a quick read for any age. a nice bio on the actor that made a huge phenomena