Interviewee: Daniel Radcliffe
Interviewer: Jimmy Kimmel
Date: December 17, 2008

Daniel Jacob Radcliffe, who was born on the 23rd of July 1989, is a British actor greatly known for portraying Harry Potter in the film series based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling book series. Apart from that, he has also made appearances in various televisions shows and films and stage productions such as My Boy Jack and the stage show Equus, which earned him a Drama Desk Award nomination.

Previously, the young actor studied at the independent Sussex House School, which was a school exclusive for boys, and for his AS levels at the City of London School. Despite having A grades in the three levels in 2006, he wanted time off from studying.

Born in Hammersmith, West London, England at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital, Daniel Radcliffe is the only son and child of literary agent Alan George Radcliffe and casting agent Marcia Jeannine Gresham. His mother was in many BBC films, including Walk Away And I Stumble and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. She is also a Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex native and Jewish, while her husband used to reside in Northern Ireland and is a Protestant.

Radcliffe at the age of five already expressed his interest in acting. In December of 1999, he landed his first acting gig in TV network BBC’s two-part adaptation of David Copperfield, a novel by Charles Dickens. There, he played the main character.

Based on a source, Daniel Radcliffe expressed that he is “very proud of being Jewish,” but has also said that he is an atheist. A punk rock music aficionado, he enjoys the sounds of artists like The Libertines, Sex Pistols, Arctic Monkeys, Jack Penate, Hard-Fi and Kate Nash. However, his all-time favorite is the band The Hold Steady.

Daniel Radcliffe also expresses himself through poetry and has published poems under his pen name, Jacob Gershon (anglicized Gresham, his mother’s family name).