Daniel Radcliffe: 10 interesting facts about the Harry Potter star

Birthday special: Daniel Radcliffe: 10 interesting facts about the 'Harry Potter' star

The British actor Daniel Radcliffe became an overnight star by playing Harry Potter in the film adaptations of JK Rowling's books. But put aside his signature character, how well do you know the English actor? From 'The Simpsons' to his connection to Charles Dickens, we dig up 10 interesting facts about the blue-eyed star as he turns 31 today (July 23).

1. Daniel Radcliffe wanted to act since he was 5 years old and he made his screen debut at the age of 10 in BBC One's TV adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel 'David Copperfield', portraying the titular character as a young boy.

Daniel Radcliffe in a still from 'David Copperfield'. Pic/YouTube

2. 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' (2001) was not Daniel Radcliffe's first film. He made his Hollywood debut in 'The Tailor of Panama', a 2001 film based on John le Carré's 1996 spy novel.

Daniel Radcliffe in a still from his film debut 'The Tailor of Panama'. Pic/YouTube

3. Wondering how Daniel Radcliffe landed the part of Harry Potter? He once attended a play titled 'Stones in the Pockets' with his parents. David Heyman, the producer for the Harry Potter films, happened to be at the play too. Daniel's father, who knew Heyman, introduced him to his son. On meeting him, Heyman thought he was perfect to play Harry. Daniel auditioned for and bagged the role he is now most recognised for.

Daniel Radcliffe in 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'. Pic/Santa Banta

4. His favourite book from the Harry Potter series is 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' and his favourite character is Hagrid.

5. Daniel Radcliffe is a huge fan of cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and he cherishes an autograph he got from the batting legend after the Lord's Test in July 2007. For his love for cricket, Daniel aspired to play the game for England.

6. Daniel Radcliffe is a poet and his work was published in 2009 under the pen name Jacob Gershon. He published four poems in an underground magazine titled 'Rubbish'.

7. He suffers from dyspraxia or developmental coordination disorder. It is a condition that affects your brain's ability to communicate with your body, making common motor skills difficult. Daniel's condition is mild, but he has expressed trouble with small tasks like tying shoelaces and writing.

8. Besides his film debut, his first non-Harry Potter film is 'December Boys' (2007) and first post-Harry Potter film is 'The Woman in Black' (2012). He has tried to shed his 'Harry Potter' image along the way by featuring on Broadway and indie films.

Daniel Radcliffe in 'Horns' (2014)

9. Daniel Radcliffe has voiced characters on 'The Simpsons'. He guest-starred as Edmund in 'Treehouse of Horror XXI' (2010) and as 'Diggs' in an episode by the same name in 2014.

Daniel Radcliffe voiced the character of Diggs (left) in an episode of 'The Simpsons' in 2014

10. He plays the bass guitar and once took a lesson from his 'Prisoner of Azkaban' co-star Gary Oldman.

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