Daniel Radcliffe

Although he had wanted to be an actor for as long as he could remember, Daniel Radcliffe had to convince his parents to allow him to pursue his dream. The schoolboy had been encouraged to try out for a 1999 British TV version of Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" but his mother and father opposed the idea. When the opportunity to audition for another of Dickens' young heroes, this time "David Copperfield" (BBC, 1999), they relented. Surviving five callbacks, Radcliffe landed the role and earned glowing notices for his work. He also displayed a poise and screen charisma and more than held his own opposite such veterans as Bob Hoskins and Maggie Smith. Still, that was a mere warm-up for his... read more