MAIN Art & ... Pop Culture Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe

Most recently in the news for his breakout movie role in December Boys (September 2007) as well as a nude appearance on the London stage, the future child actor - who brought Harry Potter to life on screen - was born Daniel Jacob Radcliffe on July 23, 1989 in a London suburb, the only son of casting agent Marcia Gresham and literary agent Alan Radcliffe.

By age 6, Dan Radcliffe was reported to have seriously caught the acting bug after playing the part of a monkey in a school play.

Radcliffe's parents, reluctant to indulge their son's desire to persue a career in show business, had apparently relented by 1999, as the young actor made his first appearance on the small screen in a BBC production of a Dicken's classic, David Copperfield.

In 2001, he made his big screen debut as Mark Pendel in The Tailor of Panama, a Hollywood film based on John Le Carre's spy novel and starring James Bond actor, Pierce Brosnan.

Meanwhile, a movie based on the 1997 worldwide publishing phenomenon, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was about to begin production under director Chris Columbus, when Radcliffe auditioned for the plum role as Harry Potter.

Among hundreds of boys to test for the part, it was Dan Radcliffe who caught the attention of producer Columbus, and the book's author, J.K. Rowling.

Both story creator and director were quite impressed by the young actor's mix of innocence and naturalness during audition tapings, as well as the chemistry between him and co-stars, fledgling actress Emma Watson (playing Hermione Granger), and Rupert Grint (as Ron Weasley).

Subsequently appearing in movie versions of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Radcliffe has since become synonmous with the role.

The actor has also appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire released in November, 2005, and the fifth in the film series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which premiered on July 11, 2007.

Meanwhile, Radcliffe will take on his first movie role outside the Harry Potter franchise in December Boys, which tells the story of four orphans growing up in 1960's Australia.The film is set to open in the U.S. .on September 14, 2007.

In February, the "boy wonder" also wowed audiences in London upon making his stage debut complete with nude scene playing the disturbed stable boy, Alan Strang, in Equus. Richard Griffiths, who plays Harry's Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter films, appeared in the role of the young man's psychiatrist. As expected, the previews brought out fans in droves as the other stars exited by window to escape the Potter mob.

According to Forbes, Dan racked up an impressive estimated $13 million in 2006, but he looks to triple that amount in just a few years when Warner Bros. pays the actor $50 million to secure him for the final Harry Potter film installments - or $25 million for Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, and the same amount for his final appearance in The Deathly Hallows.

Later in 2007, Radcliffe appeared in the Rudyard Kipling World War I made-for-TV drama, My Boy Jack with co-stars David Haig and Kim Cattrall.

Watch as Radcliffe next brings his critically-acclaimed performance in Equus for a limited run on Broadway slated to begin in September, 2008.

DanielRadcliffe.co.uk - One of the more polished 'Dan Fan' sites offering a biography, fan mail address, extensive picture galleries including screen captures, magazine scans and promo shots, streaming video movie trailers and TV appearances, screensavers, wallpapers, related links.

Daniel Radcliffe Online - Another major fan site with news and updates, busy message board, extensive biography with photos, picture galleries, magazine scans, video clips.

Dan Radcliffe - Yahoo! Movies - Several pages dedicated to the teen actor including a biography, photo gallery, filmography, plus related Web sites and message boards.

Daniel Radcliffe - Complete bio, pictures, career highlights, filmography, awards and related links to more, from Wikipedia.

IMDb: Daniel Radcliffe - Brief biography, filmography, picture gallery and list of TV and movie appearances.