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A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged.^[1][2][3] Often teen idols are actors or musicians but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors. The idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. Many teen idols are targeted for adults for nostalgia purposes.

There were teen idols before there were teen magazines, but idols have always been a permanent feature in magazines such as 16 magazine, Tiger Beat and Right On! in the United States, and in similar magazines elsewhere. With the advent of television, teen idols were also promoted through programs such as American Bandstand, The Ed Sullivan Show, and Soul Train. Some contemporary teen idols include Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Taylor Lautner, One Direction, Big Time Rush and Selena Gomez.^[4] Many American teen idols achieve "cross-over" success internationally, however this list is not limited to American artists alone with some people like German popstar Bill Kaulitz of the pop-rock band Tokio Hotel. In Asia, idols range from Japanese pop megastars Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro as well as Kana Nishino and Japanese music groups such as Morning Musume, AKB48, and Perfume and Johnny & Associates boy bands Arashi, NEWS, KAT-TUN, and Hey! Say! JUMP among others while Chinese pop icon Jay Chou and South Korean singers BoA and Rain and music groups TVXQ, Beast, Shinee, Super Junior, 2NE1, Big Bang, Wonder Girls, T-ara, Kara and Girls' Generation are examples.^[5][6]

It is the essence of the teen idol to appeal to the burgeoning sexuality of the young without in any way threatening it.^{[citation needed]} As recently as the 1970s, some stars were asked to shave their chests because it was perceived that chest hair was threatening to young girls.^{[citation needed]} In previous eras, because teen idols were supposed to have an aura of approachability, they often needed to keep their romantic relationships and marriages a secret for fear of decreased popularity.^{[citation needed]} In recent times, the concept of a teen idol has changed. Today's idols include film and television stars, pop singers, and supermodels. Celebrities' private lives are no longer taboo; to the contrary, they have spawned an entire industry of gossip magazines, television shows, and whole television channels such as E!. Young sports icons are considered teen idols like Nadia Comăneci, Mary Lou Retton, Shawn Johnson, Michael Phelps and Apolo Ohno as well as 1970s nine time swimming gold medalist Mark Spitz.

Early teen idols[link]

Rudolph Valentino, one of the first "teen idols" of the 20th century

The teen idol is primarily a phenomenon of 20th century mass communication. Its first manifestation (often referred to as matinee idol) may have been Rudolph Valentino, whose good looks and winning way with women featured heavily in such silent films as The Sheik. Valentino was so popular with young women, many of them went into mass hysteria after he died at the age of 31 in 1926. Judy Garland's pin-ups adorned many a high school male's locker after her sudden rise to fame. But it was probably Frank Sinatra, whose early career is often linked to his appeal to bobby soxers,^[3] who is generally regarded as being the first true 'teen idol'.

1950-1960s[link]

The great success of young rock stars like Elvis Presley and film stars like James Dean in the 1950s, as well as the wider emergence of youth subcultures, led promoters to the deliberate creation of teen idols such as Frankie Avalon and Fabian — and to artists who deliberately cultivated a (safer) idol image, like Paul Anka.

Anka initially modelled himself on a particular generic type, the teen idol [who] carried on the process ... of changing the image of male youth ... from wild to mild, by providing a cleaner, more wholesome image of masculinity than that of the previous era's rebellious rockabilly heroes [and (working-class) so-called juvenile delinquents, like those in West Side Story]....

—^[7]

Portable phonograph

Post-war teens were able to buy relatively inexpensive phonographs — including portable models that could be carried to friends' houses — and the new 45-rpm singles. Rock music played on 45s became the soundtrack to the 1960s as people bought what they heard on the radio. The great majority of the music being marketed to 50s teens was being written by adults, but 60s teens were increasingly appreciating and emulating artists closer to their own age, to teen fashion, and to lyrics which addressed their own concerns. Their parents worried about their attraction to artists (and DJs) who were edgy and rebellious. Faces on magazines fed fans; fans buy records, see films, watch TV and buy fashions.

Marketing of the teen idol generally focuses on the image.... The teen idol is structured to appeal to the pre-teen and young teen female pop audience member and children in general.... [They] are commodified in forms and images that are relatively non-threatening to this young audience and to the ancillary market of parents... The teen idol never appears to be autonomous and therefore never appears to be threatening as an adult; he remains, as long as he is popular, perpetually childlike and dependent.

—^[8]

Some marketers turned to film and TV for fresh, attractive, 'safe' faces. Tommy Sands's debut in a television film about the phenomenon, The Idol, made a teen idol out of Sands himself. Ricky Nelson, a performer of rockabilly music, also became a teen idol through his parents' television series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Some young TV stars were being hustled into studios to make recordings; for example, ex-Mousketeer Annette Funicello became one of the first big female idols; another, Johnny Crawford of The Rifleman, had five Top-40 hits.^[3] In 1963, Luke Halpin made a big splash as a teen idol in the television program Flipper. After Bye Bye Birdie was released in 1963, Bobby Rydell became an instant teen tdol.

In the 1960's as situation comedy's and dramas on television using child actors became more popular, actors Paul Peterson and Shelley Fabares from The Donna Reed Show, Sally Field of Gidget, Jon Provost of Lassie, Jay North from Dennis the Menace, Sajid Khan of Maya, and Keith and Kevin Schultz known as the "Schultz Twins" on The Monroes all became younger preteen idols and grew into being teen idols.

Likewise, Tommy Steele, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys were teen idols, especially during the earlier part of their careers, although they quickly grew out of that status. The Rolling Stones did it through a more rebellious image, The Beatles did it through their more developed (or "grown up") music. Similarly, Neil Sedaka had two distinct eras of his career, with about a decade in between: one as a teen idol in the 1960s (in which many of his songs note his attraction to 16-year-old girls), and a later career in adult contemporary music. The Cowsills were teen idols and were on every teen magazine cover for many years as well as the show The Partridge Family that was written in their likeness.

All of The Monkees became instant teen idols in the late 1960s after their TV show became an over night success, especially Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones. The English born member of The Monkees Davy Jones was regularly features in all time teen idol lists. In 2008, Yahoo Music named Jones the number one teen idol of all time,^[9] and in 2009 he was ranked second in a list compiled by Fox News.^[10]

1970s[link]

After Davy Jones came Bobby Sherman and David Cassidy. They held the title of Teen Idols from the late 1960s til the mid 1970s. Both Sherman and Cassidy were actors on television and musicians in the pop-rock category at the time. Sherman was on hit TV shows Shindig and Here Come the Brides among many others. Musical series such as Cassidy's The Partridge Family, the animated series The Archie Show, and (to a lesser extent) The Brady Bunch integrated television and teen-pop music to significant success during this time frame. Musicians The Hudson Brothers were on many teen magazine covers for a number of years as teen idols. They had two shows on TV during the 1970s and recorded many albums.

One of the features of many teen idols is that their fans (and, in some cases, the musicians themselves) tend to develop a distaste for the music once they become adults, and it is not much listened to by adults, except for nostalgia: the legacy of bubblegum pop. Teen idol performers in this category would include Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, Donny Osmond/The Osmond Brothers, Andy Gibb, Tony DeFranco, and The Bay City Rollers. Even modern classic hits and oldies outlets, which cover this time period, rarely play cuts from the teen idols of the era, with the exception of Michael Jackson of The Jackson Five, who began his career as a teen idol along with his brothers, but whose individual career eventually evolved far beyond the limitations of that description and into superstardom.

1980s[link]

In the mid 1980s there was a group of young actors called The Brat Pack, the whole group collectively and separately became teen idols. They were Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. They starred in many coming of age films together in some fashion and became incredibly popular without being musicians.

Actors Corey Feldman and Corey Haim became teen idols during the later part of the 1980s with films The Goonies and together The Lost Boys and License to Drive among other films. They were dubbed "the two Coreys". Before Corey Haim's death in 2010, they did a reality TV show for two seasons (2007–08) on A&E named The Two Coreys after their 1980s moniker.

Australian/American singer/actor Rick Springfield was regarded as the teen idol in the 1980s with such hits as "Jessie's Girl" and "Don't Talk to Strangers". The Grammy Award winning musician Springfield was known for playing Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime drama General Hospital. He originated the character from 1981-1983. He left acting after his music career took off.

At the end of the 1980s, actor Kirk Cameron became a major teen idol teenage heartthrob. Cameron was best known for his role as Mike Seaver on the television situation comedy Growing Pains from 1985 to 1992.

In popular music, the late 1980s was the boom of teenagers dominating the music charts. Debbie Gibson became the youngest person to write, perform and produce a number-one single "Foolish Beat", and also had bunch of hits from her first two albums. Tiffany, another teen icon, became a pop sensation at 15 years old thanks to an aggressive marketing strategy. She promoted her debut album in shopping malls of the US. She is also the youngest person to have a debut album hit number one and have multiple number one singles from that album (I Think We're Alone Now and Could've Been). Having become a household name, she had then-unknown band New Kids on the Block as an opening act for her shows. However, the sudden popularity of the New Kids caused their roles to be reversed. Gibson and Tiffany's career had stalled by the early 1990s; so had NKOTB by the mid-ninetees.

1990s[link]

The manufacturing of teen idols has been marketed more aggressively and with greater sophistication since the 1980s.^[11] The rise of MTV in the 1980s and the success of the boy bands of the 1990s and 2000s has continued to fuel the phenomenon.^[8][12] Besides the obvious combination of what are perceived to be good, clean-cut looks and a ubiquitous, almost invasive marketing campaign, one of the key selling points of the "manufactured band" is the "something for everyone" approach, although this strategy has been criticized for being more along the lines of "something for everyone who hasn't had much exposure to music". Each band member can be promoted separately for a unique look and one-note personality: the "shy one", the "intelligent one", "the rebel", and so on. Classic examples of boy bands include Menudo, New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, The Spice Girls became the best selling pop group of the decade and are often cited as the pioneers that paved the way for the commercial breakthrough of teen pop in the late 1990s. Other Female Teen Pop stars such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Mandy Moore and Jessica Simpson then also became very popular at the end of the decade. Hanson was initially marketed as such a band, but eventually outgrew this label to become a successful indie band. Other notable examples from the 1990s are Brothers Nick Carter from The Backstreet Boys and pop star Aaron Carter were both teen idols in their heyday, as was Ricky Martin during the Latin music explosion of the late 1990s. .

Most of the teen idols in the 1990s were from boy bands and musical acts. One major exception was the situation comedy Home Improvement 's Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who played Randy Taylor from 1991–1998; "JTT" (as he would come to be known during this time), uncomfortable with his teen idol status, left the show (and, for the most part, the entire acting scene) one year shy of the show's last year on the air. Other Teen Idol's from TV at around the same time were most of the cast of Saved by the Bell, Rider Strong of Boy Meets World, Joey Lawrence of Blossom (and to a lesser extent, Joey's brothers, Matthew and Andrew), Jason Priestley and Luke Perry of Beverly Hills, 90210 fame, and Erik Von Detten of various TGIF shows. These actors were often found on the covers and pages of teen magazines during the 1990s as teen idols as well.

2000's and beyond[link]

Hilary Duff (left) and Lindsay Lohan (right) were remarkable teen idols in the early 2000s.

The Walt Disney Company and its numerous outlets (e.g. Disney Channel, Radio Disney and Walt Disney Pictures) have successfully developed a new generation of teen idols. In the early 2000s, the company developed the careers of Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan, initially targeting youth and female teen audiences. The success of this marketing led to further development of the genre, including new teen idols such as Raven-Symoné, Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and Bridgit Mendler. Disney also has used the acquisition of ABC Family to develop shows and stars popular among teen girls. Not to be outdone, rival Nickelodeon has developed its own slate of stars for its television shows, including Miranda Cosgrove, Victoria Justice, Jennette McCurdy and the group Big Time Rush, all of whom have not only starred in TV shows, but recorded albums as well.

The 2000s have also seen many new teen idols emerge from popular feature films such as the casts of the Harry Potter (e.g. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) and Twilight (e.g. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner) film franchises; television series such as Glee have also developed stars who are popular among younger viewers. Since their rise to fame in recent years, singers Justin Bieber, and Taylor Swift have become recent examples of modern-day teen idols who have achieved international success, known for their devoted teen and tween fan base. Of note is that many of the modern-day teen idols are females marketed as "role-models" to teen and tween girls, a departure from the traditional role of the male teen idol marketed as the idealized teen "heart-throb".

See also[link]

• Matinee idol
• Sex symbol
• Pin-up
• Jailbait
• Celebrity Worship Syndrome
• Boy band
• Girl group
• Junior idol
• Japanese idol
• South Korean idol

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Top 25 Teen Idols of All-Time at Yahoo.com

Look up idol in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

An idol is an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed or any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion.^[1]

More specific terms include:

Worship

• Cult image, a religion-neutral term for a man-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents
• Idolatry, a term used in monotheism for the worship of cult images, termed idols, perhaps tending towards iconoclasm, the destruction of images
• Murti, a point of focus for devotion or meditation in Hindu and Buddhist religion (not always man-made)

Entertainment

• Idol series, one of several television shows that give formerly unknown persons an opportunity to become stars. The Idol series began in the United Kingdom and has since spread around the world - Australia, Singapore, Canada, France, Germany, India, the United States, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, South Africa, West African countries, Indonesia, and many other countries.
• Teen idol, a popular celebrity "worshipped" by teenagers
• Japanese idol, a heavily promoted and merchandised singer or actor
• South Korean idol
• Billy Idol, English rock musician
• The iDol, Japanese comedy movie
• Idoling!!!, a Japanese female idol group
• "Idol", an episode of the television show Power Rangers: SPD
• Matinee idol, an adored film or theater star
• The Idols, a Greek pop band of the late 60s and early 70s [1]
• Idoli, a Serbian new wave band from the early 1980s
• 1dol, a Philippine TV musical

Other

• Brad Cain, a professional wrestler known as Lodi and Idol
• Idol (philosophy), one of several concepts developed by various philosophers
• Idol Records, a record label
• IDOL (software), meta software developed by Autonomy Corporation

See also[link]

• Divinization (disambiguation)

References[link]

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Dakota Fanning
Fanning at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	Hannah Dakota Fanning (1994-02-23) February 23, 1994 (age 18) Conyers, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present
Relatives	Elle Fanning (sister)

Hannah Dakota Fanning^[1] (born February 23, 1994), better known as Dakota Fanning, is an American actress who rose to prominence after her breakthrough performance in the 2001 film I Am Sam. As a child actress, she appeared in high-profile films such as Man on Fire, War of the Worlds, and Charlotte's Web.

In 2006, Fanning began the transition to more adult roles with Hounddog and The Secret Life of Bees. Her recent films have included The Twilight Saga, the fantasy/horror animated children's movie Coraline, and The Runaways. In 2002, she became the youngest nominee for a Screen Actors Guild Award.^[2]

Early life[link]

Fanning was born in Conyers, Georgia. Her mother, Heather Joy (née Arrington), played tennis professionally, and her father, Steven J. Fanning, played minor league baseball, and works as an electronics salesman in Los Angeles.^[3][4] Her maternal grandfather was former American football player, Rick Arrington, and her aunt is former ESPN reporter Jill Arrington.^[5] Dakota is the elder sister of Elle Fanning, also an actress.

Fanning has German and Irish ancestry (her paternal grandmother was born in Ludwigshafen, Germany).^[6] She and her family are Southern Baptist.^[7]

Acting career[link]

1999–2000[link]

Starting in 2000, Fanning began acting at the age of five after appearing on a Tide commercial. Her first significant acting job was a guest role in the NBC prime-time drama ER, which remains one of her favorite roles ("I played a car accident victim who has leukemia. I got to wear a neck brace and nose tubes for the two days I worked.").^[8]

Fanning subsequently had several guest roles on established television series, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Practice, and Spin City. She also portrayed the title characters of Ally McBeal and The Ellen Show as young girls. In 2001, Fanning was chosen to star opposite Sean Penn in the movie I Am Sam, the story of a mentally challenged man who fights for the custody of his daughter (played by Fanning). Her role in the film made Fanning the youngest person ever to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, being seven years of age at the time.^[9] She also won the Best Young Actor/Actress award from the Broadcast Film Critics Association for her performance.^[10]

In 2002, director Steven Spielberg cast Fanning in the lead child role of Allison "Allie" Clarke/Keys in the science fiction miniseries Taken. By this time, she had received positive notices by several film critics, including Tom Shales of The Washington Post, who wrote that Fanning "has the perfect sort of otherworldly look about her, an enchanting young actress called upon ... to carry a great weight."^[11] In the same year, Fanning appeared in three films: as a kidnap victim who proves to be more than her abductors bargained for in Trapped, as the young version of Reese Witherspoon's character in Sweet Home Alabama, and as Katie in the movie Hansel and Gretel.

A year later, she starred in two prominent films; playing the uptight child to an immature nanny played by Brittany Murphy in Uptown Girls and as Sally in The Cat in the Hat. In addition, Fanning did voice-over work for four animated projects during this period, including voicing Satsuki in Disney's English language release of My Neighbor Totoro, a little girl in the Fox series Family Guy, and a young Wonder Woman in an episode of Cartoon Network's Justice League.

2004–2007[link]

Fanning at the London premiere of War of the Worlds, June 2005

In 2004, Fanning appeared in Man on Fire as Pita, a nine-year-old who wins over the heart of a retired mercenary (Denzel Washington) hired to protect her from kidnappers. Roger Ebert wrote that Fanning "is a pro at only 10 years old, and creates a heart-winning character."^[12]

Hide and Seek was her first release in 2005, opposite Robert De Niro. The film was generally panned, and critic Chuck Wilson called it "a fascinating meeting of equals – if the child star [Fanning] challenged the master [De Niro] to a game of stare-down, the legend might very well blink first."^[13] Fanning voiced Lilo (succeeding Daveigh Chase) in the direct-to-video film Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch. She also had a small part in the Rodrigo García film Nine Lives (released in October 2005), in which she shared an unbroken nine-minute scene with actress Glenn Close, who had her own praise for Fanning: "She's definitely an old soul. She's one of those gifted people that come along every now and then."^[14] Fanning also recorded voice work for Coraline during this time.^[15]

Fanning completed filming on Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (opposite Kurt Russell) in late October 2004. Russell declared he was astonished by his co-star's performance in the film. Russell, 54, who plays her father in the movie, says, "I guarantee you, (Dakota) is the best actress I will work with in my entire career."^[16] Kris Kristofferson, who plays her character's grandfather in the movie, said that she's like Bette Davis reincarnated.^[17] While promoting her role in Dreamer, Fanning became a registered member of Girl Scouts of the USA at a special ceremony, which was followed by a screening of the film for members of the Girl Scouts of the San Fernando Valley Council.^[18]

Fanning in January 2009

She then went directly to the set of War of the Worlds, starring alongside Tom Cruise. Released in reverse order (War in June 2005 and Dreamer in the following October), both films were a critical success. War director Steven Spielberg praised "how quickly she understands the situation in a sequence, how quickly she sizes it up, measures it up and how she would really react in a real situation."^[19] Afterwards, Fanning moved straight to another film without a break: Charlotte's Web, which she finished filming in May 2005 in Australia. Producer Jordan Kerner said, "...when she was so caught up in War of the Worlds, we had to end up going on a search for other young actresses. They would have been nothing compared to her."^[20]

Over the summer of 2006, Fanning worked on the film Hounddog, described in press reports as a "dark story of abuse, violence and Elvis Presley adulation in the rural South."^[21] Fanning's parents have been criticized for allowing her to film a scene in which her character is raped. However, Fanning defended the film by saying "It's not really happening," to Reuters. "It's a movie, and it's called acting."^[22] In the same year, at the age of twelve, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, becoming the youngest member in the Academy's history.^[23] Later that year, she was ranked 4th in Forbes list of "Top Earning Stars Aged Under 21", having earned an estimated $4 million in 2006.^[24]

In the spring of 2007, she filmed Fragments – Winged Creatures alongside Kate Beckinsale, Guy Pearce, Josh Hutcherson, and Academy Award winners Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Hudson. She plays Anne Hagen, a girl who witnesses her father's murder and who turns to religion in the aftermath. In July, Fanning appeared on a short film titled Cutlass, one of Glamour's "Reel Moments" based on readers' personal essays. Cutlass was directed by Kate Hudson. Then from September to the end of the year, Fanning filmed Push, which centers on a group of young American expatriates with telekinetic and clairvoyant abilities who hide from a U.S. government agency in Hong Kong and band together to try to escape the control of the division.^[25] Fanning played Cassie Holmes, a 13-year-old psychic.

2008–present[link]

International Film Festival in Toronto 2008

In January 2008, Fanning began filming the movie adaptation of The Secret Life of Bees, a novel by Sue Monk Kidd.^[26] Set in South Carolina in 1964, the story centers on Lily Owens (Fanning), who escapes her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father by running away with her caregiver and only friend (played by Jennifer Hudson) to a South Carolina town where they are taken in by an eccentric trio of beekeeping sisters (played by Queen Latifah, Sophie Okonedo, and Alicia Keys). Her movies Coraline and Push were released on the same day, February 6, 2009.

Fanning played Jane, a member of the Volturi Guard, in New Moon and reprised the role in Eclipse, based on novels by Stephenie Meyer.^[27] New Moon was released on November 20, 2009, and Eclipse was released on the following June. In 2010, she starred in the movie The Runaways, alongside Kristen Stewart, Stella Maeve, and Scout Taylor-Compton, where she played Cherie Currie, the lead singer of the band. Then from the end of the year till early 2011, Fanning filmed Breaking Dawn, reprising the role of Jane.^[28]

Fanning's voice was heard in Rise, a documentary film commissioned by U. S. Figure Skating to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the crash of Sabena Flight 548 which resulted in the loss of the entire American team and subsequent cancellation of the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships. She read a poem written by US national champion Laurence Owen (who died in the crash) that was said to be an eerie premonition of the afterlife.^[29][30]

During the summer of 2011 she played Tessa in Now Is Good. Fanning also became the face of Marc Jacobs’ Oh, Lola! perfume campaign, but the ad was banned in the U.K. as the Advertising Standards Authority judged that "the ad could be seen to sexualize a child."^[31][32] In 2011, she played Annie James in The Motel Life, due to be released in mid-2012. In the fall of 2011, Fanning played the starring role in Effie, directed by Richard Laxton, written and co-starred by Emma Thompson, with Greg Wise, Tom Sturridge, Robbie Coltrane, Julie Walters, Derek Jacobi and Claudia Cardinale.

Personal life[link]

In June 2011, Fanning graduated from Campbell Hall School in North Hollywood, California,^[33] where she participated on the varsity spirit cheerleading squad and was voted homecoming queen.^[34][35] She is currently studying at New York University.^[36]

In January 2012, it was reported that Fanning signed to be represented by William Morris Endeavor,^[37] thus ending a 10-year-plus relation with Osbrink Talent Agency.^[38]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Dakota Fanning

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dakota Fanning

• Dakota Fanning at the Internet Movie Database
• Dakota Fanning's biography on filmbug
• Dakota Fanning act in her latest movie Now is Good

Daniel Radcliffe
Radcliffe at Make Believe On Broadway, 23 November 2011
Born	Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (1989-07-23) 23 July 1989 (age 22) London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1999–present

Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English film and stage actor who rose to prominence playing the title character in the Harry Potter film series.

Radcliffe made his acting debut at age ten in BBC One's 1999 television movie David Copperfield, followed by his film debut in 2001's The Tailor of Panama. At age eleven he was cast as the title character in the first Harry Potter film, and he starred in the series for ten years until the release of the eighth and final film in July 2011. He also began to branch out to stage acting in 2007, starring in the London and New York productions of the play Equus and in the 2011 Broadway revival of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. In addition, he starred in 2007's December Boys and the 2012 hit horror film The Woman in Black. He will play beat poet Allen Ginsberg in 2013 indie film Kill Your Darlings.

Radcliffe has contributed to many charities, including Demelza House Children's Hospice and The Trevor Project. He has also made public service announcements for the latter. In 2011, he was awarded the Trevor Project's "Hero Award".

Early life and education[link]

Radcliffe was born on 23 July 1989 in West London, England,^[1] the only child of Alan George Radcliffe, a literary agent, and Marcia Jeannine Gresham (née Marcia Gresham Jacobson), a casting agent who was involved in several films for the BBC, including The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and Walk Away And I Stumble.^[2][3] Radcliffe's mother is Jewish and a native of Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex;^[3][4] his father, originally from Northern Ireland, is Protestant.^[5] He was raised without religion.^[6] Radcliffe first expressed a desire to act at the age of five,^[7] and in December 1999, aged ten, he made his acting debut in the BBC One's televised two-part adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield, portraying the title character as a young boy.^[8]

Radcliffe was educated at two independent schools for boys:^[9] at Sussex House School, a day school in Cadogan Square in Chelsea in London,^[10] followed by the City of London School,^[11] a day school on the North Bank of the River Thames in London's financial district, known as the City of London.

Following the release of the first Harry Potter movie, attending school became hard for Radcliffe, with some fellow pupils becoming hostile. Radcliffe said it was people just trying to "have a crack at the kid that plays Harry Potter" rather than jealousy.^[12] As his acting career began to consume his schedule, Radcliffe continued his education through on-set tutors. He admitted he was not very good at school, considered it useless, and found the work to be "really, really difficult";^[9] however, he did achieve A grades in the three A-levels that he sat in 2006, but then decided to take a break from education and did not go to college or university.^[13] Part of the reason was that he already knew he wanted to act and write, and that it would be difficult to have a normal college experience. "The paparazzi, they’d love it," he told Details magazine in 2007. "If there were any parties going on, they’d be tipped off as to where they were".^[12]

Career[link]

[edit] Harry Potter

Radcliffe at the July 2009 premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

In 2000 producer David Heyman asked Radcliffe to audition for the role of Harry Potter for the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the best-selling book by British author J. K. Rowling.^[14][15] Rowling had been searching for an unknown British actor to personify the character; however, Radcliffe's parents did not want him to audition for the role, as the contract required shooting all seven films in Los Angeles, California, and so they did not tell him.^[16] The movie's director Chris Columbus recalled thinking, "This is what I want. This is Harry Potter", after he saw a video of the young actor in David Copperfield.^[16] Eight months later, and after several auditions, Radcliffe was selected to play the part.^[17] Rowling also endorsed the selection saying, "I don't think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry."^[18] Radcliffe's parents originally turned down the offer, as they had been told that it would involve six films shot in Los Angeles.^[19] Warner Bros. instead offered Radcliffe a two-movie contract with shooting in the UK though,^[16] when signing up, Radcliffe was unsure if he would do any more pictures.^[20]

The release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (released as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States) took place in 2001. The story follows Harry, a young boy who learns he is a wizard and is sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to begin his education; gaining the help of friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) along the way. Radcliffe received a seven figure salary for the lead role, but asserted that the fee was "not that important" to him;^[21] his parents chose to invest the money for him.^[16] The film broke records for opening-day sales and opening-weekend takings, becoming the highest–grossing film of 2001. With a total of US$974 million in ticket sales, Philosopher's Stone stands as the second most commercially successful in the series behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the final instalment.^[22] The adaptation was met with positive reviews and critics took notice of Radcliffe:^[23] "Radcliffe is the embodiment of every reader's imagination. It is wonderful to see a young hero who is so scholarly looking and filled with curiosity and who connects with very real emotions, from solemn intelligence and the delight of discovery to deep family longing," wrote Bob Graham of the San Francisco Chronicle.^[24]

Handprints, footprints and wand prints of (from left to right) Watson, Radcliffe, Grint.

A year later Radcliffe starred in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second instalment of the series. Reviewers were positive about the lead actors' performances but had polarised opinions on the movie as a whole. Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post labelled it "big, dull and empty".^[25] Observing that Radcliffe and his peers had matured, Los Angeles Times's staff writer Kenneth Turan believed the novel's magic could not be successfully duplicated in the film.^[26] Nonetheless, it still managed to earn US$878 million, taking the second spot of the highest-grossing 2002 films worldwide behind The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.^[27]

The 2004 release Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was the third film in the series. While garnering the highest critical acclaim of the series at that point^[23] and grossing US$795.6 million worldwide, the film's performance at the box office ranks the lowest in the series.^[22] Radcliffe's performance was panned by New York Times journalist A. O. Scott, who wrote that Watson had to carry him with her performance.^[28] Next was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005. The film set records for a Harry Potter opening weekend, as well as for a non-May opening weekend in the US and in the UK.^[29] The film eventually grossed US$896 million worldwide, and the film was the second-highest grossing Harry Potter film at that point.^[30] In a 2005 interview, Radcliffe singled out the humour as being a reason for the movie's creative success.^[31]

Despite the success of the previous three movies, the future of the franchise was put into question when all three lead actors were unsure about signing on to continue their roles for the final two episodes; however, by 2 March 2007 Radcliffe had signed for the final films, which put an end to weeks of press "speculation that he would be denied the role due to his involvement in Equus".^[32] Radcliffe reprised his role for the fifth time in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), which details Harry's return to Hogwarts after his encounter with Lord Voldemort in the previous film. It opened to positive responses from the press;^[23] IGN movie critic Steven Horn found Order of the Phoenix to be one of "those rare films that exceeds the source material"^[33] and Colin Bertram of New York's Daily News dubbed it the best movie in the series.^[34] Radcliffe stated that director David Yates and actress Imelda Staunton made Order of the Phoenix the "most fun" film in the series to work on.^[35] His performance earned several award nominations, and he received the 2008 National Movie Award for "Best Male Performance".^[36] As his fame and the series continued, Radcliffe, Grint and Watson left imprints of their hands, feet, and wands in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.^[37]

In July 2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released, the series' sixth instalment. The film did considerably better than the previous movie, breaking the then-record for biggest midnight US showings with US$22.2 million at 3,000 theatres,^[38] and was the biggest ever Wednesday-opening in the UK, with US$7.6 million at 1,305 screens.^[39] Half-Blood Prince achieved a total of US$933 million ticket sales^[22] and was one of the most positively reviewed of the series among film critics, who praised the film's "emotionally satisfying" story, direction, cinematography, visuals and music.^[40][41][42] Radcliffe received nominations for "Best Male Performance" and "Global Superstar" at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards.^[43]

Radcliffe, Watson and Grint at the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 premiere in London.

For financial and scripting reasons the last book was divided into two films, shot back to back,^[44][45] which drew criticism from the series' fanbase. Radcliffe defended the split, pointing out that it would have been impossible to properly adapt the final novel into a single film.^[46] He added that the last movie was going to be extremely fast-paced with a lot of action, while the first part would be far more sedate, focusing on character development; he added that, had they combined them, those things would not have made it to the final cut.^[47] Filming lasted for a year, concluding in June 2010 and on the last day of shooting, like most of the cast and crew, Radcliffe openly wept.^[48] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) was about Harry, Ron and Hermione leaving Hogwarts to track down Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes, objects Voldemort has left part of his soul inside. The film was released in November and grossed over US$950 million.^[22] Its most lucrative territory was the UK, where it reportedly had the highest-grossing three-day opening in history; while its earnings of US$205 million, in 91 markets, made it the highest ever top-grossing non-US opening for a non-summer picture, and "the fourth-biggest-grossing international opening ever".^[49] The movie received mostly favourable reviews in the media.^[23]

The final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, was released worldwide starting on 13 July 2011 in Australia. The film concerns the battle against Voldemort's followers in Hogwarts, along with Harry's final climactic duel with Voldemort. Radcliffe, along with the film,^[23] was critically acclaimed: Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post asked, "Who could have predicted that Radcliffe, Grint and Watson would turn out to be good actors?";^[50] similarly, Rex Reed said: "Frankly, I’m sorry to see [Radcliffe] go";^[51] while Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers commented on Radcliffe: "Well played, sir."^[52] Among those who were less favourable, Roger Ebert said that Radcliffe, Grint and Watson were "upstaged by the supporting [actors]".^[53] The film broke several box office records, including biggest midnight release,^[54] biggest first-day opening,^[54] and biggest opening-weekend.^[55] Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is currently the third-highest grossing film in the world, and the highest-grossing non-James Cameron film, with more than US$1.3 billion worldwide.^[56] Radcliffe admitted that some people would never be able to separate him from the character, but also said he is "proud to be associated with this film series forever."^[57] Despite positive feelings about the movies, he has no interest in doing more Harry Potter films. After Rowling hinted about writing an eighth book, Radcliffe was asked if he would do another film to which he replied: "[It is] very doubtful. I think 10 years is a long time to spend with one character."^[58] Despite devoting so much time to the series, Radcliffe has asserted that he did not miss out on a childhood like other child actors: "I’ve been given a much better perspective on life by doing Potter."^[59]

2001–2009[link]

Radcliffe at December Boys premiere in 2007

Radcliffe made his film debut in The Tailor of Panama, an American 2001 film based on John le Carré's 1996 spy novel, and a moderate commercial success.^[22] In 2002 he made his stage debut as a celebrity guest in a West End theatre production of The Play What I Wrote, directed by Kenneth Branagh—who also appeared with him in the second Harry Potter film.^[8][60] In 2007 he appeared in the film December Boys, an Australian family drama about four orphans that was shot in 2005 and released to theatres in mid-September 2007.^[61] Also in 2007, Radcliffe co-starred with Carey Mulligan in My Boy Jack, a television drama film shown on ITV on Remembrance Day. The film received mostly positive reviews,^[62] with several critics praising Radcliffe's performance as an 18-year-old who goes missing in action during a battle.^[63][64][65] Radcliffe stated, "For many people my age, the First World War is just a topic in a history book. But I've always been fascinated by the subject and think it's as relevant today as it ever was."^[66]

Radcliffe in Theatre District, New York, 13 December 2008

At age 17, in a bid to show people he was not a kid any more,^[1] he performed onstage in Peter Shaffer's play Equus, which had not been revived since its first run in 1973, at the Gielgud Theatre.^[16] Radcliffe took on the lead role^[60] as Alan Strang, a stable boy who has an obsession with horses. Advance sales topped £1.7 million, and the role generated significant pre-opening media interest, as Radcliffe appeared in a nude scene.^[16][67] Equus opened on 27 February 2007 and ran until 9 June 2007.^[60] Radcliffe's performance received positive reviews^[68] as critics were impressed by the nuance and depth of his against-type role.^[69] Charles Spencer of The Daily Telegraph wrote that he "displays a dramatic power and an electrifying stage presence that marks a tremendous leap forward." He added: "I never thought I would find the diminutive (but perfectly formed) Radcliffe a sinister figure, but as Alan Strang ... there are moments when he seems genuinely scary in his rage and confusion."^[70] The production then transferred to Broadway in September 2008, with Radcliffe still in the lead role.^[71][72] Radcliffe stated he was nervous about repeating the role on Broadway because he considered American audiences more discerning than those in London.^[73] Radcliffe's performance was nominated for a Drama Desk Award.^[74]

2010–present[link]

After voicing a character in an episode of the animated television series The Simpsons in late 2010,^[75] Radcliffe debuted as J. Pierrepont Finch in the 2011 Broadway revival How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, a role previously held by Broadway veterans Robert Morse and Matthew Broderick.^[76] Other cast members included John Larroquette, Rose Hemingway and Mary Faber.^[77] Both the actor and production received favourable reviews,^[78] with USA Today commenting: "Radcliffe ultimately succeeds not by overshadowing his fellow cast members, but by working in conscientious harmony with them – and having a blast in the process."^[79] Radcliffe's performance in the show earned him Drama Desk Award, Drama League Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations.^[80][81][82] The production itself later received nine Tony Award nominations.^[83] Radcliffe left the show on 1 January 2012.^[84]

His first post-Harry Potter project was the 2012 horror film The Woman in Black, adapted from the 1983 novel by Susan Hill. The film was released on 3 February 2012 in the United States and Canada, and was released on 10 February in the UK. Radcliffe portrays a man sent to deal with the legal matters of a mysterious woman who has just died, and soon after he begins to experience strange events and hauntings from the ghost of a woman dressed in black.^[85] He has said he was "incredibly excited" to be part of the film and described the script as "beautifully written".^[86] Radcliffe's godson Mischa, the son of Thea Sharrock, who co-directed the revival of Equus with Radcliffe, portrayed Arthur's son in the film.^[87] Variety has confirmed Radcliffe will star in the indie comedy The Amateur Photographer, a film adaptation of the book of the same name, directed by Christopher Monger. Set in 1970, it follows a man (Radcliffe) who discovers his calling after being drafted by the residents of a small English mill town to serve as a photographer for their most personal moments.^[88]

He is set to portray Allen Ginsberg in the upcoming thriller drama Kill Your Darlings, directed by John Krokidas.^[89][90]

Personal life[link]

In 2008, Radcliffe revealed that he suffers from a mild form of the neurological disorder dyspraxia. The motor skill disorder sometimes gets so bad that he has trouble doing simple activities, such as writing or tying his own shoelaces. "I was having a hard time at school, in terms of being crap at everything, with no discernible talent," Radcliffe commented.^[91] In August 2010, he stopped drinking alcohol after finding himself becoming too reliant on it.^[92]

In 2012, Radcliffe stated, "I think of myself as being Jewish and Irish, despite the fact that I’m English."^[6] He has also said, "I'm an atheist, and a militant atheist when religion starts impacting on legislation",^[93] and that he is "very proud of being Jewish".^[94][95][96]

Radcliffe is a supporter of the Labour Party.^[97] Until 2012 Radcliffe had publicly supported the Liberal Democrats,^[98] and before the 2010 UK General Election Radcliffe endorsed Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader. In 2012, however, Radcliffe switched his allegiance to Labour, citing disappointment with the performance of Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems in government, and approving of the Labour leader, Ed Miliband.^[99] At the age of sixteen, Radcliffe became the youngest non-royal ever to have an individual portrait in Britain's National Portrait Gallery (NPG). On 13 April 2006 his portrait, drawn by Stuart Pearson Wright, was unveiled as part of a new exhibition opening at the Royal National Theatre; it was then moved to the NPG where it resides.^[100]

He is a fan of underground^[101] and punk rock music,^[102][103] and is a keen follower of cricket, including cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.^[104][105] Writing short stories and poetry is also a passion.^[106] In November 2007 Radcliffe published several poems under the pen name Jacob Gershon — a combination of his middle name and the Jewish version of his mother's maiden name Gresham — in Rubbish, an underground fashion magazine.^[96][106] He enjoys a close friendship with his fellow Harry Potter co-stars Tom Felton^[101] and Emma Watson,^[107] and is tight-knit with his family, whom he credits for keeping him grounded.^[108]

Radcliffe at the film premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 in Alice Tully Center, New York City in November 2010.

Speaking out against homophobia, Radcliffe began filming public service announcements in 2009 for The Trevor Project, promoting awareness of gay teen suicide prevention.^[109][110] He first learned of the organisation while working on Equus on Broadway in 2008^[110] and has contributed financially to it.^[111] "I have always hated anybody who is not tolerant of gay men or lesbians or bisexuals. Now I am in the very fortunate position where I can actually help or do something about it," he said in a 2010 interview. In the same interview, he spoke of the importance of public figures advocating for equal rights.^[110] Radcliffe considers his involvement to be one of the most important things in his career and,^[109] for his work for the organisation, he was given the "Hero Award" in 2011.^[109]

Radcliffe has supported various charities. He designed the Cu-Bed for Habitat's VIP Kids range (a cube made of eight smaller ones which can be made into a bed, chaise-longue or chair)^[112] with all the royalties from the sale of the bed going directly to his favourite charity, Demelza House Children's Hospice in Sittingbourne, Kent.^[113] Radcliffe has urged his fans to make donations, in lieu of Christmas presents to him, to the charity's Candle for Care program. In 2008 he was among several celebrities who donated their old glasses to an exhibit honouring victims of the Holocaust.^[114] During the Broadway run of Equus he auctioned off a pair of jeans he wore in the show for "thousands of dollars", as well as other items worn in the show, for the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS "a New York-based nonprofit HIV/AIDS grant-making organisation".^[115] He has also donated money to Get Connected UK, a London-based free confidential national helpline for troubled youth.^[116]

Sources disagree about Radcliffe's personal wealth; he was reported to have earned £1 million for the first Harry Potter film^[21] and around £15 million for the sixth.^[9] Radcliffe appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List in 2006, which estimated his personal fortune to be £14 million, making him one of the richest young people in the UK.^[117] In March 2009 he was ranked number one on the Forbes "Most Valuable Young Stars" list,^[118] and by April The Daily Telegraph measured his net worth at £30m, making him the 12th richest young person in the UK.^[119] Radcliffe was considered to be the richest teenager in England later that year.^[9] In February 2010 he was named the sixth highest paid Hollywood male star^[120] and placed at number five on Forbes's December list of Hollywood's highest-grossing actors^{[note 1]} with a revenue of US$780 million, mainly due to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows being released that year.^[121] Despite previous predictions that Radcliffe would have amassed £70m by the time the Harry Potter series concluded,^[119] the actor was reported to only have a wealth of £28.5 million in 2010. This still makes him richer than Princes William and Harry.^[122] Despite his wealth, Radcliffe has said he does not have expensive tastes and that his main expense is buying books: "I read a lot."^[123] He also stated that money would never be the focus of his life.^[9]

In January 2012, Radcliffe said he was in a relationship with production assistant Rosie Coker.^[124]

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

Theatre[link]

Awards[link]

See also[link]

• List of Harry Potter cast members

Notes[link]

References[link]