RUPERT GRINT
Date of Birth: August 24, 1988
Rupert Michael Grint was born in Hertfordshire, England. From a very young age, he knew he wanted to be an actor, and took part in after school drama classes. He appeared in roles in several school plays, including Rooster in the musical Annie, Rumplestiltskin in Grimm Tales, and a role in Peter Pan.
Already a Harry Potter fan from reading the books, Rupert was watching a British television show for kids called Newsround that told about auditions for the film. He sent in a letter because he thought he would be perfect for the role of Ron, Harry's best friend, but weeks later, he'd heard nothing back. Not one to let matters drop, Rupert logged onto the Newsround website and saw that another boy had sent in an audition video. With the help of his mother, Rupert made a video as well, and soon after, he received notice that he had an audition.
Although he admits to being nervous during his audition, he was called back for a screen test. Several auditions later, he and Emma Watson were called into director Chris Columbus' office and told they had gotten the parts of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Like Ron Weasley, Rupert comes from a large family. Unlike Ron, he's the oldest child, with one brother and three sisters. For his role in the first Harry Potter film, Rupert received a British Critic's Circle nomination for Best Newcomer.
In between the first and second Harry Potter films, Rupert landed a lead role in a British film for children called Thunderpants (2002) in which he played a madcap boy scientist/inventor. He had to have his hair permed for the role, and then straightened again when he returned to film the second Harry Potter film. In Driving Lessons (2006), he co-starred with Julie Walters, who also played his mother in the Harry Potter films.
In his spare time, Rupert enjoys swimming and bicycling. His favorite subject was chemistry, but left school early at the age of sixteen after taking his GCSE exams, to focus on his acting career.