Happy Birthday, Harry! - birthday, deathroses, harry, potter

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter!

I know it's still early, as Harry Potter's birthday is on Jul 31st, which also happens to be JK Rowling's birthday, so Happy Birthday to Ms. Rowling too. However, since it is Daniel Radcliffe's birthday today (Jul 23rd), and he plays Harry Potter, this birthday blog should come at the right time.

Speaking of birthdays, would anyone like to hazard a guess as to how old Potter is?

Well, if you remember, near the beginning of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone', it says that "tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday." July 31 doesn't fall on a Tuesday very often. Most readers of that first book assumed that, because it was published in 1997, Harry attended Hogwarts during the 1990s. In 1990, July 31 fell on a Tuesday. This would mean that Harry was born in 1979 and would have turned 22 in 2001.

But wait, this theory is contradicted by evidence in 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets', in which Harry helped celebrate Nearly Headless Nick's death-day anniversary on October 31, 1992. Harry was 12 at that time. So this would mean that Harry was born in 1980, and that he would turn 21 in 2001.

Hmmm. Anyway, for those interested in what Daniel has done so far in his young and budding career, I will leave you with this list.

1999 - Debut acting role, as a young incarnation of the title role in the BBC/PBS adaptation of Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield"
2000 - Had featured role in "The Tailor of Panama", John Boorman's adaptation of John Le Carre's spy novel
2001 - Cast in the title role of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone," adapted from a popular series of books by author J K Rowling
2002 - Reprised role of Harry in the sequel "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"
2004 - Again played Harry Potter in the third installment of the series by J.K. Rowling "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" directed by Alfonso Cuarón
2005 - Reprised the role of Harry in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," adapted from the fourth book in the fantasy series by J.K. Rowling and directed by Mike Newell
Cast in the independent film "December Boys," based on the young adult novel by Michael Noonan (lensed 2005)
Will make his London stage debut as a psychologically disturbed stable boy in "Equus"

Happy Birthday, Daniel Radcliffe!