A Life With Film

I specifically remember in 2001 - nine years ago - going to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with my Aunt and cousin. The near-yearly Harry Potter trip to the movie theater is a voyage I have been making since I was 12 years old, along with millions of other kids. We grew up with the Golden Trio, not only in the books, but in the films as well and luckily for us, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint didn't turn out too bad.

So here's a yearbook commemorating the beginning of the end for our 9 year journey. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Daniel Radcliffe, a child actor with a few roles under his tiny belt, was scouted out by Potter producer David Heyman while attending a play in 2000. After a series of auditions among the likes of Haley Joel Osment, Radcliffe was cast as the most famous pre-teen in the world with author J.K. Rowling's personal stamp of approval: "Having seen Dan Rancliffe's screen test, I don't think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry." Columbus added himself, "There were times when we felt we would never find an individual who embodied the complex spirit and depth of Harry Potter... [But] the moment he walked into the room we knew we'd found Harry."

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Radcliffe quickly began making a name for himself away from the Potter series, co-starring in a production of The Play What I Wrote in London.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

As you might remember, a catastrophic tsunami hit Sri Lanka around the time Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was shot. Radcliffe helped with the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Organization, along with financially contributing to the relief fund himself. This is also about the time that Radcliffe began showing up in television shows, poking fun at himself. That lengthy list starts in 2005 with Foley and McColl: This Way Is Up.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix (2007)

In 2007 Radcliffe set shock waves around the world with the decision to star in the play Equus, the story of a man who is sexual fixated with horses. Though the play had been performed numerous times since it's first run in the 1970's by many actor's Radcliffe's age, Radcliffe raised a few eyebrows by performing - as the script dictated - a scene in the nude. This prompted boycott of Harry Potter by parents of young Potter fans, who were scared that their impressionable young children would start performing naked in London plays. Or something to that effect.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

In an interview with Attitude, Radcliffe spoke out as a gay rights activist. Since then, Radcliffe has been a financial backer and public spokesperson for a West Hollywood based LGBT suicide prevention hotline named The Trevor Project.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

Since the Potter films started, it was clear that Radcliffe had the talent and the drive to continue working post-Potter. Radcliffe already has two films in production for 2011, The Journey is the Destination and The Woman in Black.

{photos: danradcliffe.co.uk}

{inspiration: mtv movie blog}