Rupert Grint

Rupert Alexander Lloyd Grint (born 24 August, 1988) is a British actor who is best known for playing the character of Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films.

Career
Born in Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire, England, Rupert Grint is the eldest of five siblings. Before being cast in Harry Potter he had only appeared in school plays and with his local theatre group Top Hat Stage School in such productions as Peter Pan and Rumplestiltskin. A self-proclaimed fan of the Harry Potter book series, young Rupert was adamant about getting a role in the first film. He entered a video he made of himself rapping about the role of Harry Potter, and at the age of 11, won the role of Harry's best friend Ron Weasley. After completing the first Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he appeared as Alan A. Allen in the British comedy film Thunderpants (2002). In 2002 and 2004 he again starred as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter sequels, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Also known for his radio and television voice overs, he appeared as Nigel Molesworth of the Baggy Trousers series for the BBC. In 2005, he again played Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Marking his first foray from the comic-goofball-sidekick roles, Rupert starred in the coming of age story Driving Lessons with Laura Linney and Julie Walters (Molly Weasley) which was released in 2006. He also appears with fellow Harry Potter co-star Bill Nighy in the 2010 film Wild Target.

His favourite actors include Jim Carey and Mike Myers. In 2005 Rupert left Richard Hale School, taking his GCSE examinations in Art and German.

When not working, Rupert enjoys learning to ride the unicycle, riding quad bikes, drawing/sketching, golfing, playing pool, and playing the guitar.

In 2009, Rupert was nominated and voted fifth place in Portrait Magazine, Top 30 Under 30 2009 List. Grint's fellow Harry Potter's co-stars was also nominated Bonnie Wright who plays Ginny Weasley was second place, Evanna Lynch who play Luna Lovegood was third place, Emma Watson who plays Hermione Granger was eighth place, Tom Felton who plays Draco Malfoy was fourteenth place, and Daniel Radcliffe who plays Harry Potter was eighteenth place in Portrait Magazine, Top 30 Under 30 2009 List.

Awards and nominations

 * British Critics Circle for Best Newcomer - Nominated.
 * Golden Satellite Awards for Outstanding New Talent - Nominated.
 * Empire Awards for Best Début - Nominated.
 * Portrait Magazine, Top 30 Under 30 2009 List - Nominated and Voted in Fifth Place.

Filmography

 * Eddie the Eagle (2011)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
 * Wild Target (2010)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
 * Cherrybomb (2009)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
 * Driving Lessons (2006)
 * The Queen's Handbag (Harry Potter short film) (2006)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
 * Thunderpants (2002)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)

Behind the scenes

 * Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m).
 * Can draw expressive caricatures within 60 seconds.
 * Builds model aeroplanes.
 * Avid golfer.
 * From Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, he only received $125,000 for each Harry Potter film.
 * Has one brother and three sisters: James (b. 1990); Georgina (b. 1993); Samantha (b. 1996); and Charlotte (b. 1998).
 * Arachnophobic (like his character, Ron).
 * Is of English and Irish heritage.
 * Can ride a unicycle.
 * He can speak German, though only a little, such as numbers and little sentences.
 * Has bought an ice cream truck.
 * In one chapter of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Professor Slughorn mistakenly calls Ron "Rupert".
 * Suffered from a mild case of swine flu at one point, but has since recovered.
 * Has bought pigs and a hovercraft

Quotes

 * "The most challenging scene for me was the spider scene, because I don't like spiders in real life. Even rubber ones I get really scared of."
 * "Ron was always my favourite character, because I feel like I relate to him, like we've both got red hair, we both like sweets, we've both got lots of brothers and sisters."
 * "The characters in the book grow up with us. My voice has broken as well."