Harry Potter Background Information
Quinten Frederick
J.K Rowling
Joanne was a single mother. According to Melissa Burdock Harmon, “Joanne was on welfare, and all she wanted to do was publish her Harry Potter stories (Harmon 2). She had thought about Harry Potter on a train seven years before she published her first book titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. She thought and wrote down her ideas for the plot of all seven books before even starting to write her first book (Harmon 3). Her name was shortened as a marketing type, for her publisher thought that because she was a girl that boys would not read her book, so her name was changed to J.K. Rowling. The “K” in her middle initials came from her grandmother Kathleen seeing she lacked a middle name (Harmon 4). It is said that she was once living off welfare, and now she is richer than the queen of England (Harmon 8).
Harry Potter Logo
2011. Photograph. Colider. TopLingo, 6 Dec. 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
J.K Rowling
Happy Birthday to Harry Potter. 2013. Photograph. JK Rowling Fan. Cute News, 30 July 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 31.
Daniel Radcliffe
2011. Photograph. Colider. TopLingo, 6 Sept. 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Harry Potter Plot
The Harry Potter series is a tale of wizardry, friendship, and a traditional theme of good vs. evil. According to Helen Vachet, a book analyst, “Courage, calmness, insight, self-sacrifice, logic, and purity are the steps to Harry Potter’s and his friends’ initiation of self- realization”(24). When Harry is born, his life and his parents are threatened by the almighty power of Lord Voldemort, and his parents lose the battle, but Harry cannot be killed and his mysteriously exiles Voldemort, for that is why he is so famous in his world (Vachet 6). Through out the series Harry Potter learns magic at Hogwarts, makes friends, finds courage, and battles his parents and now his enemy-- Voldemort. In the end, Harry Potter has major dilemmas and problems, but he alone can save the wizarding world. That is if he can save himself (Vachet).
Actors & Actresses in the Harry Potter film:
There are many characters in Harry Potter, so of course there has to be many actresses and actors to fill the parts. The four main characters are Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Lord Voldemort. Harry Potter is played by Daniel Radcliffe. According to Barbara A. Shrieber, writer for Britannica Inc., "Radcliffe began acting at age six when he appeared as a monkey in a school play"(1). Daniel Radcliffe was in many british films as a minor character. Daniel got the role of Harry Potter in 2001. Because the first film was such a hit he was offered a part in all eight productions of the series (Schreiber 1). Hermione Granger is another big character in the stories of Harry Potter. Hermione was played by Emma Watson. she never really had an acting career prior to Harry Potter, but when she auditioned the producers and J.K. Rowling loved the idea of her playing a lead role (Sean Smith 1). Ronald Weasly is Harry Potters best friend, and in the movies his best friend is played by Rupert Grint. Rupert started out in the film Harry Potter at age 11. He has played in several British films, and even quit school at age 16 to to focus on his acting career. (Jeff Jensen 1,2). Ralph Fiennes is also another important actor in the Harry Potter film series. He plays the role of Lord Voldemort, a sinister villain in the plot. According to Encyclopedia Britannica,m a well known online article source, "Ralph trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts" (2). Fiennes has starred in very many well known American and British films (Encyclopedia Britannica 2-4).
Bibliography
Encyclopedia of Britannica. "Ralph Fiennes (English Actor)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
Harmon, Melissa B. "J.K. Rowling: The Real Life Wizard Behind Harry Potter." EBSCO Host. EBSCO Ind, 2013. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
Jensin, Jeffery. "The Story of Rupert Grint." EBSCO Host. Entertainment, 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 30.
Schreiber, Barbara A. "Daniel Radcliffe (British Actor)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
Smith, Sean. "Emma Watson." EBSCO Host. Entertainment, 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 30.
Vachet, Helen. "Harry Potter and the Perennial Quest." Sirs. The Theosophical Society in America, Nov.-Dec. 2001. Web. 10 Oct. 30.