Daniel Radcliffe is the young actor who starred as Harry Potter in the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (U. K. title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) and its sequels, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). The films were based on the popular series of novels by British author J. K. Rowling. Radcliffe's first film role was as David in the BBC TV adaptation of David Copperfield (1999). He also had a part in The Tailor of Panama (2001, starring Pierce Brosnan)

Emma Watson played Hermione Granger in the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first film based on the hit series of books by author J.K. Rowling. Hermione is young Harry Potter's friend at the magical Hogwarts School; in the films, Harry is played by actor Daniel Radcliffe. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was Watson's motion picture debut. She also played Hermione in the 2002 film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the 2004 release Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and the 2005 film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Rupert Grint plays boy wizard Ron Weasley in the series of films based on the Harry Potter stories of J.K. Rowling. Weasley is Potter's redheaded sidekick at Hogwarts, the school for wizardry. Grint had no acting experience beyond school plays when he took part in an open casting call for the first Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001). He won the part and went on to play Weasley in the sequels Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). He also appeared in the 2002 comedy Thunderpants (with Paul Giamatti).

Joanne K. Rowling (pronounced rolling) hit the scene in 1997 as the author of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (also titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone), the tale of a seemingly ordinary boy who discovers that he is actually a wizard. By the end of 1999 the top three slots on the New York Times list of bestsellers were taken by the first three books in the Harry Potter series. By the 2000 release of the fourth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter had become a global pop culture phenomenon, with parents and children standing in line at bookstores waiting for the book's release, and Rowling had become one of the world's best-known authors. After the 2003 release of the fifth Harry Potter book, The Order of the Phoenix, the BBC reported that Rowling's books had been translated into 60 languages (including ancient Greek) and had sold over 250 million copies worldwide. The sixth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released in July of 2005.

Extra credit: The films Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) starred Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, with Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry's friends