Background

James Phelps was born as James Andrew Eric Phelps on 25 February 1986 in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England, to Martyn and Susan Phelps. He has a twin brother, Oliver, who is the older of the two by 13 minutes. Their parents used to dress them differently so that not only they could identify them easily but to encourage individuality in their growth as well.

Education

Phelps studied at the Little Sutton Primary School and later attended the Arthur Terry Secondary School. His school drama teacher had advised James and his brother not to bother with acting as they won’t be able to do anything with it.

James Phelps and his twin brother Oliver Phelps allegedly skipped school to audition for the first Harry Potter film.

Career

In 2000, James Phelps was cast as Fred Weasley in the flick ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’ which was released in 2001. In the ensuing years, he subsequently played the same role in other Harry Potter movies, such as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. During this time, Phelps also appeared in an episode of the TV series Kingdom.

In 2010, he did the short film Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Then in 2012, the actor starred in the documentary film A Mind's Eye. That year, he also got featured in the short movie The Turn. Then Phelps made a guest appearance in the seventh episode of 'King of the Nerds' in 2015. The same year, he played Mr. Barry Carter in the TV flick Danny and the Human Zoo.

Achievements

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  James Phelps gained worldwide fame for playing Fred Weasley in the Harry Potter movie series. He has also done a handful of other acting projects like the short films The Turn and Hogwarts Express and the shows Kingdom and King of the Nerds.
  
  

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

    (Harry Potter and Dumbledore's warning about the return of...)

    2007
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

    (When Harry is chosen as a fourth participant of the inter...)

    2005
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

    (Harry, Ron, and Hermoine return to Hogwarts just as they ...)

    2004
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

    (Harry Potter, an eleven-year-old orphan, discovers that h...)

    2001
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

    (After Voldemort takes over the Ministry of Magic, Harry, ...)

    2010
  • Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

    (Dumbledore and Harry Potter learn more about Voldemort's ...)

    2009
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

    (A house-elf warns Harry against returning to Hogwarts, bu...)

    2002
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

    (Harry, Ron, and Hermione race against time to destroy the...)

    2011

• TV series

  • King of the Nerds

    (The second season of this competition series again pits s...)

    2015

Religion

Phelps said that he do not follow a religion.

Views

In January 2003, the twins planted trees at the National Forest, in Leicestershire. The wood that helped make the Harry Potter broomsticks was replanted by the boys, with the trees being birch and ash.

Both James and Oliver are supporters of the Teenage Cancer Trust. They opened one of the charity's specialist units in Birmingham and have continued to support the charity since.

The twins also make public appearances in support of music and sports. Every year, they attend the V Festival, held by Virgin Media each August, as well as attending the Download Festival, a rock music festival managed and arranged by Live Nation UK in Donington Park, England.

In May 2006, they both took part in a celebrity football tournament called the "Celebrity World Cup Soccer Six." They participated alongside other celebrity sports fans.

James and Oliver were part of the Virgin Money Giving drive. Oliver focused on raising money for the RNLI lifeguards and James became involved with the "National Three Peaks Challenge," an event that challenged a climber to climb the three highest peaks in the United Kingdom in a 24-hour span.

On 22 November 2011, the brothers took part in a skydive for Cancer Research UK in Australia in memory of Harry Moseley, an 11-year-old boy who died on 8 October 2011 after a four-year battle with brain cancer. By December 2011, the amount pledged for their jump stood at £2,525.

On 7 September 2013, the brothers went on Pointless Celebrities to win money for the charity in memory of Harry Moseley, they didn't win the jackpot but left with £500 for their charity.

Quotations: "I think it's cool to play characters who are very joke-y and yet you can show a totally serious, very somber side to them. You don't normally get that in a film - and in a (film) series especially. To be able to do that was really cool."

"Acting is primarily is where I want to go. But seeing how the visual effects guys work, and the special effects guys and the art department guys, how they work and seeing their visions is really interesting. I don't think those guys get the recognition they deserve."

"You always know when one of the first ("Harry Potter" movies) are on TV, because you'll get a text message from one of your friends saying, "How high was your voice?" It's like watching a home movie, in some sense. But you just remember because the audience sees the scenes as they're written, but we remember shooting (the scenes) and all the stories that came around it. Like the Quidditch World Cup in ("Harry Potter and the) Goblet of Fire," it's like the Glastonbury Festival at Leavesden (Studios)."

Membership

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  Teenage Cancer Trust

Personality

James and Oliver Phelps love playing golf regularly. Oliver's handicap is 18 and James's is 20.

The twins support rival football clubs in Birmingham. Oliver supports Aston Villa, and did so alongside his late grandfather, while James supports Birmingham City with his father. However, both support Gloucester RFC together. They both support Major League Soccer side, Portland Timbers.

The twins enjoy traveling. Both travel around the world to tour and attend sports games and events; Oliver also maintains his own website called JOP World, where he chronicles the various places he visits and keeps fans updated with the brothers' activities.

James and Oliver are close with several of the Harry Potter cast members, including Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Daniel Radcliffe, and Matthew Lewis. They attended Radcliffe's Broadway performances, and often meet up with Grint, Felton and Lewis to play golf.

He likes to play guitar in his free time.

Physical Characteristics: As his natural hair color is brown, James had to get his hair as well as eyebrows bleached every three weeks in ginger red while shooting for the Harry Potter series.

Build: slim

Height: 6 ft 3¼ in or 191 cm

Weight: 92 kg or 203 lbs

Hair color: dark brown

Eye color: dark brown

Distinctive features: tall stature

Interests

• Favorite Movies – Forrest Gump (1994), Happy Gilmore (1996)
  
  Favorite Harry Potter Movie – The Goblet of Fire (2005)
  
  Favorite TV Shows – The Simpsons, Family Guy, Futurama (1999-2013), British Men Behaving Badly (1992-2014)

• Writers

  Favorite Harry Potter Book – The Prisoner of Azkaban

• Artists

  Favorite Actor – Tom Hanks

• Sport & Clubs

  Football, golf

• Athletes

  Birmingham City, Gloucester RFC, Major League Soccer, Portland Timbers
  
  Favorite golfer – Sergio Garcia

• Music & Bands

  Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Eagles, Bon Jovi, Queen, Feeder, Coldplay, Guns ‘N’ Roses, AC/DC, the Beatles, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Green Day, Muse and Velvet Revolver

Connections

James Phelps is not married. James started dating American producer Simone Burke in 2009. Their relationship rumors were generated by a picture of them hiking together. They were spotted together at other public events including football games as well. They broke by the next year.

Father:

Martyn Phelps

Mother:

Susan Phelps

Brother:

Oliver Phelps

Oliver Phelps is an English actor and the older one of the twin brothers, best known to portray the Weasley twins in the famous children’s fantasy film series Harry Potter.

colleague:

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe is an English actor and producer. He rose to international stardom as Harry Potter in the series of films based on the hugely popular books by J.K. Rowling.

colleague:

Rupert Grint

Rupert Alexander Lloyd Grint is an English actor and producer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Ron Weasley, one of the three main characters in the Harry Potter film series. Grint was cast as Ron at the age of 11, having previously acted only in school plays and at his local theatre group.

Friend:

Tom Felton

(born 22 September 1987)

Tom Felton is an English actor and musician.

colleague:

Emma Watson

(born 15 April 1990)

Emma Watson is an English actress, model, and activist.

colleague:

Bonnie Wright

(born 17 February 1991)

Bonnie Francesca Wright is an English actress, fashion model, screenwriter, director and producer. She is best known for playing Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter films.

colleague:

Matthew Lewis

Matthew David Lewis is an English film, television and stage actor, best known for playing Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films, Jamie Bradley in The Syndicate and Corporal Gordon "Towerblock" House in the BBC Three comedy drama Bluestone 42.

colleague:

Ralph Fiennes

(born 22 December 1962)

Ralph Fiennes is an English actor, film producer, and director.

colleague:

Robert Pattinson

(born 13 May 1986)

Robert Pattinson is an English actor, model, and musician.

colleague:

Maggie Smith

(born 28 December 1934)

Maggie Smith is an English actress.

colleague:

Evanna Lynch

(born 16 August 1991)

Evanna Lynch is an Irish actress, vegan activist, podcast host and narrator.

colleague:

Gary Oldman

(born 21 March 1958)

Gary Oldman is a Brtish actor and filmmaker who has performed in theatre, film, and television.

colleague:

Alan Rickman

(21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016)

Alan Rickman was an English actor and director.

colleague:

Chris Rankin

Christopher William "Chris" Rankin is a New Zealand-born British actor who is best known for playing Percy Weasley in the Harry Potter film franchise.

colleague:

Julie Walters

Julie Walters is an English actress, comedian, and author.

References

• James Phelps - Instagram
• James Phelps - Twitter