Background

Born on February 25, 1986, in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England, Oliver and his identical twin brother James are the only children of Susan (née Spare) and Martyn Phelps. Oliver is older by about 13 minutes.

Education

Oliver Martyn John Phelps studied at the Little Sutton Primary School and the Arthur Terry Secondary School. However, after he and his brother were chosen for the Harry Potter films, they were tutored on the set due to their hectic schedule.

Career

In 2000, when Oliver Phelps and his brother were 14 years old, the Phelps twins decided to skip the school exams and attended the open audition that they heard so much about. After about six rounds of auditions, they were selected to play Fred and George Weasley. Initially, however, they were not sure who was going to play whom. They approached casting director Janet Hirshenson and asked her about it. She informed them that George was going to be played by Oliver and Fred by James. The twins still have doubts whether it was their original intention or a last-minute decision. While Oliver and James are quite similar to their fictional counterparts and did play quite a few pranks on the cast and crew, they never swapped characters at work. They were apparently too afraid of getting caught and being responsible for all the cast and crew having to come in and work on a Saturday.

The twin brothers appeared in all the eight films in the series, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’ (2001), ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ (2002), ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ (2004), ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ (2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ (2007), ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ (2009), ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1’ (2010), and ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2’ (2011).

Oliver also reprised the role in the short films ‘Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey’ (2010) and ‘Hogwarts Express’ (2014) and the TV series ‘Chute!’ (2007). He lent his voice to George in the video games ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ (2007) and ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1’ (2010).

Oliver has decided to pursue acting as a full-time profession and has appeared in other projects besides the Harry Potter franchise. He played Finlay Anderson alongside his brother’s Callum Anderson in an episode of Stephen Fry’s ITV comedy ‘Kingdom’ (2009). He acted in the short film ‘Ears’ (2013) and the television film ‘Danny and the Human Zoo’ (2015). Oliver is set to appear in the upcoming projects ‘Own Worst Enemy’ and ‘7 Days: The True Story of Blind Dave Heeley.’

Achievements

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  Oliver Martyn John Phelps gained worldwide fame for playing George Weasley in the Harry Potter movie series. He and his twin brother have also devoted considerable time and effort to various charity initiatives, including Teenage Cancer Trust and Virgin Money Giving drive.
  
  

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 l...)

    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

James and Oliver Phelps said that they do not follow any 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: (what it's like to start filming another movie) "Being on set is just like going back to school. Everyone's like, 'Hi, did you have a nice summer?' It's such a laugh."

"Working alongside such big-name actors was fantastic, it hasn't really sunk in yet."

"Yes, Scabbers was real, and I've got a phobia of rats."

"I drink alcohol. I don't smoke. I can't see the point or like the smell."

Membership

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  Teenage Cancer Trust

Personality

Apart from acting, Oliver also indulges in writing.

He hates rats, he disliked working with one on a scene in Prisoner of Azkaban.

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 enjoys sports like rugby, soccer, golf, and cricket and participated in a celebrity football tournament, Celebrity World Cup Soccer Six, in May 2006.

Oliver also runs a YouTube channel along with his brother James.

Physical Characteristics: Oliver has a mole on the right side of his neck and James doesn’t. This is one of the very few ways one can tell them apart.

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

Build: slim

Height: 6 ft 3 in or 190.5 cm

Weight: 80 kg or 176 lbs

Hair color: dark brown

Eye color: dark brown

Distinctive features: tall stature

Interests

• Favorite Film – Goodfellas (1990)

• Writers

  Capture Or Kill, Book by Tom Marcus

• Sport & Clubs

  Soccer, Rugby, Golf, Cricket

• Athletes

  Favorite Soccer Team – Aston Villa
  
  Favorite Rugby Club – Gloucester RFC

• Music & Bands

  Alter Bridge, Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, Elvis Presley, and Queen

Connections

Phelps reportedly dated Katy Humpage briefly in 2008. They subsequently split up and had an on-again, off-again relationship over the years. On July 4, 2015, they got married.

Since the summer of 2013, the twins are living in Santa Monica, California. Presently they divide their time between the United Kingdom and the United States.

Father:

Martyn Phelps

Mother:

Susan Phelps

Spouse:

Katy Humpage

Brother:

James Phelps

James Phelps, born as James Andrew Eric Phelps, is a British actor. He is best known for playing the role of Fred Weasley in the Harry Potter movie series.

Friend:

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.

Friend:

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)

He is an English actor and musician.

colleague:

Emma Watson

(born 15 April 1990)

She 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:

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

Dame Julia Mary Walters DBE, known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress, comedian, and author. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Fellowship, and a Golden Globe.

References

• Oliver Phelps - Instagram
• Oliver Phelps - Twitter