Rupert Grint is today celebrating his 36th birthday.
He’s a fully grown man now, but the world fell in love with him more than two decades ago when he shot to fame with the role of Ron Weasley in the massively successful Harry Potter.
While many fans still know him for his involvement in the movies, the Harry Potter cast bade farewell more than a decade ago and have all gone on to pursue separate endeavours.
Read on to learn more about Grint’s life and career since his wizarding days.
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Rupert as Ron Weasley
Grint, who had been a fan of the Harry Potter book series, auditioned for the role of Ron Weasley in 1999.
He even went so far as to send a video of himself rapping about how much he wanted the role to impress the casting agents.
By 2000, it was announced Grint, Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) would play the three lead characters of the first film, Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone.
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Grint was 13 when the film was released and he went on to play Ron in all eight of the films. He was 23 when the final instalment of the series was released.
After wrapping up the last film, Grint opened up to NJ.com about how strange it felt to be leaving something he’d done for so long.
“I mean, it literally has been my childhood and suddenly it all came down to really just one random scene, with us jumping through a fireplace, and then it was over,” he said.
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After Harry Potter
During his time playing Ron Weasley, Grint took on some other roles including the 2006 comedy drama Driving Lessons, starring opposite Julie Walters, and the 2010 comedy thriller Wild Target alongside Emily Blunt and Bill Nighy.
After farewelling Hogwarts, Grint continued pursuing his acting career. He has had notable roles in several projects, including the 2012 film Into The White, the 2017 TV series Sick Note and the 2017 TV series Snatch.
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Grint also famously starred in the official music video for English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran’s song Lego House in 2011.
It was a hit among fans, especially as many believed that Grint and Sheeran look eerily similar.
Most recently, Grint has starred as Julian Pearce in the psychological horror series Servant, which ran for four seasons between 2019 and 2023.
Grint also reunited with his Harry Potter co-stars for the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts documentary.
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In the documentary, Grint revealed the experience of being in the franchise made him who he is today.
“I wouldn’t be the person I am without so many people here. It’s a very overwhelming thing because I’ve watched you grow up and I’ve seen kind of every stage of your life,” he said to his co-star Emma Watson.
“It’s a strong bond that we’ll always have. We’re family.”
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Acting aside
Acting aside, Grint has also donated his time and money to various charities. He has helped raise many for several causes including hospice care and cancer research.
Most recently he has collaborated with nonprofit organisation Choose Love to design a charity t-shirt to help raise money for refugees and displaced people.
Personal life
We know a lot less about Grint’s personal life than that of his beloved Harry Potter character, but since leaving the franchise behind he seems to have led a very wholesome life.
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The star has been in a relationship with actress Georgia Groome, known for her role in the teen comedy film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, since 2011 and they share a four-year-old daughter, Wednesday.
The couple have worked hard to keep their relationship and daughter out of the public eye, however Grint has spoken briefly about their relationship in the past.
“It’s a very natural thing – we’re just best friends. We’re kind of the same person; we think the same way,” he told Glamour in 2021.
“That’s always made it work – that’s why it’s lasted. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is, but it works and it’s great.
The same year Wednesday came into the world, Grint decided to make his Instagram debut, with his first photo being a sweet photo of himself and his newborn daughter.
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After creating his account, his following shot to one million followers within four hours and one minute, which broke the previous Guiness World Records title for the fastest time to hit one million.
Despite the massive following, Grint doesn’t post very much on social media and appears to enjoy a private life with his young family.
He is no doubt enjoying his birthday with them today – happy birthday Rupert!
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