Fred Weasley of Harry Potter

Background:

“It was so much fun making the film on set, it was like playtime.” James Phelps (about working on the Harry Potter films)

English actor James Phelps is popular for his portrayal of Fred Weasley in the Harry Potter film series. He is the identical twin brother of Oliver Phelps, who plays George, Fred's twin, in the films. The brothers made their TV debut in the British comedy series “Kingdom” in 2009.

James enjoys golf, football, snooker, rugby and bowling. Like his father, he supports Birmingham City, while his brother Oliver supports Aston Villa. In May 2006, the brothers participated in a celebrity football tournament called Celebrity World Cup Soccer Six. James can play guitar, and mentions The Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bon Jovi, The Eagles, Queen, Guns 'N' Roses, Coldplay, AC/DC, Metallica, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Muse, Green Day, and Velvet Revolver among his favorite bands. His favorite actor is Tom Hanks. James and his brother work for Virgin Money Giving, a charity organization aimed to raising Money for good Causes.

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Childhood and Family:

James Phelps was born James Andrew Eric Phelps on February 25, 1986, in Birmingham, England. He has an identical twin brother named Oliver Phelps (also an actor), who is 13 minutes older than him. The boys are the only sons of Martyn and Susan Phelps. James, nicknamed Ja, attended Little Sutton Primary School and the Arthur Terry Secondary School in Sutton, Coldfield, along with his brother. They left school in 2004 and had taken their A Level exams. James showed an interest in acting at an early age and performed in several school plays.

Kingdom

Career:

James Phelps made his professional acting debut at age 15 when he landed the role of Fred Weasley, along side his brother, Oliver, as George, the twin brothers of Ron, in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” (2001), the first installment in the Harry Potter film series. Directed by by Chris Columbus and scripted by Steve Kloves, the film gained positive critical reception and was nominated for many awards, including three Oscars for Best Original Score, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. It grossed over $974 million against a budget of $125 million, and has become the eleventh highest grossing film of all time.

James reprised the role of Fred on the second film, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” (2002), which was also directed by Columbus. The film mostly earned positive reviews from critics and was a huge success at the box office. With over $878 million worldwide, the film is ranked No. 22 on the list of the highest grossing film of all time and becomes the seventh highest grossing film in the Harry Potter series.

In 2004, James returned as Fred for the third sequel “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” which was directed by Alfonso Cuarón. It was nominated for two Academy Awards in the categories of Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score and Best Achievement in Visual Effects. The film grossed a total of over $796 million worldwide, marking the lowest performance amongst the eight films.

James again reprised the role of Fred in the follow up “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (2005), which was helmed by Mike Newell. The film enjoyed a vastly successful run at the box office, and grossed over $896 million worldwide, which made it the highest grossing film of 2005 and the eighth highest grossing film of all time at that time. The film received a 2006 Academy Award nomination for Best Achievement in Art Direction and won a BAFTA for Best Production Design, making it the only Harry Potter film to win at the BAFTAs.

Two years later, James resurfaced in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (2007), which was directed by David Yates and written by Michael Goldenberg. The film was a critical and commercial success. It grossed over $939 million worldwide, making it the second most successful film of 2007.

In 2009, along with his brother Oliver, James made guest appearance in the series 3 episode 5 of the British comedy/drama series “Kingdom.” There James played Callum Anderson, while Oliver played Finlay Anderson. The same year, the two also reprised their roles on the sixth film “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” which was directed by Yates and written by Kloves. The film opened to critical acclaim along with instant commercial success. It scored a total of over $934 million worldwide, becoming the 8th highest grossing movie of all time and the second highest grossing film of 2009 (behind “Avatar”).

James also appeared in the last two films: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 1” (2010) and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” (2011). With over $955 million worldwide, “Part 1” became the highest grossing film of 2010 and is the eighth highest grossing film of all-time. It earned two nominations at the 83rd Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction. Released in July 2011, “Part 2” opened to universal critical acclaim, and has grossed over one billion worldwide.

Awards:
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