Daniel Jacob Radcliffe ( born 23 July 1989 ) is an English actor who rose to prominence as the title character in the Harry Potter film series . He made his acting debut at 10 years of age in BBC One 's 1999 television film David Copperfield , followed by his cinematic debut in 2001 's The Tailor of Panama . At age 11 , he was cast as Harry Potter in the first Harry Potter film , and starred in the series for 10 years until the release of the eighth and final film in 2011 .