It’s no secret that HP fans were elated when the actors playing the roles of Harry Potter and his friends became adults. Few could’ve predicted that the boy who played Hogwarts’ brilliant but unlucky-in-love former Potions Professor would grow up to be so handsome. But even more exciting is the news that several of the Harry Potter stars are now adults. One of them is Robert Pattinson. The actor who played the role of Harry’s best friend Dudley Dursley grew up to be a fine young man and now holds down a responsible career in banking. As for Robert Pattinson himself, his fame grew even more with each passing year and he is now one of the world’s most recognizable and respected celebrities. In fact, he’s even been chosen as the face of a major international clothing brand. So let’s take a moment to look back on Robert Pattinson’s life before Harry Potter and see how he fulfilled his destiny and lived up to the hype. Here’s a look at how old was Robert Pattinson when he played Harry Potter.
Before Harry Potter: A Life in the Limelight
Robert Pattinson was born on June 23, 1985 in London. The actor once joked that his parents must’ve really liked William Shakespeare because his first name is also that of the legendary playwright. It was quite prophetic, considering that his acting career seems to have been inspired by the Bard. He made his television debut at the age of three, appearing alongside his sister in an episode of a popular BBC children’s program. A year later, he returned for another installment and continued to pop up on TV screens throughout the ‘90s. By the time he was a teenager, Robert had already starred in several notable films and television shows. His big break came when he was cast as Harry Potter in the 2007 adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s mega-bestselling Harry Potter books. As we’ve established, the young Pattinson stole the show and became a worldwide sensation. Since then he’s starred in a number of award-winning and critically acclaimed films. In 2020 alone, his films Ambient Lighting, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and the James Bond movie, Dr. No reportedly grossed a combined total of over $1 billion at the box office.
Avengers Assemble!
Even before the Harry Potter films, Robert was no stranger to movie magic. At the age of 14 he starred in the superhero blockbuster Avengers, played by an all-star cast including Robert’s one-time idol and Hogwarts’ Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Sir Anthony Hopkins. The film was recently cited as one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. In it, young Robert played the role of Howard Stark’s grandson, creating one of the most interesting ‘tweener’ characters of all time. Even so, at the time of this writing, Avengers: Endgame is currently in theaters and it looks like everyone’s favorite superhero team will be back for another round of adventure. And who knows? Maybe they’ll even bring a few of our favorite characters from the big-screen world of Harry Potter with them. (We’re looking at you, Ron and Hermione!)
Pattinson Goes Solo
While he was busy filming the Harry Potter movies, Robert also returned to the small screen in the form of an independent short film called Vogue. In it, he played the role of a photographer who finds himself at the center of a zombie outbreak just as the world goes crazy. The film was a critical and commercial success, winning several awards and selling-out numerous worldwide theatrical and DVD releases. It was also the beginning of Robert’s solo career and he quickly followed it up with his first lead role in a feature film, the romantic comedy Dirty Game. And then came 2020 and the premiere of Paradox, in which he played an adult Steve Jobs. It was an incredible performance and it won him a great deal of acclaim. Jobs is known for developing the iPad and creating the Macintosh computer – two of the most popular and influential devices of all time. If you’ve never heard of them, now you know why. In the years to come, it’s quite possible that Jobs’ life story will be turned into a major motion picture. It’s been years since we’ve seen an actor step into the role with the same panache and charisma. While it’s clear that 2020 was a banner year for the 35-year-old actor, it seems as though Robert is only getting started.