<P> In the eight Harry Potter films screened from 2001 to 2011, Harry Potter has been portrayed by British actor Daniel Radcliffe . Radcliffe was asked to audition for the role of Harry in 2000 by producer David Heyman, while in attendance at a play titled Stones in His Pockets in London . The role has been highly lucrative for Radcliffe; as of 2015, he had an estimated wealth of $110 million and was paid a collective $53 million for the last two films . </P> <P> In a 2007 interview with MTV, Radcliffe stated that, for him, Harry is a classic coming of age character: "That's what the films are about for me: a loss of innocence, going from being a young kid in awe of the world around him, to someone who is more battle - hardened by the end of it ." He also said that for him, important factors in Harry's psyche are his survivor's guilt in regard to his dead parents and his lingering loneliness . Because of this, Radcliffe talked to a bereavement counsellor to help him prepare for the role . Radcliffe was quoted as saying that he wished for Harry to die in the books, but he clarified that he "can't imagine any other way they can be concluded ." After reading the last book, where Harry and his friends do indeed survive and have children, Radcliffe stated he was glad about the ending and lauded Rowling for the conclusion of the story . Radcliffe stated that the most repeated question he has been asked is how Harry Potter has influenced his own life, to which he regularly answers it has been "fine," and that he did not feel pigeonholed by the role, but rather sees it as a huge privilege to portray Harry . </P> <P> Radcliffe's Harry was named the 36th greatest movie character of all time by Empire . </P> <P> Throughout the series, Harry is described as having his father's perpetually untidy black hair, his mother's bright green eyes, and a lightning bolt - shaped scar on his forehead . He is further described as "small and skinny for his age" with "a thin face" and "knobbly knees", and he wears round eyeglasses . In the first book, his scar is described as "the only thing Harry liked about his own appearance". When asked about the meaning behind Harry's lightning bolt scar, Rowling said, "I wanted him to be physically marked by what he has been through . It was an outward expression of what he has been through inside...It is almost like being the chosen one or the cursed one, in a sense ." Rowling has also stated that Harry inherited his parents' good looks . In the later part of the series Harry grows taller, and by the seventh book is said to be' almost' the height of his father, and' tall' by other characters . </P>

How old is harry potter in book 2