| James and Oliver Phelps | |
|---|---|
James and Oliver Phelps at Lucca Comics and Games 2011 |
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| Born | James Andrew Eric Phelps Oliver Martyn John Phelps 25 February 1986 Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Actors |
| Years active | 2001–present |
James Andrew Eric Phelps and Oliver Martyn John Phelps (born 25 February 1986) are identical twin English actors, best known for playing Fred and George Weasley, respectively, in the Harry Potter film series.
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James and Oliver were born in the Sutton Coldfield area of Birmingham, West Midlands, England on 25 February, 1986. They are the only sons of Susan (née Spare) and Martyn Phelps. Oliver is the older of the two, by 13 minutes. Growing up, they attended Little Sutton Primary School and the Arthur Terry Secondary School. They left school in 2004, having taken their A-level exams.
They are known by friends, family and film crew to be pranksters, from something as innocent like changing their names around, to the rumoured prank that caused the filming to be redone. Even though they did admit to changing their characters around, it was not done while filming, it was done once while in rehearsal. They claimed the rumour about changing during filming was made up in a recent interview by moviesireland.
Both James and Oliver showed an interest in acting at an early age, having performed side by side in a few school drama productions when they were younger. In 2000, when they were 14 years old, the twins were cast as Fred and George Weasley in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
James and Oliver's best friends in the Harry Potter cast are Rupert Grint and Matthew Lewis. Outside of acting, James has worked as a runner on the Potter sets, and other film productions, such as The Da Vinci Code.[1]
Both twins enjoy golf, and Oliver has expressed an interest in becoming a pro golfer. His handicap is 20 and James’ is 18.[2] Both like listening to rock music, playing the Xbox 360, PlayStation and acting. The twin brothers support rival football clubs in Birmingham. Oliver supports Aston Villa, while James supports Birmingham City (Oliver supported Aston Villa alongside his late grandfather and James supported Birmingham City with his father). In May 2006, they both took part in a celebrity football tournament called Celebrity World Cup Soccer Six.[3] They both also support Gloucester RFC. Recently, the twins planted trees at the National Forest, in Leicestershire. The wood that helped make the Harry Potter broomsticks were replanted by the boys, with the trees being birch and ash.[4]
Both twins have contributed to planting trees at the National Forest in Leicestershire. It is also known they both like music and sports, making several public appearances in support of both. Every year they attend the V Festival, held by Virgin Media each August, as well as attending the Download Festival, a rock music festival managed and arranged by Live Nations in Donington Park, England. In May 2006, they both took part in the football tournament known as the Celebrity World Cup Soccer Six. They participated alongside other celebrity sports fans.[5]
James and Oliver are both a Part of Virgin Money Giving drive. Oliver focused on raising money for the RNLI lifeguards and James became involved with the "3 Peak Challenge," an event that challenges a climber to climb the three highest peaks in the UK in a 24 hour span.[6][7][8]
On 22nd November, 2011, both James and Oliver took part in a skydive for Cancer Research UK, in Australia, in memory of Harry Moseley - an 11-year-old boy who died on 8th October, 2011, after a four year battle with brain cancer. As of 15th Decemeber, 2011, the amount pledged for their jump stands at £2,525.
List of television credits
| Year | Film | James' Role | Oliver's Role | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Fred Weasley | George Weasley | |
| 2002 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Fred Weasley | George Weasley | |
| 2004 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Fred Weasley | George Weasley | |
| 2005 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | Fred Weasley | George Weasley | |
| 2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Fred Weasley and Fabian Prewett | George Weasley and Gideon Prewett | |
| 2009 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Fred Weasley | George Weasley | |
| 2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 | Fred Weasley | George Weasley | |
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 | Fred Weasley | George Weasley | |
| 2012 | Ward 3 | Jimmy | ||
| 2012 | The Latin Quarter | Alfred Jerry | ||
| Year | TV series | James' Role | Oliver's Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Kingdom[9] | Callum Anderson | Finlay Anderson | Series 3 episode 5 |
| 2011 | Deal or No Deal[10] | N/A | Himself | Deal or No Deal UK special episodes |