The Boy Who Lived

When Magic and Reality Collide: My Story

David Holmes, Matt Allen, Daniel Radcliffe

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English

Hodder & Stoughton
01 September 2024

Films, movies & cinema; Biography; Biography: arts & entertainment; Memoirs; Disability: social aspects

'A story of resilience, pain and joy' - inews

As stunt double to Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter film franchise, stuntman David Holmes helped to move J.K. Rowling's era-defining story from the page to the big screen. His work as a real-life Fall Guy enabled him to create some of the most memorable action sequences in the Wizarding World, as he became the first person ever to play Quidditch. In living his own hero's journey, David was also one of only a handful of people to have worn the iconic wizard's cape, glasses and scar in front of the cameras.

That is, until an accident changed his life forever.

During the making of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, David broke his neck in a stunt rehearsal and was instantly paralysed. From talented junior gymnast and stunt prodigy to fully qualified Hollywood stuntman, his story is a brutally honest portrait of a man who lost everything but found different ways to reimagine new possibilities with love, friendship and optimism - and he later co-created a BAFTA-nominated documentary about his life. David's behind-the-scenes look at one of the biggest film series of all time is both jaw-dropping and hilarious.

Powerful and emotional, his is a story of hope and vulnerability and paints a picture of what it truly takes to rebuild a life and become The Boy Who Lived.

By: David Holmes
With: Matt Allen
Foreword by: Daniel Radcliffe
Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 232mm, Width: 154mm, Spine: 26mm
Weight: 340g
ISBN: 9781399738828
ISBN 10: 1399738828
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 01 September 2024
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

David Holmes was born in Essex and trained as a competitive gymnast from the age of 6. He began his stuntman career in Lost in Space and was 14 when he first started as Harry Potter's stunt double in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, released in 2001. Ten years later, he was working on his seventh Harry Potter film, aged 25, when a stunt went badly wrong and he became paralysed. He has been severely disabled now for 14 years. Still strongly supported by his friendships with the Harry Potter team, he has hosted his own podcast Cunning Stunts since 2020 and has even taken up automobile racing. He lives in Essex.