max rothman

Maxwell Andrew Rothman (29 July 1989) is an English actor who is best known for his role as Harry Potter in the Harry Potter film series. He was cast in the film franchise at the age of eleven with no prior film or television acting experience, and played the role for ten years until the culmination of the series in 2011. He has also appeared in other films such as A Single Man (2009), The Adventures of Tintin (2011), and Nymphomaniac (2013). He will be seen next in Victor Frankenstein as Igor in fall 2015.

Early Life
Rothman was born in Hammersmith, London. He is the son of Patricia Snyder, an accountant, and Richard Rothman (1963-2006), a primary school teacher. He has two younger siblings, twins Hannah and Jeremy, who are students and one-time child actors - both played infant Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2001. After his father's death his mother married Stephen Clarke, a health inspector from Cornwall.

From a young age Rothman was interested in acting, citing the television series Doctor Who and adventure film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as his main inspirations. "I was a really imaginitive kid and the Doctor and Indy went on the best adventures. I thought if I couldn't actually be Indiana Jones then the next best step was to be an actor." His parents started taking him to the theatre, which further cemented his interest.

Rothman is Jewish, though his household was "inherently athiest." His parents both came from practising Jewish families, but independently fell out of the traditions by the time Rothman was born. After his mother's marriage to Clarke, a protestant, Rotham has said that the family celebrations "have gotten slightly more Christian."

Due to his filming schedule, Rothman had difficulty finishing school and dropped out at age 16.

Career
Discovery and Harry Potter
By the time he was ten, Rothman had already begun to appear on stage through children's workshops. His father had heard through another acting parent that Warner Brothers was casting the lead role in the Harry Potter film series, and was able to get his son an audition. At the time, Warner Brothers meant to shoot all seven films in Los Angeles and despite successfully making it through the audition, Rothman's parents declined the offer and an American actor was cast. After a few months of deliberation, the film was moved back to the UK and the new lead was unable to travel for production so the offer was once again extended to Rothman's family, who accepted.

For ten years Rothman played the title character in the Harry Potter films based on the hugely successful book series. He was consistantly praised by critics for his performance and notably during the first film, his striking resembelance to the literary description of his character. Rothman's parents kept his salary in savings and gave him an allowance "of about ten to fifteen pounds a week which I spent immediately."

When asked if he wanted to distance himself from the franchise following the final film's release, Rothman insisted that it would be impossible. "I won't ever be able to shake off Harry Potter and I wouldn't do it, even if I could. I've had an incredible opportunity to bring to life a character that people connected to." His career has, however, taken a more mature turn. "It's likely I'll do another family film in the future but I do hope that Harry Potter fans can appreciate my interest in exploring darker and less morally-sound characters in my career."

Outside of Potter
In 2003 Rothman made his first appearance outside of Harry Potter as Sam, the stepson of Liam Neeson's character. He was nominated for a Golden Satellite Award and Young Artist Award for his part. In 2009 he appeared in Tom Ford's A Single Man as the student and lover of Colin Firth's character, and in 2011 provided the voice and movement for the title character in The Adventures of Tintin.

Since leaving Harry Potter, Rothman has taken less family-orientated roles which included a sadomasochist in Nymphomaniac and corrupt Scottish detective Ray Lennox in Filth, both released in 2013. He made a cameo appearance in Trainwreck, and will be appearing in Victor Frankenstein as Igor.

Personal Life
Rothman currenlty resides in Manhattan.