Daniel Radcliffe Did Not Attend His Beloved Grandmother’s Funeral

Daniel Radcliffe's grandmother loved her grandson and supported him in all of his Hollywood successes. She was a massive fan of the actor and had seen most of his famous films. However, the actor did not attend her funeral.

English actor Daniel Radcliffe shot to prominence thanks to his iconic role as the boy wizard Harry Potter in a series of eight films adapted from J.K. Rowling's best-selling books.

Daniel's family, particularly his two grandmothers, could keep him in check and grounded even at the height of his fame. Unfortunately, One of his beloved grandmothers passed away, a shocking event Daniel never saw coming.

Daniel Missed the Funeral of His Grandmother

Elsie Radcliffe, Daniel's paternal grandmother, who lived in Northern Ireland, passed away on October 2, 2008, at 79, following a lengthy illness. It remains unknown as to what kind of illness Elsie suffered, however.

Daniel was only 19 when he learned of his grandmother's death, and he didn't take it lightly. He was devastated that he was in New York and not by her side. He was in town for the most-talked-about Broadway production of "Equus."

At that time, it was unknown whether Daniel would be present at his late grandmother's memorial service. He apparently had to perform on stage at least eight times per week in New York.

The renowned actor intended to return to his hometown to attend the funeral service in person. But his family disagreed with his plan because they wanted him to fulfill his obligation to perform on Broadway. A source said:

"They decided that it was what his grandmother would have wanted. She was a strong supporter of Dan and his career and she wouldn't have wanted him to miss a performance."

Daniel decided to stay in New York after discussing it with his family. Instead, he continued to perform as the controversial character Alan Strang in "Equus" in front of an audience, oblivious to his private suffering.

For the "Swiss Army Man" actor, Elsie was more to the English actor than just his grandmother; she was one of his primary sources of support and his most ardent supporters worldwide.

Despite her health issues, Daniel's grandmother made it a point to attend to her grandson's career milestones. In 2007, Elsie flew to London to see Daniel's debut on the West End stage.

Elsie was suffering from heart problems that year, but she could put her health concerns aside for the sake of her grandson. According to a close friend of the Radcliffe family, Elsie adored Daniel and was incredibly proud of his accomplishments as an actor.

The family's close friend noted that Elsie enjoyed all of Daniel's films, especially the commercially successful "Harry Potter" film franchise, which catapulted her grandson to fame.

While they were proud of Daniel's accomplishments, Marcia and Alan once doubted their son's Harry Potter role.

Daniel's Grandmother on Mother's Side Thought He Was Miscast

Although Daniel's paternal grandmother Elsie died at 76, his grandmother on his mother's side lived much longer. It was unknown whether his maternal grandmother was still alive.

Despite his initial grief, Daniel moved on with his life and continues to be a successful actor. In the 2016 film "Imperium," he played an inexperienced FBI agent Nate Foster, based on the true story of FBI agent Mike German who worked for the bureau for 16 years.

Daniel shared that as an undercover agent, he had to play a role of a Nazi, which made him uncomfortable because his maternal grandmother, of Jewish descent, was a war evacuee.

The handsome actor said the film was "not appropriate" for his Jewish grandmother. Daniel was told about their family's complicated beginnings and how the clan arrived in the United Kingdom.

From what Daniel's grandma told him, the family fled from Russia to avoid the pogroms. His great-great-grandfather boarded a ship to the U.S., but he detoured to London, where he found work in the textile industry and ultimately married the daughter of the factory's owner.

Daniel admired his Jewish grandma not only for surviving and escaping the war but also for her witty sense of humor. In an interview with Conan O'Brien, he explained how his grandma reacted when he played an angel in the sitcom "Miracle Workers." He said:

"A few moments later, she asked me again what are you up to soon, and I was like 'I'm doing a show called 'Miracle workers' I'm playing an angel, and she immediately was like 'that's a bit miscast.'"

Family of Actors

Daniel comes from a family working in the entertainment industry for a long time. His mother, Marcia Gresham, is a casting agent, and his father, Alan Radcliffe, is a literary agent. Both of the actor's parents were also former child actors.

Marcia and her husband were incredibly proud of their son's tremendous success in the show business, including when the "Jungle" actor earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015.

While they were proud of Daniel's accomplishments, Marcia and Alan once doubted their son's Harry Potter role. The couple apparently did not want him to be cast as the mentioned character because he had previously quit as a child actor.

Several boys auditioned for the role of Harry Potter before Daniel. The couple agreed after running into an old friend, film producer David Hayman, who convinced them to audition their son. Hayman thought their son was ideal for the part.

Despite the doubts, everything worked out well in the end, as Daniel Radcliffe, now known as Harry, is known to every child in the world. He appeared in eight films, alongside Emma Waston and Rupert Grint.