David Holmes | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 1, 1981 [1] |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2001–present |
David Holmes is a British author, podcast host, and activist, who was previously a stunt performer, gymnast, and actor.
Holmes grew up in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. He was a daredevil and competitive gymnast as a child. After seeing him jump from his bedroom window onto the trampoline in the garden, his mother signed him up for the local gymnastics club. [2] In 1997, through his gymnastics club, he landed a role as a “stunt kid” for sci-fi movie Lost In Space, starring Friends actor Matt LeBlanc. For his stunt career, he trained in gymnastics, trampolining, high diving, kick boxing, horse riding, and swimming. [3]
Holmes worked as Daniel Radcliffe' stunt double for Harry Potter in the first six Harry Potter films. Holmes was spotted as a potential Radcliffe double by stunt coordinator Greg Powell, who asked him to do a broomstick test for director Chris Columbus. “I found myself in this wonderful studio strapped to the back of a truck, getting towed down the runway, dragging my feet along the floor.... That's how I got the job." [3]
Holmes said, "Being a stuntman was my calling in life, and doubling Harry was the best job in the world." [4] One day he would be flying Harry’s Nimbus 2000 broomstick, the next he would be saving Hermione from a troll or battling Voldemort. Holmes loved J.K. Rowling’s books and said the set at Leavesden Studios blew his mind. "I had the time of my life on the Harry Potter set. I was the first person to play Quidditch on a broomstick." [5] In addition to doubling for Radcliffe, he occasionally doubled for Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), and played a Slytherin beater in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . [6] "It was an amazing experience. I loved it and Dan was an absolute pleasure to work with. The cast and crew were like a second family." [3]
In January 2009, at the age of 25—while rehearsing a stunt sequence for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1—Holmes was hurled into a wall and broke his neck, leaving him permanently paralysed from the chest down. [7] [8] [9] "I was filming a scene where Harry fights a snake and I remember hitting the wall and my chest folding into my nose. I was fully conscious for the whole thing. I knew I had broken my neck." [5] When stunt director Greg Powell ran over and squeezed his hand, he could not feel anything. Another stuntman on set described him as looking like a "puppet with strings cut", as he was "sagging" while hanging from the wire. [10] Holmes underwent multiple surgeries, and spent seven months in the hospital. Radcliffe, Felton, and Matthew Lewis visited him while he was there.
Holmes has PTSD from his accident, and had difficulty adjusting to his new life. “I have gone from being able to stand on my hands for half an hour at a time and then all of a sudden I can’t sit up in bed." [3] He initially turned to drugs to cope with his injury. He requires 24-hour care, and his condition is degenerative. Due to a cyst on his spine, he progressively loses function, and is expected to someday lose the ability to talk, eat, and breathe on his own. “I go through the stages of grief with every muscle group I lose." [2]
Holmes started Ripple Productions, along with two friends who are also paralysed. In 2020, they launched a podcast with Daniel Radcliffe, called Cunning Stunts, where they interview other stunt actors to raise awareness about the risks they face. Holmes participates in charity events to raise money for hospitals and advocates for disability rights. [11] [12] After becoming disabled, he took up automobile racing, driving a car with hand controls rather than foot pedals. Holmes has a girlfriend, Rosie, who is paralysed. "It took me to break my neck to meet the woman of my dreams." [9]
In 2023, a documentary about Holmes's life, accident, and friendship with Daniel Radcliffe, David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived , was released. It premiered at Doc NYC on 13 November 2023 before being released on HBO on 15 November 2023. [13] Radcliffe, who served as the film's executive producer and is heavily featured in it, said Holmes is "an incredibly important person in my life." [14] The documentary was well-received by critics and the general public.
"The film is a coming-of-age story of stuntman David Holmes, a prodigious teenage gymnast from Essex, England, who is selected to play Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double in the first ‘Harry Potter’ film, when Daniel is just 11. Over the next 10 years, the two form an inextricable bond, but on the penultimate film a tragic accident on set leaves David paralyzed with a debilitating spinal injury, turning his world upside down. As Daniel and his closest stunt colleagues rally to support David and his family in their moment of need, it is David’s extraordinary spirit of resilience that becomes their greatest source of strength and inspiration." [15]
In 2024, Holmes published a memoir The Boy Who Lived, which captures his thrills as a stuntman working on the Harry Potter films and the lows of his life in the wake of his accident. In 2025, he was selected to voice Stan Shunpike, the conductor of the Knight Bus, in a new audiobook of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. [16]
Despite his life-changing accident, Holmes does not regret participating in the Harry Potter films. "The experience and the character of Harry Potter meant so much to me," he said. [5] "I always tell myself that my stunts in those films were pivotal moments in the story. Harry Potter is a safe space for a lot of people. It's a gift for humanity and I will always be proud of that." [5]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Lost In Space | Stunts | Uncredited |
| 2001 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Harry Potter stunt double | Uncredited |
| 2002 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | ||
| 2004 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | ||
| 2005 | Green Street Hooligans | Stunt performer | |
| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | Harry Potter stunt double | Uncredited | |
| 2007 | The Last Legion | Romulus Augustus stunt double | |
| Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul | Stunts | 3 episodes | |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Harry Potter stunt double | Uncredited | |
| My Boy Jack | Stunt performer | Television film | |
| The Golden Compass | Stunts | ||
| National Treasure: Book of Secrets | Stunts | ||
| 2008 | Doomsday | Stunt performer | |
| Mutant Chronicles | |||
| Inkheart | Utility stunts | ||
| 2009 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Harry Potter stunt double | Uncredited |
| 2010 | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | Young Bis stunt double | |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | Harry Potter stunt double | ||
| 2015 | Mortdecai | Additional stunt performer |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Bedazzled | Student | uncredited |
| 2001 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Slytherin Beater | Mistakenly credited as "Adrian Pucey" |
| 2002 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Slytherin Beater No. 1 | |
| 2023 | David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived | Self | HBO Max Documentary |