James Andrew Eric Phelps and Oliver Martyn John Phelps (born 25 February 1986) are English actors and identical twin brothers. They are known for playing
Fred and George Weasley
Fred and George Weasley are fictional characters in the ''Harry Potter'' book series written by J. K. Rowling. The characters are the identical twin brothers of the Weasley family, making them the older brothers to Ron and Ginny and friends ...
in the ''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at ...
'' film series from 2001 to 2011 and have continued to work together as a duo on other projects. The twins also run a podcast together titled Normal Not Normal.
Early life
James and Oliver Phelps were born in the
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, known locally as Sutton ( ), is a town and civil parish in the City of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles sou ...
area of
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
,
England on 25 February 1986. They are the only children of Susan (née Spare) and Martyn Phelps. Oliver is the older of the two by 13 minutes. Growing up, the twins attended Little Sutton Primary School and the
Arthur Terry Secondary School. During the filming of the ''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at ...
'' series, the twins were tutored on set.
Career
In 2000, despite having no previous acting experience, the twins skipped school to attend an open audition in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...
. After about six auditions, the twins were cast as
Fred and George Weasley
Fred and George Weasley are fictional characters in the ''Harry Potter'' book series written by J. K. Rowling. The characters are the identical twin brothers of the Weasley family, making them the older brothers to Ron and Ginny and friends ...
in the film ''
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' is a 1997 fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, a youn ...
''.
At the first table reading after being cast, James was given the role of Fred and Oliver was given the role of George.
Outside of acting, James Phelps worked as a
runner
Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...
on the set of ''
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the sixth and penultimate novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. Set during Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, the novel explores t ...
'' and on ''
The Da Vinci Code
''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Lang ...
''.
In 2009, the twins appeared as brothers in the fifth episode of the third season of the TV series ''
Kingdom''. In 2012, they starred in ''A Mind's Eye'', a short documentary film based on the philosophical ideas of
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
,
and they directed ''Journey along the Thames'' for the
opening ceremony of London 2012.
The twins have been involved in the Harry Potter Exhibition. They were present during its 2009 opening in Chicago and later toured various cities and countries to promote it.
In January 2014, the twins attended the Harry Potter Celebration in Orlando, Florida along with
Evanna Lynch
Evanna Patricia Lynch (born 16 August 1991) is an Irish actress and activist. She is best known for portraying Luna Lovegood in the ''Harry Potter'' film series.
Born in County Louth, Ireland, Lynch made her film debut in ''Harry Potter and t ...
,
Matthew Lewis, and
Devon Murray. They also made a LiveCast where they answered fans' questions and talked about the expansion at
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a chain of themed areas at Universal Parks & Resorts based on the ''Harry Potter'' media franchise, adapting elements from the Warner Bros.' film series and original novels by J. K. Rowling. The areas wer ...
.
Podcast
The twins collaborated on a podcast available on YouTube and various streaming services, including Spotify and iTunes. The first season, which premiered in 2017, featured James and Oliver discussing their previous travels.
The second season of the podcast was released in 2020 during quarantine, and the twins interviewed guests and spoke about their personal lives.
In 2021, they released a third season, titled "Normal Not Normal”, on which they collaborated with Stabl production; this season is more structured and professionally edited compared to the previous season. In this season they discuss what normal really is and if it even exists. They have interviewed celebrities including
Sasha Banks
Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sasha Banks.
Banks previously wrestled on ...
,
Tom Hopper
Thomas Edward Hopper (born 28 January 1985) is a British actor. He has appeared as Percival in ''Merlin'', Billy Bones in '' Black Sails'', Dickon Tarly in ''Game of Thrones'', and Luther Hargreeves in ''The Umbrella Academy''.
Early life
T ...
,
Mara Wilson
Mara Elizabeth Wilson (born July 24, 1987) is an American actress and writer. She rose to prominence as a child for playing Natalie Hillard in the film ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' (1993) and went on to play Susan Walker in ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (199 ...
, as well as their former co-stars, such as
Katie Leung
Katie Leung (born 8 August 1987; ) is a Scottish actress. Initially famous for playing Cho Chang, the titular character's first love interest in the ''Harry Potter'' film series, she is also known for her roles as Caitlyn in the animated ser ...
,
Evanna Lynch
Evanna Patricia Lynch (born 16 August 1991) is an Irish actress and activist. She is best known for portraying Luna Lovegood in the ''Harry Potter'' film series.
Born in County Louth, Ireland, Lynch made her film debut in ''Harry Potter and t ...
, and
Alfie Enoch.
Charity work and personal lives
In January 2003, the twins planted trees at the
National Forest, in
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire ...
. The trees were birch and ash--the same types of wood that helped make the broomsticks used in the ''Harry Potter'' films.
The twins are supporters of
Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust is a cancer care and support charity in the UK that exists to improve the cancer experience of young people aged 13–24. Founded in 1990, the charity's key service is providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. I ...
,
the "Celebrity World Cup Soccer Six",
the
Virgin Money Giving
Virgin Money is a banking and financial services brand operating in the United Kingdom.
The Virgin Money brand was founded by Richard Branson in March 1995. It was originally known as Virgin Direct, and pioneered index tracking by launching ...
drive,
and
Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...
in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
.
Oliver married Katy Humpage in 2015. James married Annika Ostle in 2016.
Filmography
: ''This filmography is of the twins as a duo. See
James Phelps and
Oliver Phelps
Oliver Phelps (October 21, 1749February 21, 1809) was early in life a tavern keeper in Granville, Massachusetts. During the Revolution he was Deputy Commissary of the Continental Army and served until the end of the war. After the war ended, h ...
for other productions in which they have appeared.''
Film and television
Video games
See also
*
List of twins
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelps, James And Oliver
1986 births
Male actors from Birmingham, West Midlands
British identical twins
English male film actors
Identical twin male actors
Living people
People from Sutton Coldfield
English expatriates in the United States
English twins
English male child actors
21st-century English male actors
Articles to be split from May 2021
Identical twin male child actors