Biography
Sean was born on March 15, 1983, in Glasgow, Scotland. He grew up in Maryhill. When he was seven he joined the Maryhill Youth Theatre. Sean performed as "Augustus Gloop" in Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Four years later Sean joined the Scottish Youth Theatre (SYT). He spent ten years at SYT. During that time he studied acting techniques and gained valuable experience.
While at SYT Sean met Paul Kelly and a few others who were destined to form a band called Crambo, which, according to them, is a "Tom and Jerry reference". Sean was 15 when the band got started and played bass guitar and did some vocals before he left Crambo in November 1999.
In 1996, when Sean was 13, he performed in his first T.V. series, "The Crow Road". A year later he acted in "Macbeth" Luckily for Sean, Alan Rickman had seen him play in "Macbeth" and was so impressed by him that he cast Sean in his movie, "The Winter Guest", starring Emma Thompson. Rickman got him hooked up with a London agency, ICM. Mere weeks later Harry Potter casting was going around. Sean tried out for the part of Percy Weasley, but was offered Oliver Wood's role instead. He accepted the part and appeared as the Gryffindor quidditch captain when the "Sorceror's Stone" came out in 2001.
When Sean was seventeen he got a baby sister, Jenny.
Filmography
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Writing credits: J.K. Rowling (novel) Steven Kloves (screenplay)
Genre: Fantasy / Adventure / Family
Plot Summary: In his second term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is warned by an elf named Dobby that disaster will strike when he returns to Hogwarts. Besides the fact that he is still disliked by Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) and hated by Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), Harry gets off to a great start with his two best friends, Ron Weasly (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), and famous writer Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh) has joined the Hogwarts staff and is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. But now, Hogwarts students are strangely being turned into stone. But who is the one doing it, Malfoy, gamekeeper Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), or, even, Harry? But what if it's Lord Voldemort trying to make his evil return?
Cast Overview:
Daniel Radcliffe ~ Harry James Potter
Rupert Grint ~ Ronald 'Ron' Weasley
Emma Watson ~ Hermione Granger
Kenneth Branagh ~ Professor Gilderoy Lockhart
Robbie Coltrane ~ Gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid
Richard Harris ~ Headmaster Albus Dumbledore
Alan Rickman ~ Professor Severus Snape
Maggie Smith ~ Deputy Headmistress/Professor Minerva McGonagall
Sean Biggerstaff ~ Gryffindor Quidditch Captain Oliver Wood
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Writing credits: J.K. Rowling (novel) Steven Kloves (screenplay)
Genre: Adventure / Fantasy / Family
Plot Summary (by Julian Reischl):
Young Harry Potter has to lead a hard life: His parents have died in a car crash when he was still a baby, and he is being brought up by his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. For some reason unbeknownst to the bespectacled ten-year-old, the Dursleys let him live in the small chamber under the stairs, and treat him more like vermin than like a family member. His fat cousin Dudley, the Dursley's real son, keeps bothering Harry all the time. On his eleventh birthday, Harry Potter finally receives a mysterious letter from a certain Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, telling him that he is chosen as one of the future students of that supposedly renowned school. Hagrid, the gigantic man who brought the letter, finally introduces Harry into the real circumstances of his life: His parents were a wizard and a witch, they were killed by the evil wizard Voldemort protecting him. Harry still has a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead from that event. Since he survived the attack as a baby, and also somehow deprived Voldemort from his powers, he has been famous in the wizarding world ever since. The Dursleys, strong disbelievers in that magical crap, never told Harry anything about his true self. So, Harry is strongly surprised, yet absolutely happy to start his training. At Hogwarts, Harry meets his teachers, and becomes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The three of them accidentally find out that the potions master, Severus Snape, seems to plot on stealing something that is guarded by a three-headed dog. Since nobody would believe some first years to have found out such important things that even would incriminate a Hogwarts teacher, they take it on themselves to find out what Snape is up to. Their quest for the truth leads across many obstacles, from keeping up the everyday school life, a bewitched Quidditch match (Quidditch is a popular wizard sport), Fluffy, the three-headed monster dog and quite some tasks one has to overcome to get to the guarded object.
Cast overview:
Daniel Radcliffe ~ Harry James Potter
Rupert Grint ~ Ronald 'Ron' Weasley
Emma Watson ~ Hermione Granger
Robbie Coltrane ~ Gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid
Richard Harris ~ Headmaster Albus Dumbledore
Maggie Smith ~ Professor/Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall
Alan Rickman ~ Professor Severus Snape
Tom Felton ~ Draco Malfoy
Matthew Lewis ~ Neville Longbottom
John Hurt ~ Mr. Ollivander
Ian Hart ~ Professor Slatero Quirrell
Zoë Wanamaker ~ Madam Xiomara Hooch
Fiona Shaw ~ Aunt Petunia Evans Dursley
Richard Griffiths ~ Uncle Vernon Dursley
*Sean Biggerstaff ~ Gryffindor Quidditch Captain Oliver Wood
The Winter Guest (1997)
Directed by Alan Rickman
Writing credits Sharman Macdonald (also play) Alan Rickman
Genre: Drama
Plot Summary: The film centers on four pairs - Frances is a recent widow who wants to get away from Scotland to Australia with her teenage son Alex to escape her memories, arrival of her old mother Elspeth makes her reconsider her decision. Alex approaches his first sexual experience with neighbour girl Nita. Chloe and Lily are two old women who like to attend strangers' funerals and Tom with Sam are two schoolboys who skip school to play on the beach and talk.
Cast overview:
Emma Thompson ~ Frances
Phyllida Law ~ Elspeth
Gary Hollywood ~ Alex
Arlene Cockburn ~ Nita
Sheila Reid ~ Lily
Sandra Voe ~ Chloe
Douglas Murphy ~ Sam
Sean Biggerstaff ~ Tom
Tom Watson ~ Minister
Interviews
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Articles which feature/mention Sean (Most recent at the top.)
Closer Magazine - Article
Ignite Magazine - Great Scot!
BBC.co.uk - Shada returns with Paul McGann on BBCi
Scotsman.com - Social Life
Scotsman.com - Theatre offers chance of fame
Scotsman.com - Force is with mum and dad
Starpages.net - News
USA Weekend - Question-Answer section
MEG (Must-have for Every Girl)
The Straights Times - Getting Bigger
The Straights Times - Sweet, Sweet Fantasy
Glasgow Evening Times - Scottish Youth Theatre
The Sun - Sean's Bigg!
Lycos.com - Hot Actor: Sean Biggerstaff
Business Wire - Web Users are Wild About Harry Potter Teen Star Sean Biggerstaff
Sunday Mail - Scots Star Family's Fame Fear
S1news.com - Harry Potter Star Backs Kids' Film
Scotsman.com - Social Life
Cumming and Rudden - A Night of Magic in City
Scotsman.com - Prepare to be spellbound
S1play.com - Sean is Biggie
16 Magazine - Interview
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Interview with Sean by Dorothy Creamer from Ignite magazine (January 2003)
With his thick Scottish brogue and dark good looks, Sean Biggerstaff is one of the best reasons to go check out the new Harry Potter movie The Chamber Of Secrets. Sean plays the hunky Quidditch coach Oliver, who actually teaches Harry everything he knows about the mystical sport. While we fell in love with this Scotland native from the moment we laid eyes on him on the big screen, we found out that there is a lot more to adore about this burgeoning heartthrob! Sean is a completely sweet and normal 19-year-old cutie, who just happens to have legions of adoring fans around the world! Starring in the first two Harry Potter movies is only the beginning for this talented young actor. Not only is Sean a rising star in the acting world, but he is also expanding his horizons to test his skills as a musician. We had the chance to sit down with Sean and find out what this sweet Scot has been up to since Harry Potter mania began!
Dorothy Creamer: Hi Sean! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today!
Sean Biggerstaff: No problem.
So tell me, were you a fan of Harry Potter before you got this part in the movie?
Not for long, literally a few weeks before I got the role I started reading the Harry Potter books, But I haven't stopped since then... they're fantastic. I was very into the whole reading thing when I was a kid. They are great because it is very much children's writing and there is not much complexity beyond that, but it can still be enjoyed on a lot of different levels.
Do you think that is why Harry Potter is such a huge phenomenon... or what do you think is the secret to its success?
I don't really know... I mean it's great and obviously it's going to be successful because of that. Just the sheer extent of how huge it has become is amazing. I don't think it is just a few chosen things that make it so great. When I got the part I knew it was going to be a big film, but it has sort of been a slow realization, as it approached the release date, of just how extreme it really is!
How long have you been acting?
Twelve years. I started off just going to local youth theaters and I just sort of took it from there. I was working mainly theater in Glasgow. I made my first film when I was 13 years old, which was The Winter Guest. It was directed by Alan Rickman.
He is also in Harry Potter!
Yes... one of the perks of doing Harry Potter was getting to work with Alan again. That was really special because first off... my first stint in film was with Alan.
When you aren't working, how do you like to spend your free time?
Not at the moment, but I might be forming a band for one night only in a couple of weeks, to play a gig that my friend is organizing.
Where do you perform?
There is a pub in Glasgow that I go down to every Monday night called Nice and Sleazy's and they have an acoustic open night. You can take the stage and do whatever you want... just do a song or whatever. It's great actually. I have been going to London to work and then coming back to Glasgow and it's sort of like having separate lives.
What sort of music do you play?
Oh everything and anything. My favorite band is a progressive Welsh rock band. They've been around since the late '60s. When I go play at pubs it is basically acoustic guitar stuff. If I wasn't going to be an actor, I would actually want to be a record producer. It doesn't look like it's going to come into play, thankfully.
You wouldn't want to be a rock star, you would just want to produce?
I don't think I would want to play music for a living. I couldn't bear the thought of it becoming like a chore. I think with producing I would get to work with musicians and take it from a different angle.
Do you see yourself staying in the acting profession?
Absolutely. I am not really qualified to do anything else professionally!
Do you have any desire to go to a university?
Oh heavens no! After five years of secondary school, the very idea of being in full-time education for another five years of my life was so completely horrific! I figured that I would try to get work, and I was out of school for about six months and then I got Harry Potter, so it seemed to work out for me.
You are a little older than the other main characters in Harry Potter. Did they look up to you like a big brother on the set?
I can socialize quite happily with people of different age groups. It was quite strange in that respect, since I had very few peers on the set, because everyone was either a kid or an older adult actor. The kids were great though. They were good company. They were an interesting bunch, from all over the country and from all different backgrounds.
Did you offer them any tips on growing up in the industry?
At times, but there really wasn't that much that I could tell them. I had only made one film before I got Harry Potter and it was a very different matter, because the budget was not even comparable and it was shot in two months in a small village. I had done a lot of acting, but in terms of film I was relatively inexperienced.
Do you want to go back to theater work?
Oh absolutely. From the ages of 7 to 17, I was never off the stage and now it's been over two years since I have done anything on stage. I am a bit worried I might forget how to do it. I am absolutely desperate to get back on the stage.
Would you ever consider coming over to the States to do something on Broadway?
I would love to! I went to see Alan Rickman in his show Private [Lives] and so I was just over there. The whole atmosphere is very different in American theater. It is kind of like an episode of Happy Days, when everyone applauds when the main character comes on. That is something that would never happen in Britain. I would love to come over there and work!
Would you want to do dramas, or would you try out for musicals?
I think musicals are probably the only thing I wouldn't do. I like music and I like drama, but it seems that most of the time when people try to combine the two they end up with the worst of both worlds rather than the best. I love West Side Story and I saw Rent while I was over there, but as a general rule, I really don't like musicals.
Do you see yourself as a Hollywood heartthrob?
That is something that never occurred to me at all. I never had any expectations of being a star. I wanted to act for the sake of it itself and my imagining of what that entailed was me working for a week in Glasgow. All the magazine articles and getting fan mail from the States... I never imagined! The amount of mail I get from the U.S. is unbelievable. It is not something that I would have expected at all!
Do you find that girls or people in general treat you difrerently now?
The people that I know and are friends with don't treat me any differently. It's not a big deal to them. The people that it would make a difference to aren't the sort of people I would socialize with. If your behavior is dictated by something as fickle as fame... I tend to avoid those people.
Have you signed on for the third Harry Potter movie?
Not as of yet. Hopefully I will be. Unless they decide they hate me.
I don't see that happening. Did you have to study up on all the Quidditch terminology in order to play Harry's instructor?
Actually I was really embarassed a few months ago. I went over to my little cousin's house and he had the Harry Potter computer game. We were at the level where you had to control a broomstick and I was so bad at it! He was looking at me like, "What is wrong with you!?" I still say that all the controls were all wrong! I don't play computer games a lot, but I am usually not that inept. I just couldn't get a handle on it!
Well, maybe by the next time we chat with you, you will have gotten the hang of it.
I hope so! Thanks!
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16 Magazine Interview
How did you get into acting?
I started out in a local drama group when I was seven. I auditioned for Macbeth when I was ten and worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Tell us about your character.
He's very sporty, slightly eccentric and very passionate about Quidditch. Wanting to win the Quidditch House Cup is like the Holy Grail for him.
Are you anything like him?
I can relate to the desire to win, but I'm not as competitive. Oliver's got more of a "winning is everything" attitude. And he's a bit more of an oddball than I am.
Did you get along with the other kids on the set?
They were great. There was a surprisingly low brat-factor. Daniel (Radcliffe, who plays Harry) is fantastic and very smart. He's got his head well screwed on.
What magical power would you like to have?
I've always wanted to be able to fly. I used to watch Superman movies and I thought that was the coolest thing.
Is there anything you want our readers to know about you?
I'm devilishly good-looking and single!
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Closer Magazine Article - By Sharon Feinstein
Ever since he became the heart-throb of the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Hollywood has been beckoning for Sean Biggerstaff. But Closer can exclusively reveal that the sexy Scottish actor, who plays Gryffindor's Quidditch captain Oliver Wood, has been axed just a week into filming the third movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Talking about his rejection, Sean said: "I've been acting since I was seven and have leart to deal with these sorts of things. The producer phoned me and explained that the script, including my part, was being cut for time reasons and it wasn't worth me standing around in the backround. "He was very apologetic and nice about it. I'm upset but I'm a very philosophical guy." On the positive side, 20-year old Sean has earned enough money to buy a four-bedroom house in his native Glasgow and no longer has to hang out with children younger than him.
"I was the only actor around my age," he says. "Sometimes it was great because you could mess about, but then I'd get desperate for someone on the same wavelength as me.
"As a child, acting can cause real problems. It's not connected with the real world so there's a big risk of having such a bizarre life. But it's incredible how well Daniel Radcliffe [Harry] has kept his head screwed on."
While his fame has ensured legions of adoring female fans, Sean has never had a girlfriend. Perhaps his experience in the acting world has led to Sean's lack of confidence with girls. Despite his big brown eyes, long lashes and cheeky grin, perhaps the young actor believes potential girlfriends are more interested in his fame than himself.
"It's bizarre because my parents have been together since they were 15. I was never unpopular with the girls at school, but when Harry Potter came out I started getting mail from girls all over the world telling me how much they adore me - I think most of the girls in Thailand and Japan have written to me!
"I look for a lot of different things in a girl. But I'm not very confident with women and I'm in no hurry to fall in love."
Perhaps Sean's home life is the reason. "My parents had another child two years ago. At first it was odd but now I completely adore the baby," he admits. "I've been like a dad from 17. I look after her, pick her up from nursery and change her nappies. My parents both work full time so a lot of help is needed."
And now, unfortunately, he'll have plenty more time to do it.
Misc Facts
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Date of birth 15 March 1983
Born Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Age 19 years old
Height 5'9
Eyes Brown
Siblings A sister, Jenny, 17 years younger.
Favorite Bands Man Neil Finn Crowded House Rage Against the Machine Aerosmith The Beatles The Cling Cheap Trick Captain Piss and the Homeless Headbangers DJ Bob Hoskins Going Mental In A Dustbin Extreme The Rolling Stones The Groundhogs Richard Thomson David Bowie Paul McCartney
Favorite Music "Gonna Raise Hell" by Cheap Trick "Love You Till the Day I Die" by Crowded House "Slow Motion" album by Man
Favorite Food Linguini Carbonara
Favorite Book Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Favorite Film Ghostbusters
Favorite Musical West Side Story
Favorite School Subject Lunchtime
Favorite Famous People Mickey Jones from Man Alan Rickman
Likes Coffee, Cats, Summer, Home, Christmas, Irn-bru, Whipped Cream, Badgers, Flying, Canada, Ted Rodgers, The CN Tower, Richard Jobson, Jimmy Krankie, Milk in packets,
Dislikes Football, Team sports , Easy Listening, Savage Garden, Fast Food, Teenage Fanclub, Belle and Sebastian, Hefner, Arab Strap, Self-righteous non-smokers, Mispelt English words,
Previous Band Member Crambo (bass guitar)
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This site is dedicated to Kate who thinks Sean is yummy!
Word From The Maker
I f anyone wants to contact me just click on the link at the bottom of my page. Don't forget to check out my other sites! Remember Sean is merely a regular guy and probably wants to be treated as such. I know it seems hypocrytical to tell people not to fuss over him too much cuz I am making a site, but I know how much I enjoyed watching him in the Harry Potter movies. So I thought I should show how much I did enjoy it. So I made a web page. Not only that, but after having made pages about James, Oliver, and Tom I got people writing me and asking me where Sean was. So I thought it was a good addition and I hope you enjoy my sites
James and Oliver Phelps
Tom Felton
Caution...Very Addictive Games!
All About Me
