David Holmes: The Boy who Lived has just premiered. The documentary follows the story of how David got the part to be Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double, his tragic accident and how he overcame his adversities to become a beacon of hope and strength.

David and Daniel developed a great friendship throughout the years recording the Harry Potter movies, to the point that they still remain friends nowadays, and Daniel is one of the executive producers of the documentary.

Who is David Holmes?

David Holmes is a stunt double born in 1981, in England. He is known for his work in the Harry Potter movies as Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double.

Since he was little, David had always been into gymnastics and was extremely good at performing stunts that were difficult even for professionals. That’s the reason why he decided to dive into the movie business as a stunt double for blockbuster films. And that’s when he was chosen to play the role of Harry Potter himself in his most dangerous scenes.

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Daniel Radcliffe and David Holmes formed a beautiful friendship over time. Holmes himself stressed that being Daniel’s stunt double was his calling and that being Harry Potter’s double was the best job in the world.

Nevertheless, a tragic accident that happened while recording a scene for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows changed his life forever. 

What happened to David Holmes?

In a 2014 interview, Holmes explained the accident he had in January 2009 on the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was during a stunt for a scene where the character was flying, which might have probably been for one of the first scenes of the movie, in which they were trying to get away from the Death Eaters.

Read our review of Harry Potter and the Philosopher´s Stone

David was tied up to a mechanism that simulated an explosion, but the team pulled on the cables too hard, which made him crash against a wall and break his neck. “I hit the wall and then landed on the crash mat underneath. My stunt coordinator grabbed my hand and said, ‘Squeeze my fingers’. I could move my arm to grab his hand but I couldn’t squeeze his fingers”, explained Holmes.

When he was taken to the hospital, doctors confirmed that he “would be paralyzed from the chest down, with only limited movement in his arms and hands.”

David Holmes today

Nowadays, David Holmes is the host of Cunning stunts, a podcast series, his own show in which he invites many stunt doubles to share their stories and the difficulties and risks behind their job.

David is also very active on social media and frequently shares his meetings with people facing the same condition as him.

So, MyFamilier, is there any other story of overcoming you would like to share with the community? Let us know in the comments down below!