It's 15 years since Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson were unveiled as Harry Potter stars

Fifteen years ago today, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson were unveiled as the stars of the Harry Potter films.

Warner Bros announced the news to the world, saying the trio had beaten thousands of children to the honour of playing Harry, Ron And Hermione in the film production of the first of J.K. Rowling's hit books.

At the time, Radcliffe and Grint were aged just 11, while Watson was only 10.

They went on to star in all eight films of Rowling's seven books, culminating in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, which was released in July 2011.

At the time, Radcliffe, now 26, had recently portrayed a young David in the BBC’s “David Copperfield”, while Watson and Grint's CVs were limited to school plays.

Announcing the news on August 21, 2000, producer David Heyman said: "These are tremendously talented British kids who will bring so much to the film."

At a press conference that day, a young Radcliffe admitted that he had read "the least of Harry Potter in my class", to the amusement of reporters.

Since the last of the Potter films was released, all three have remained in the spotlight.

Radcliffe branched out to stage productions, including Equus, which required him to perform a nude scene. He has also starred in a number of films, including The Woman in Black, Horns and What If.

As well as acting, Watson, 25, has launched a successful modelling career and become a Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women.

Grint, now 26, has had parts in a number of films and made his stage debut in Jez Butterworth's Mojo in October 2013.