5 Reasons Why We Love 'Entertainer of the Year' Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe has been named Entertainer of the Year by Entertainment Weekly, and the honor is well-timed. Radcliffe is about to end his run on the Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which has cinched his smooth transition from a child actor who grew up in the cocoon of Harry Potter to an adult thespian. Speaking of Harry Potter, he also wrapped up the series earlier this year with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Audiences can see him next in the film The Woman in Black, which comes out in U.S. theaters in February. Through it all, Radcliffe has remained amazingly grounded and up for the next career challenge. Here are five reasons why we like the guy.

He's private

Many actors and celebrities claim to want privacy - and then share their entire lives and opinions on social media to the point where their Twitter accounts get deactivated or taken over by management (see: Ashton Kutcher). It's refreshing to see an actor like Radcliffe refrain from sharing too much about his personal life. Sure, he'll do interviews and engage with fans and reporters -- and yes, he has revealed a tidbit or two -- but he always keeps it professional.

He's not afraid to, er, hang free

Radcliffe may have played the most famous boy wizard of all time, but he hasn't allowed himself to be burdened with a role model side gig. He played the role of Alan Strang in West End and Broadway revivals of the play Equus -- which required him to drop his trousers in front of a live audience -- while still in the throes of the Harry Potter series.

He doesn't mind being mistaken for Elijah Wood

Radcliffe said he was mistaken for Elijah Wood while in Australia for the filming of December Boys. He admitted to signing Wood's name when people mistook him for the older American actor and asked for autographs. Rather than get offended and huffy about it, he said he found it flattering.

He can make fun of himself

Radcliffe appeared on an episode of the show Extras in 2006, a television series in which famous actors were invited to play a funny version of themselves that drew on their celebrity. In Radcliffe's case, he played a horny teenager who hit on every woman he came across. A ring don't mean a thing, he said to one set assistant who said she was married.

He played Harry Potter to the end

Radcliffe was just a child when cast as the bespectacled boy wizard. The series exploded into a global phenomenon and a multi-million dollar franchise. It couldn't always have been easy, but Radcliffe stuck with it - and got better with each film.