Grint was born in Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire, the eldest of five siblings. His father, Nigel Grint, is a memorabilia dealer and former racing car driver, and his mother, Jo (Parsons), is a homemaker. He has one brother, James (born in 1990), and three sisters: Georgina (born in 1993), Samantha (born in 1996) and Charlotte (born in 1999). Before being cast in Harry Potter, he had only appeared in plays for school and his local theatre group, Top Hat Stage School. As a young child, he was once cast as a fish in a play based on the story of Noah's Ark