British actor Daniel Radcliffe is determined to become a father before he hits 30 as he wants to achieve "a sense of purpose" away from his career.

The 23-year-old star, who found fame playing Harry Potter in the wizard franchise, is now thinking about putting his personal life ahead of his movie work after seeing so many of his friends have children.

He tells Time Out magazine, "I definitely want to have kids. I've grown up around lots of people who were having kids when I knew them, because a lot of them were a lot older than me. And I saw the wonderful change in them.

"I see that it gives you a sense of purpose that up till now I only really get from work. I want that. I don't know when or (with whom) but I want it. And I'd like to get started on it before my thirties. I like the idea of being a youngish parent. So I've got energy to play football (soccer) even though they'll be better than me by the time they're four."

Radcliffe split from his longterm girlfriend Rosie Coker in 2012, and was linked to his Kill Your Darlings co-star Erin Darke earlier this year (13).