20 Harry Potter Actors

Who Are No Longer

With Us...
WHAT IF TV

Like it or not, the Harry Potter franchise is now

almost the same age Harry was when he left
Hogwarts to fight the battle of his life with
Dumbledore. Very nearly 16 years have passed
since Chris Columbus’ delightful adaptation of
JK Rowling’s first Wizarding World novel hit
screens in the UK.

A lot of things have changed since then, both in

the Wizarding World - which has now been
extended by another play and the Fantastic
Beasts franchise - and in the real world. The
central cast of Ron, Harry and Hermione have
grown-up, moving away from the series to carve
acting careers elsewhere (with two of them
getting very close to the A-list), and sadly, a
significant number of their supporting players
have been lost along the way.

It’s been only 6 years since the final film was

released, but even since then we’ve seen key
figures and supporting actors pass away. And
while they may no longer be with us, thanks to
the eternal power of the Harry Potter franchise,
they will live on, in moving portraits every fan
can visit whenever their hearts desire. That
seems rather fitting given the world they’re
captured forever in...

20. Robert Hardy - Cornelius Fudge

Though he wasn’t quite the same sniveling,

manipulative wretch painted in the books, who
became more foolishly malevolent as
Voldemort’s rise made him look even worse,
Robert Hardy’s portrayal of Minister Cornelius
Fudge was memorable and effective.

He was the bumbling bureaucratic parallel to

Dumbledore’s roguish hero, but he was never
shown to be evil - more misguided by
desperation and ignorance when faced with his
greatest fear. He’s a fool more than a bad guy,
and there’s a pretty sharp allegory for modern
politicians in there.

Hardy died on August 3rd 2017 after a rich and

varied career on stage and screens (big and
small) at the age of 91.

19. John Hurt - Ollivander

When John Hurt died on 25th January 2017, the

world was robbed of one of the greats - the finest
actor of all time, in the considered words of
David Lynch.

He appeared in Doctor Who, Alien, Indiana

Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and
Harry Potter, proving himself a versatile star
after stunning performances in the likes of I,
Claudius and The Elephant Man. He was a
chameleon, able to work just as well in high-
concept sci-fi as he did in classical theatre, and
no role seemed beyond him.

Such was his class that a minor role like

Ollivander became completely compelling in his
hands, and it’s still a travesty that he was cut
entirely from The Goblet Of Fire.

18. Hazel Douglas - Bathilda Bagshot

Hazel Douglas may not have been a household

name, per se, but she was responsible for one of
the most terrifying moments in all of Harry
Potter history thanks to her role as Bathilda
Bagshot in The Deathly Hallows.

Her creepy performance, which hinted the

character’s chilling secret perfectly in advance
is incredibly memorable despite her short
screen-time. And few images will imprint on
young minds quite like her melting back to
reveal Nagini within the deathly shell of
Bagshot’s body.

In a career spanning eight decades, the actor

appeared in regular supporting roles on British
television but was far more well known for her
stage work. She died on September 8 2016,
aged 92.

17. Derek Deadman - Tom The Barman

For a lot of film fans, Derek Deadman will be

best known for his roles in Time Bandits and
Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, but his 47-year
career also included appearances in the likes of
Doctor Who, Brazil and Never Say Never Again.
His face was a recognisable staple of British
television, even as his screen-time was relatively
limited.

Deadman was the first actor to play Tom the

Barman before Jim Tavare took over the role for
The Prisoner Of Azkaban, though he didn’t quite
match the books’ description of the character as
“quite bald” and resembling a toothless walnut.
If they cast him for a resemblance to that
description specifically, that’s awfully harsh.

Deadman died at the age of 74 in Frespech,

France on 22nd November 2014.

16. Richard Griffiths - Vernon Dursley

Playing Uncle Vernon Dursley would have been

a poisoned chalice for any actor who took it on.
While Voldemort was definitely the villain of the
piece, Dursley was a bigot (against magical folk
at the very least) and an abusive monster who
kept Harry Potter as a glorified slave for his
formative years.

With that image in mind, Richard Griffiths’

performance is astoundingly effective. He is a
cartoonish oaf, believably awful with the perfect
balance of a lack of self-awareness and that
tangible compulsion to hatred, and rather
courageously, Griffiths ignored the temptation
to soften the character.

Griffiths came to Harry Potter after a career

spanning more than sixty films (including most
memorably, roles in The Naked Gun 2 1/2,
Withnail & I and Gandhi). He was one of
Britain’s finest character actors and passed away
after complications due to heart surgery on 28th
March 2013.

15. Rik Mayall - Peeves

He might not have actually made it into the

finished movie, but initially, Rik Mayall was
supposed to play a major part in The
Philosopher’s Stone. The British comedy legend
was cast to play Peeves The Poltergeist - which
would have seen him appear in every film
subsequently, presumably.

Sadly, his perfect casting didn’t lead us where it

should have and his scenes were cut entirely,
because of the inferior design of the character,
as Chris Columbus revealed:

The reason he was cut is that none of us were

happy with the design. David and I looked at
the design of Peeves and thought, We can get it
better. So we shot the sequence but we won’t
have it ready for the initial release of the DVD.
We’ll try and get it out for maybe a year and a
half, two years, from now.

Mayall himself claimed he was shunted out

because he kept making all of the actors -
especially the kids - corpse during filming. This
feels just as believable.

The actor died on 9th June, 2014 after returning

home from a morning run.

14. Terence Bayler - The Bloody Baron

Like Peeves’ omission, the House Ghosts of

Hogwarts ended up mostly on the cutting room
floor. Rather than them playing the perpetual
supporting role they did in the books, most
appeared in the first movie and then never
again.

Among them was the infamous Bloody Baron,

who was played by New Zealand stage and
screen actor Terence Bayler in The
Philosopher’s Stone having played parts in
Monty Python and two Terry Gilliam films
(Brazil and Time Bandits). His Baron seemed to
be more of a comic rascal (the little we saw of
him) and he certainly looked the part.

He died on 2nd August 2016 at the age of 86.

13. Timothy Bateson - Kreacher

You may not recognise Timothy Bateson’s face -

though he was a hugely versatile and prolific
screen actor appearing (as many Potter actors
did) in Doctor Who as well as Grange Hill, Dad’s
Army and several Charles Dickens adaptations.

As well as his role as Kreacher in The Order Of

The Phoenix, Bateson will also forever be
remembered as the voice of The Worm in
Labyrinth.

His voice work as the cantankerous old house elf

proved to be his last role, and after his death on
16th September 2009, he was replaced by Simon
McBurney for Harry Potter And The Deathly
Hallows Part 1.

12. Eric Sykes - Frank Bryce

Of all of the victims in Harry Potter, Frank Bryce

was perhaps the most unfairly slain. He was a
true innocent, merely doing his job as caretaker
of the Riddle estate when he unfortunately
stumbled upon Lord Voldemort (in his creepy
embryo-like stage) talking to Barty Crouch Jr
and Wormtail. His murder was a true mark of
evil for the Dark Lord, so flippant and casual
that the crime became even more unspeakably
sad.

Bryce was played by Eric Sykes, the British

entertainment legend who began his career as a
radio writer - most famously on The Goon Show
- went on to have his own TV show as well as
appearing across a variety of TV and film roles.
Most magically, he provided some of the
narration for the Teletubbies TV show.

Sykes died on 4th July 2012, aged 89, at his

home in Surrey after a short illness.

11. Dave Legeno - Fenrir Greyback

Though the films slightly wasted Fenrir

Greyback - and pretty much all of the werewolf
sub-plot (perhaps because of effects issues) -
they did cast him with perfection.

The man chosen to take on Greyback’s fearsome

reputation - who was clearly cast for his
physique and his ability to look terrifying even
without the nuances of the material from the
source - was Dave Legeno, who combined his
acting career with one in combat sports.

Legeno died in tragic circumstances on 6th July

2014 at the age of just 50 while hiking in Death
Valley. He succumbed to exposure, thanks to the
heat in the region and his body was discovered
by hikers.

10. Robert Knox - Marcus Belby

Like Legeno, Robert Knox died in tragic

circumstances well before his time.

Knox appeared only briefly in the series as

Marcus Belby in The Half-Blood Prince (though
he was set to appear in the follow-up), which
was set to be his big break in the industry. Belby
was a Ravenclaw who was recruited to Professor
Slughorn’s Slug Club because of his
famous father.

Tragically, just days after filming his role, Knox

was murdered outside of a bar in London when
he stepped into a fight to protect his brother and
was stabbed. His remorseless killer, Karl Bishop,
is serving a life sentence for the crime.

9. Elizabeth Spriggs - The Fat Lady

It’s rather unfortunate, but Elizabeth Spriggs

will forever be known to Harry Potter fans as
The Fat Lady - the original one anyway - who
appeared in The Philosopher’s Stone.

She was, of course, the guardian of the entrance

to the Gryffindor common room, as the star of a
living portrait of an uncharacteristically
unnamed character who JK Rowling has
consciously chosen not to give a back-story to,
even with Pottermore in full flow.

Spriggs was an Olivier-winning and BAFTA-

nominated actor who joined the RSC and
notably appeared in the excellent Sense And
Sensibility in 1995, as well as Simon & The Witch
and - of course - Doctor Who. She passed away
on 2nd July, 2008 at the age of 78.

8. David Ryall - Elphias Doge

David Ryall was actually the second actor to play

Order Of The Phoenix member Elphias Doge,
taking over from Peter Cartwright when the plot
of The Deathly Hallows called for more of a
performance. He was a stage and screen
veteran, first enjoying success on stage - like so
many other Potter actors - and appearing with
the Laurence Olivier’s National
Theatre company

His screen credits included City Of Ember,

Oliver Twist, Around The World In 80 Days,
Casualty, Prime Suspect, The Singing Detective,
The Village, and many others, and was known
for performances blending his classical training
with an edge of comedy.

He died on Christmas Day, 2014, aged 79.

7. Alfred Burke - Armando Dippet

Alfred Burke is one of the least noticeable actors

in Harry Potter, thanks to the way he’s portrayed
in his only appearance. He played Professor
Armando Dippet who was Headmaster of
Hogwarts before Albus Dumbledore.

As such, he appears in The Chamber Of Secrets

during the flashback sequences taking the film
back to Tom Riddle’s time at the school. Burke’s
face can actually only be glimpsed for a brief
moment, and he wasn’t as bald as the book
description suggested he should have been.

Burke was an RSC veteran - like so many other

Potter stars - and had numerous credits over
decades, including Public Eye, and playing
Long John Silver in the 1977 Treasure Island