The beloved Harry Potter movies have featured an array of talented actors - from those who have appeared in every single installment of the franchise to those who only made brief but impactful cameos.
From Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011), we have followed the cast along their wizarding journey.
But, that has not come without its losses.
As of the recent death of Leslie Phillips - who voiced the Sorting Hat- earlier this year, the Harry Potter franchise has now lost 24 actors who had helped bring J.K. Rowling's characters to life.
Here, we pay tribute to these stars.
Sadly, the first selection of actors never saw the whole franchise through, as they passed away during the years when the Harry Potter movies were still being produced.
Richard Harris (October 1, 1930 - October 25, 2002), who played the wizarding headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, in the first two movies passed away in 2002. Michael Gambon took over the iconic role for the rest of the franchise.
Robert Knox (August 21, 1989 - May 24, 2008) played Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and was signed to star in the next film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
However, he was tragically stabbed to death in London in 2008, as per The Guardian. The actor was only 18 years old.
Elizabeth Spriggs (September 18, 1929 - July 2, 2008) played the character The Fat Lady - a living portrait - in the first film.
Timothy Bateson (April 3, 1926 - September 15, 2009) voiced the animated male house elf, Kreacher, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The role was taken over by Simon McBurney in Deathly Hallows, following Bateson’s death.
Jimmy Gardner (August 24, 1924 - May 3, 2010) was an English actor who served in World War Two. He played Ernie Prang, the driver of the Knight Bus, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Alfred Burke (February 28, 1918 - February 16, 2011) played Professor Armando Dippet in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It was to be his final acting role before his death.
Other cast members have passed away since the franchise was completed:
Eric Sykes (May 4, 1923 - July 4, 2012) was a scriptwriter as well as an actor. He played muggle, Frank Bryce, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Richard Griffiths (July 31, 1947 - March 28, 2013) played Harry Potter’s Uncle, Vernon Dursley, who was cruel to Potter and hated anything to do with magic.
Peter Cartwright (August 30, 1935 - November 18, 2013) starred as Elphias Doge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix but did not reprise the role in Deathly Hallows.
Roger Lloyd Pack (February 8, 1944 - January 15, 2014) was best known for his role as Trigger in the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses, however, he also appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Bartemius Crouch Senior.
The character was a pure-blood wizard but was murdered by his son Bartemius Crouch Junior, who had turned into a Death Eater.
Dave Legeno (October 12, 1963 - July 12, 2014) starred in the final three Harry Potter movies as the werewolf, Fenrir Greyback.
He tragically died while hiking in Death Valley, California, where it is believed his cause of death may have been due to heat stroke, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
Derek Deadman (March 11, 1940 - November 22, 2014) played Tom the Landlord from The Leaky Cauldron, a popular wizarding pub in the movie, which could be found at the entrance to the famous Diagon Alley.
David Ryall (January 5, 1935 - December 25, 2014) actually took over the role of Elphias Doge from the late Peter Cartwright. Ryall starred as Doge in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
Alan Rickman (February 21, 1946 - January 14, 2016) played a pretty big part in the Potter franchise as Professor Severus Snape, so the fandom were devastated when the actor passed away in 2016.
It was revealed that Rickman had actually been suffering from aggressive cancer at the time of filming the franchise. However, the actor agreed to carry on, despite his diagnosis. In his journals that were released as a book earlier this year, per Hello Magazine, Rickman wrote: “Finally, yes to HP 5.
“The sensation is neither up nor down. The argument that wins is the one that says: See it through. It’s your story.”
Terence Bayler (January 24, 1930 - August 2, 2016), an actor from New Zealand notably starred in Monty Python’s Life of Brian and the first Harry Potter movie as The Bloody Baron, a ghost of Slytherin House.
Hazel Douglas (November 2, 1923 - September 8, 2016) starred as Professor Bathilda Bagshot, who is a witch and notably the author of wizarding book, A History of Magic.
John Hurt (January 22, 1940 - January 25, 2017) was a legendary English actor whose career spanned over five decades. As part of that, he appeared as Garrick Ollivander, the “best wandmaker in the world” in three of the Potter movies.
Sam Beazley (March 29, 1916 - June 12, 2017) first appears as a painting of Professor Everard in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The British actor made it to live over a century before he passed away at 101 years old.
Robert Hardy (October 29, 1925 - August 3, 2017) also had a very long career in acting. He mostly starred in British productions, until his role as Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic.
Verne Troyer (January 1, 1969 - April 21, 2018) was an American actor and stuntman who portrayed Griphook in the first Harry Potter movie. However, he never voiced the part and was replaced by Warwick Davis for the Deathly Hallows adaptations.
Simon Paul Ritter (December 20, 1966 - April 5, 2021) known as Paul Ritter, played wizard Eldred Worple in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The English actor sadly died of a brain tumor in 2021.
Helen McCrory (August 17, 1968 - April 16, 2021) played Narcissa Malfoy, the mother of Draco Malfoy, a rival of Harry Potter. The actor sadly passed away from a battle with breast cancer, as per the website Indy100.
Robbie Coltrane (March 30, 1950 - October 14, 2022) left Potterheads devastated when he passed away earlier this year. One of the best-loved characters, Coltrane played Rubeus Hagrid, a half-giant, half-human gamekeeper at Hogwarts in all eight of the movies.
On hearing of Coltrane’s death, Daniel Radcliffe said per Variety: “I feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet and work with him and very sad that he’s passed. He was an incredible actor and a lovely man.”
Finally, the most recent loss to the franchise is Lesley Phillips (April 20, 1924 - November 7, 2022) who voiced The Sorting Hat.
Each and every one of these actors contributed to making the movie franchise what it is today, and whether their role be big or small, they will be hugely missed.
