Harry Potter Actors Who Will Never Truly Leave Us
These "Harry Potter" actors will never truly leave us. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at actors from the Wizarding World who have sadly passed away, but we can always find them in here.
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00:00 "Password?" "Caput Draconis."
00:03 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at actors from the wizarding world who have
00:09 sadly passed away, but we can always find them in here.
00:13 "Mr. Potter. Our new celebrity."
00:20 Robert Hardy. With almost 70 years of experience under his belt,
00:26 this classically trained actor's career spanned theater, TV, and cinema.
00:30 Hardy played two particular figures multiple times, both government officials.
00:34 "I am here. I am here now."
00:42 He portrayed UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill on several occasions, receiving a BAFTA
00:48 nomination. He brought a similar authoritative presence to minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge.
00:53 "But what's he got to do with me?" "Nothing, of course."
00:58 "You're safe, and that's what matters." While usually well-meaning, Fudge makes some
01:04 of the franchise's most questionable choices, namely refusing to believe Voldemort has returned
01:10 until he sees the truth. Fudge may be flawed, but Hardy infused an identifiable, conflicted element
01:16 that made him feel like a real politician. We wish Fudge's exit in the Half-Blood Prince book
01:21 made it into the movie, but Hardy nailed his last line in The Order of the Phoenix.
01:26 "He's back."
01:26 Verne Troyer. We were all shocked to hear of this actor's passing in 2018, having just turned 49.
01:34 While mini-me of Austin Powers is his most memorable role,
01:37 Troyer popped up in a number of other films, including the first Harry Potter.
01:41 "Volt 687. Lamp, please."
01:48 Troyer was unrecognizable as Griphook the Gringotts Goblin,
01:51 making him one of the few Americans to land a noteworthy role in the franchise.
01:56 While Troyer donned the makeup, Griphook's voice was supplied by Warwick Davis,
02:00 who'd later fully inherit the role.
02:02 "Griphook has so much more depth to him that I've never been able to get into my work as
02:08 Professor Flitwick. And so I went in and read for David Yates, and our casting director,
02:12 and gave him a best shot."
02:13 Speaking of Davis, he repeatedly collaborated with stuntman Paul Grant,
02:17 who played an uncredited goblin in Philosopher's Stone.
02:21 It'd be Grant's last major role before his death in 2023.
02:24 Troyer also started as a stunt double, but he left this world a recognizable star.
02:29 "So I had to do everything that they did, and, uh, you know, it just physically
02:34 made me strong and made me confident."
02:37 Helen McCrory. In addition to playing some of the most prominent Shakespearean characters on stage,
02:42 McCrory was a prolific actress on screen.
02:45 "I-I know I ought not to be here. The Dark Lord himself forbade me to speak of this."
02:52 Initially, she was to make her Harry Potter debut in Order of the Phoenix as Bellatrix the Strange.
02:57 Having a daughter with future husband Damian Lewis,
02:59 McCrory's pregnancy required her to walk away from the intense role,
03:03 allowing Helena Bonham Carter to step in.
03:06 Since Narcissa Malfoy is Bellatrix's sister,
03:08 McCrory was an obvious choice to play Draco's mother.
03:12 "Is he alive? Draco, is he alive?"
03:16 McCrory strikes just the right note as a matriarch stuck in the middle of the Wizarding War.
03:21 Narcissa's true loyalty resides with her family, enabling Harry to defeat Voldemort.
03:27 Passing away from breast cancer at 52,
03:29 McCrory left behind significant contributions through her performances and charity work.
03:34 "She had taught me a lot. See, I can't even say it."
03:39 Leslie Phillips
03:40 Harry Potter fans might not know his face,
03:43 but they'll immediately recognize Leslie Phillips' distinct voice as the Sorting Hat.
03:48 "There's talent, oh yes, and a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you?"
03:56 By the time Harry was placed in Gryffindor,
03:58 Phillips had already been acting for over 60 years.
04:02 Outside of Hogwarts, Phillips was best known for his work in the Carry On and Doctor film series.
04:07 In the UK, he'd become synonymous with his catchphrases "Ding Dong" and "Hello."
04:12 "He was the cad, the bounder, the ladies' man. It made him a star."
04:16 "Hi girls, I'm available."
04:17 Gene Kelly, Peter O'Toole, and Angelina Jolie are just some of the names Phillips acted opposite.
04:24 Phillips' voiceover work in Deathly Hallows Part II marked his penultimate performance,
04:28 his last acting role being in 2012's After Death.
04:32 Likewise, the late Timothy Bateson's final performance would be voicing
04:35 Creature the House Elf in The Order of the Phoenix.
04:38 "Creature lives to serve the noble House of Black."
04:41 John Hurt. This two-time Oscar nominee was no stranger to fantasy,
04:46 voicing Aragorn in the animated Lord of the Rings, the Horned King in The Black Cauldron,
04:51 and the Great Dragon in Merlin. His most famous contribution to the genre was as Garak Ollivander.
04:57 "I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Mr. Potter."
05:01 Hurt makes a brief yet essential appearance in Philosopher's Stone as the wand shop owner who
05:06 notices an unnerving parallel between Harry and the Dark Lord. The scene manages to be
05:11 whimsical and ominous thanks to Hurt's presence, making for an iconic moment.
05:16 "I think it is clear that we can expect great things from you."
05:20 Hurt returned in the final two movies, reminding Harry that it's the wand that chooses the wizard.
05:26 Whether teaching Harry about the Deathly Hallows or feeling an alien pressing against his insides,
05:31 Hurt made the most of every role.
05:33 "How you doing?"
05:35 "Terrific, next silly question."
05:39 Richard Griffiths. Vernon Dursley never saw his nephew as much more than a nuisance.
05:46 Behind the scenes, Richard Griffiths formed a close bond with Daniel Radcliffe.
05:50 "If I had been as loquacious and eloquent as that when I was your age,
05:54 I think I'd be president of the world by now."
05:57 When Radcliffe shot his first scene as Harry, Griffiths eased his nerves.
06:01 Griffiths was there for Radcliffe again several years later when they co-starred in a production
06:06 of Equus, helping the young actor get through his first play. "Master of his craft and things like
06:11 that. It's like, yeah, but the best thing about him is that in the rehearsal period, he's just a
06:15 good person and he treats people well and that is the best thing you can possibly do."
06:21 Griffiths won several accolades, including a Tony, for his performance in the stage play
06:25 The History Boys, ironically beating Ralph Fiennes. "You're hurt." "I don't need your help."
06:32 From Best Picture winners like Gandhi to other blockbuster franchises like Pirates of the
06:36 Caribbean, Griffiths always left an impression. As Radcliffe put it, quote, "Any room he walked
06:42 into was made twice as funny and twice as clever just by his presence."
06:46 "His passing was the one that has affected me most because he was generous with knowledge,
06:50 he just wanted to share everything with you."
06:52 Richard Harris
06:54 Almost 35 years after starring as King Arthur in Camelot, Richard Harris played a character
06:58 closer to Merlin. The two-time Oscar nominee was initially hesitant to accept the role,
07:04 but his 11-year-old granddaughter talked him into it.
07:07 "That is one of my more brilliant ideas. And between you and me, that is saying something."
07:14 As Albus Dumbledore, Harris brilliantly balanced the headmaster's wisdom with playful humor.
07:20 He brought a calm, mysterious allure to the character, making it feel like Dumbledore was
07:25 always in control, even when he wasn't. "It is not our abilities that show what we truly are.
07:31 It is our choices." Sadly, Chamber of Secrets would mark Harris' last on-screen film role.
07:38 In August 2002, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, passing away just a month before the
07:43 sequel's release. Dumbledore was nonetheless the role of a lifetime for Harris, who will also be
07:48 remembered for Unforgiven, Gladiator, and The Count of Monte Cristo. "In return for your help,
07:55 I offer something priceless." Michael Gambon
08:00 Several Wizarding World roles had to be recast throughout the years. However, no actor faced a
08:05 more daunting task than Michael Gambon. Following Richard Harris' passing, Gambon stepped in as
08:11 Dumbledore from Prisoner of Azkaban onward. "Remarkable feat, don't you think? To enter
08:16 Hogwarts Castle on one's own, completely undetected." "Quite remarkable, yes."
08:21 Although a particular line delivery in Goblet of Fire inspired an infamous meme,
08:25 Gambon ultimately shined in some of Dumbledore's coolest, saddest, and most inspiring moments.
08:31 He accomplished this without impersonating Harris, creating a Dumbledore who was his own.
08:37 While the four-time BAFTA winner was known for his serious presence on screen and stage,
08:42 he could be a lovable joker, famously pranking Daniel Radcliffe with a fart machine.
08:47 "In our dreams, we enter completely our own world. You know, it's completely our own world.
08:55 And we like to, we like to swim in the deepest waters."
09:01 Described as a legend by many of his former co-stars, this Shakespearean actor's stature
09:06 matched Dumbledore's reputation in the Wizarding World. "You may not like him, Minister,
09:11 but you can't deny Dumbledore's got style."
09:15 Robbie Coltrane. "How am I doing my first day?" "Brilliant, Professor."
09:21 "Born to play" is a phrase that gets tossed around a lot, but we can't think of anyone
09:27 who could have done Rubeus Hagrid justice like Robbie Coltrane did. From the night he delivered
09:32 Harry to the Dursleys, to the day he carried Harry's seemingly dead body back to Hogwarts,
09:37 Coltrane was pitch perfect as the gentle half-giant. "Not all wizards are good.
09:41 Some of them go bad. A few years ago, there was one wizard that went as bad as you can go,
09:48 and his name was... his name was..."
09:51 Just as Coltrane stood tall at 6'1", his range knew few limits with roles in Shakespearean dramas,
09:59 light-hearted comedies, and action franchises like James Bond.
10:02 "Wilthart PPK. 7.65 millimeter. Only three men I know use such a gun.
10:08 I believe I've killed two of them."
10:10 Winning three BAFTAs for his work in the crime drama Cracker and receiving a nomination for
10:15 his performance in The Philosopher's Stone, Coltrane was one of a kind. Just as there's
10:20 no Hogwarts without Hagrid, we can't imagine the Harry Potter movies without Coltrane.
10:25 "There's no way I'm going to get away with this."
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10:53 Alan Rickman. With his villainous turns in Die Hard and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves,
10:58 Rickman sounded like the ideal candidate to bring Severus Snape to life.
11:02 Of course, when Rickman landed the role, readers didn't know if Snape would be good or evil.
11:07 "You don't know? Well, let's try again. Where, Mr. Potter, would you look if I asked you to
11:12 find me a bezoar?" Rickman was among the few who knew Snape's fate. Just as Snape
11:18 conceals his true nature throughout the series, Rickman kept the secret to himself.
11:22 "Understandable. Over the years, I've played my part well, so well,
11:26 I've deceived one of the greatest wizards of all time."
11:29 While readers learned the truth by the time Deathly Hallows Part 2 hit theaters,
11:33 this didn't make it any less devastating watching Snape's origin story unfold.
11:37 There wasn't a dry eye when Rickman passed away just a month before his 70th birthday.
11:43 Yet his screen presence as Snape and numerous other characters will stay with us always.
11:48 "Look at me. You have your mother's eyes."
11:58 Which Harry Potter actor will never leave you? Wands up in the comments.
12:02 "And you can always find me in here."
12:09 [music]