It's been almost a quarter of a century since the first Harry Potter movie first hit cinemas, yet the franchise remains just as popular as ever. New Harry Potter video games continue to be released on a fairly regular basis, and, thanks to HBO, fans even have a big-budget television adaptation to look forward to.
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Sadly, many of the big names who first helped to bring J.K. Rowling's characters to life are no longer with us, having passed away in the decades since the original movies were made However, although they themselves may be gone, they continue to live on in the memories of Harry Potter fans all over the world.
1 Richard Griffiths
July 31, 1947 - March 28, 2013 (65 Years Old)
Born in Yorkshire shortly after the end of the Second World War, Richard Griffiths first started to make a name for himself in the eighties and early nineties, appearing in cult classics like Funny Bones and Withnail and I. As his popularity as an actor continued to grow, he was cast as Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter movies, which is arguably the role for which he's best known today.
Though his appearances were typically limited to just the beginnings of the Harry Potter movies, Griffiths still did a fantastic job of bringing the character to life. His portrayal of Vernon Dursley was exactly how many fans had pictured Harry's unhospitable uncle when reading the books; providing plenty of spite and surlyness without altering the tone of the movies too much.
2 John Hurt
January 22, 1940 - January 25, 2017 (77 Years Old)
One of several Harry Potter actors who also appeared in the British sci-fi show Doctor Who, John Hurt played enigmatic wand-maker Garrick Ollivander. Unlike most of the people around him, Ollivander seems to have had a great deal of respect for what Voldemort was able to achieve, even if he disagreed morally with the dark lord's actions and ideologies.
Right from the get-go, viewers were left to wonder whether there was more to this character than first meets the eye, thanks in large to Hurt's fantastic delivery of his iconic "Great Things" line. His appearances are somewhat sporadic, but his knowledge of wand lore seems second to none, and Hurt was able to provide the gravitas and presence needed to get this point across.
3 Robbie Coltrane
March 30, 1950 - October 14, 2022 (72 Years Old)
The idea of gentle giants had been explored fairly extensively in fiction prior to the first Harry Potter book, yet Rubeus Hagrid might just be the most memorable example; not to mention the most literal. Introduced early on in the franchise, his childlike innocence and love of all things weird and wonderful made him an instant fan favorite, for somewhat obvious reasons.
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Given his size and gentle nature, Robbie Coltrane was the perfect man for the role and the South Lanarkshire-born actor didn't disappoint. Appearing in all eight of the Harry Potter movies, it's difficult not to like Coltrane's Hagrid and almost impossible to imagine anybody else playing the character quite so convincingly. Whoever takes up the mantle in the HBO adaptation has some rather large shoes to fill.
4 Alan Rickman
February 21, 1946 - January 14, 2016 (69 Years Old)
Alan Rickman was a phenomenal actor with incredible range. Throughout his career, Rickman played just about every type of character imaginable; from international terrorist Hans Gruber in the first Die Hard movie to the surly angel Metatron in Kevin Smith's Dogma. Where he really excelled though was taking an average role and making it his own, which is exactly what he did with Professor Severus Snape.
As Snape's story begins to unfold, viewers are shown that there is much more to the character than first meets the eye. Even before this, though, when Snape was shown to be a bad guy, it was difficult not to like him due to the way Rickman chose to portray him. He stole scenes as well as hearts, which helped to make Snape's eventual face turn at the end of the final movie all the more effective and hard-hitting.
5 Richard Harris
October 1, 1930 - October 25, 2002 (72 Years Old)
Sadly, Richard Harris didn't get too many opportunities to flex his might as Albus Dumbledore, with the popular Irish actor recast after Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on account of his declining health. As a result, viewers only really got a chance to see his soft side, with the events of the first two movies calling for a far more measured and less animated headmaster than the ones that followed.
Despite this, there are still flashes of brilliance throughout the two movies, most notably during the closing stages of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and in Harris' scenes with Lucius Malfoy actor Jason Isaacs in Chamber of Secrets. Harris masterfully captures Dumbledore's wisdom, as well as his nurturing side, as evidenced through pretty much all of his interactions with Harry throughout his time in the role.
6 Michael Gambon
October 19, 1940 - September 27, 2023 (82 Years Old)
There's a clear and obvious shift in tone as the Harry Potter story unfolds, with things getting darker and more dangerous with each new installment. Viewers can see this simply by looking at the Warner Bros. logos at the beginning of each movie, though, for a more nuanced example, they'll need to study the actions and mannerisms of Michael Gambon's Dumbledore.
Although often subtle, these small yet significant changes in Dumbledore line up perfectly with what's going on in the background, helping to highlight exactly what's at stake. Gambon's Dumbledore can at times seem aloof when compared to Harris', not to mention a lot more erratic, but given the stress and emotional torment that the character is having to deal with, this arguably makes a lot of sense.
Harry Potter
- Created by
- J.K. Rowling
- Cast
- Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Rupert Grint , Alan Rickman , Michael Gambon , Ralph Fiennes , Maggie Smith , Robbie Coltrane
- Where to watch
- HBO Max