Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros
Topics: Celebrity, TV and Film, Harry Potter
Jess Battison
When the rest of the world tries to imagine what life in Britain and our culture is like, one of the main references they seem to use is Harry Potter.
And while the Wizarding World may of course be fictional, people absolutely love it.
Created by the controversial J.K. Rowling, the stories of the books and films have swept up generations of fans who love everything from the spells to the characters.
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But sadly, in the time that has passed since the Harry Potter movies began in 2001, some of those who played the iconic characters are no longer with us.
The legendary British actor starred as headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films.
He died after the second film, The Chamber of Secrets, and was replaced in the role by Michael Gambon from The Prisoner of Azkaban onwards.
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He died on 25 October, 2002, aged 72.
As we just mentioned, Gambon took over from Richard Harris following his death.
He made the role his own after inheriting the role of the character that was so important to both the books and films.
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Gambon died on 27 September in 2023 at the age of 82.
Spriggs appeared in just the first film in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released back in 2001.
A stage and film actor spanning more than half a century, she played the role of The Fat Lady.
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This was a living portrait within Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, guarding the Gryffindor common room.
Dawn French took over the role following Spriggs' death on 2 July 2008, aged 78.
Bateson played the other house elf in the series. Not Dobby, but Kreacher.
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Providing his voice for the role in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, it was his last work before he died on 15 September 2009, aged 83.
Kreacher appeared in Deathly Hallows - Part One where he was voiced by Simon McBurney.
"Take her away Ern, it's going to be a bumpy ride!"
A classic line from the third film in the series, Gardner starred as the driver of the magic Knight Bus.
His only footage in the film shows him erratically driving the vehicle, transporting Harry Potter to the Leaky Cauldron.
Gardner died on 3 May, 2010.
Knox appeared in just one film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
He was meant to then show up in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part One but died before filming took place, having signed his contract for the film.
Knox was tragically murdered in a stabbing outside a London bar in May 2008, intervening in a fight that involved his brother.
The man who fatally stabbed Knox, Karl Norman Bishop, was given life in prison for the heinous crime. Knox was just 18 at the time of his death on 24 May, 2008.
Burke starred as Armando Dippet in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
He appeared in flashback footage as headmaster of Hogwarts when Dumbledore was a student in the wizarding school.
Burke died at the age of 92 in February 2011.
An iconic role in the first few Potter films, Griffiths played Harry's Uncle Vernon who took in the orphan after the death of his parents at the hands of Voldemort.
A hugely respected actor, Griffiths was also well known for roles in Chariots of Fire and The History Boys.
He died in 28 March, 2013.
Starring as Muggle Frank Bryce, Sykes played the role of gardener for the paternal grandparents of Voldemort.
His character is killed in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire after overhearing a conversation between Voldemort and his snake, Nagini, in the dilapidated house that used to be home to the Riddle family.
Sykes died on 4 July, 2012.
Known throughout the UK for his time on Only Fools and Horses in the role of Trigger, Lloyd Pack moved into the Harry Potter universe in the role of influential Ministry of Magic official Barty Crouch Senior.
He died in 15 January, 2014.
Cartwright played the role of wizard Elphias Doge, who was a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
He starred in Order of the Phoenix where he helped escort Harry to Grimmauld Place. Passing away on 18 November, 2013, he was replaced in later films by David Ryall.
Ryall, who replaced Cartwright, also sadly died.
He started in Deathly Hallows - Part One in the role of Doge.
He died on 25 December, 2014.
Deadman starred as a character known only as Tom; a British wizard who was the landlord, innkeeper, and barman of every wizard's favourite pub, The Leaky Cauldron.
He died from complications of diabetes on 22 November, 2014, after retiring to France.
A terrifying character, Legeno played Fenrir Greyback - a werewolf and Death Eater who had a fixation on attacking unsuspecting children.
Legeno was found dead by hikers in Death Valley, California in July 2014.
He starred in three Potter films.
Up there as one of the most iconic faces in the entire Potter universe, Rickman starred in every film as Severus Snape.
Snape was a teacher at Hogwarts before becoming headmaster following the death of Dumbledore in the books and films.
He died in January 2016 following on from a terminal cancer diagnosis that he had chosen not to make public.
Bayler played the mischievous ghost The Bloody Baron in the first Potter film.
The Kiwi actor played the role of the ghoul and is seen in the first film flying through the school.
He died on 2 August, 2016.
Douglas starred in Deathly Hallows - Part One in the role of magic historian Bathilda Bagshot.
Bagshot was a well known author of A History of Magic.
In the film, she is murdered off-screen before appearing as a reanimated corpse containing Voldemort's snake, Nagini.
Douglas passed away on 8 September, 2016.
Appearing in just Order of the Phoenix, Beazley played Professor Everard, a former Hogwarts headmaster who appeared in a moving painting.
He died aged 101 on 12 June, 2017.
Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge was portrayed in the Harry Potter films by Robert Hardy CBE.
He died on 3 August, 2017.
A global legend of TV and film, Hurt made his name in numerous productions for decades before starring in the wizarding films.
He appeared in four films as Mr Ollivander, a wand-maker who ran a shop in Diagon Alley.
Hurt died on 25 January, 2017.
Verne Troyer was arguably most famous for playing Mini Me in the Austin Powers films.
He also starred as Griphook in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone before being replaced by Warwick Davies.
Troyer died on 21 April, 2018.
Starring in just Half-Blood Prince, Ritter starred as wizard Eldred Worple.
Arguable though he is better known for his iconic role on Friday Night Dinner as well as Chernobyl.
Ritter sadly died from a brain tumour on 5 April, 2021.
Like Ritter, McCrory is probably better known for her work elsewhere after starring as Polly in Peaky Blinders.
In Potter she starred as Draco Malfoy's mother, Narcissa.
She sadly died on 16 April, 2021.
Coltrane starred as Hogwarts groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid, best friend to headmaster Albus Dumbledore and a close mentor to Harry Potter.
The legendary Scot tragically died on 14 October 2022.
As well as voicing The Sorting Hat in a number of Harry Potter movies, Phillips was well known for featuring in the Carry On films and the Grandad from the Parent Trap starring Lindsay Lohan.
After a long-running and successful acting career, he died on 7 November 2022.