The Harry Potter film series put together a seriously impressive ensemble of young and
established actors across its eight films. Here's what happened to many
of your favorites over the years since the final Harry Potter film released.
After a huge search to find a young British actor to play Harry Potter, producers settled on Daniel
Radcliffe, who was cast in the role at just 11 years old, making him the perfect age to play
Harry as he turns 11 and heads to Hogwarts. A young hero with an immeasurable burden placed
upon his shoulders, Harry grows up constantly battling his nemesis Voldemort - and Radcliffe,
who played the part through all eight films, felt a huge sense of responsibility to his character.
Even before the Potter films came to an end, Radcliffe put in the work to pave a varied career
path for himself to ensure that he wouldn't be typecast as Harry forever. He made waves
in 2007 when he landed the difficult leading role of Equus on stage in London and New York,
and has continued to act in major theater productions. Since hanging up his wand,
Radcliffe has also appeared in an eclectic array of films that includes Kill Your Darlings,
Swiss Army Man, and Guns Akimbo, as well as the TBS series Miracle Workers.
Before Harry arrives at Hogwarts, he meets a student who will prove to be one of the most
important people in his life: Ron Weasley.
"Here you go boy, bottoms up." "What's this?"
"Tonic for the nerves."
Played by Rupert Grint,
Ron becomes immediate friends with Harry. Ron proves to be an invaluable friend and ally.
Chosen from a huge group of candidates, Grint, similar to Radcliffe, joined the Potter cast at a
young age and continued in his role for a decade. Grint's first post-Potter project came in 2013
in the anti-war film Into the White. That same year, he appeared in the biopic CBGB;
a few years later, he broke into television with roles in Sick Note and Snatch, the latter
of which he executive produced. More recently, Grint starred in the Apple TV+ series Servant.
Ron and Harry have an amazing friendship, but they'd be absolutely nowhere without their other
best friend, Hermione Granger, played by Emma Watson. The smartest witch of her age, Hermione
has an innate genius and intense work ethic that helps Harry and Ron out of several different
scrapes, and where Ron is concerned, it's more than a friendship, as the two eventually marry.
Watson joined the franchise as a child, just like her counterparts, and defined the
beloved character for legions of fans. Watson's post-Potter career has proven quite successful,
both as a performer and a public figure; along with roles in films like The Perks
of Being a Wallflower, Bling Ring, and the live action remake of Beauty and the Beast,
Watson serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations and promotes causes like
literacy and gender equality. Recently, Watson appeared in director Greta Gerwig's 2019 take
on Little Women, and is still acting, despite 2021 reports that she had quietly retired.
The producers of the Potter films brought together some of the most famous British actors in the
business. That list included Dame Maggie Smith, who plays Hogwarts professor Minerva McGonagall,
a strict yet fair teacher who also serves as the head of Gryffindor House.
"It is said to be the home… of a monster."
Smith, who was anointed a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990, is one of the most venerated actresses
of her era, known for her work in films like 1969's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,
1978's California Suite, both of which won her an Academy Award.
Her most notable post-Potter film work comes from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
and its sequel. You can also catch Smith on the occasional TV series – she won three Emmy Awards
for her role as the imposing Dowager Countess on the popular period drama Downton Abbey.
The world of Harry Potter is inhabited by plenty of complex characters,
but few are as fascinating as Severus Snape, played by Alan Rickman.
"Turn to page three hundred and ninety-four."
As Hogwarts' Potions master who harbors a serious grudge against Harry,
Snape comes off as a pretty typical bad guy out of the gate. However, as it turns out,
Snape has secretly given his entire life in service to Harry, and ultimately winds up a hero.
Snape's death is one of the saddest in the series, and tragically,
the world lost Rickman in 2016, not long after his final turn as the double agent.
After gaining international fame for his role as the villain Hans Gruber in the action classic
Die Hard, Rickman became one of the most in-demand actors of his era,
appearing in films like Sense & Sensibility, Galaxy Quest, and Love Actually, among others.
When the Harry Potter film franchisebegan, legendary Irish actor Richard Harris was
the perfect choice to play the wise, seemingly all-knowing Albus Dumbledore,
who serves as the beloved headmaster of Hogwarts and eventually Harry's mentor and parental figure.
Sadly, Harris - who made a perfect Dumbledore - wasn't destined to play the part for very
long. A celebrated actor known for his roles in 1992's western Unforgiven
and the 2000 action drama Gladiator, Harris passed away in October of 2002,
after appearing in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that same year.
In the aftermath of Richard Harris' passing, another talented Irishman stepped up to take
over as Dumbledore: Sir Michael Gambon, who made his debut in 2003's Harry Potter and the Prisoner
of Azkaban and played the character for the remainder of the franchise. Gambon's Dumbledore
was a little less gentle than Harris' portrayal - a particular scene in Goblet of Fire stands out.
"Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire? Did you
ask one of the older students to do it for you?"
But Gambon relished the role, portraying a man racked with
self-doubt and regret internally but confident and cool on the outside.
A venerated actor of the stage and screen, Gambon earned acclaim for his work with
the National Theatre, film roles ranging from 1989's The Cook, the Thief, His Wife,
and Her Lover to 2010's The King's Speech, as well as television projects like 2017's Little Women.
He retired from the stage in 2015, but continues to appear in film and television.
Early on after discovering the truth about who he is, Harry meets another young wizard who will be a
thorn in his side for years: Draco Malfoy, played by Tom Felton. A spoiled and pampered bully from
a wealthy, high-status family, Draco spends his time picking on Harry, Ron, and Hermione,
usually flanked by goons and hangers-on. By the time the Battle of Hogwarts is raging,
he's fully allied himself with Voldemort and his Death Eaters, actively working against Harry.
In the years since Potter, Felton has appeared in big-budget blockbusters like 2011's Rise of
the Planet of the Apes as well as independent films like 2018's Ophelia. On the small screen,
you might remember his performance in season three of the CW's hit Arrowverse series The Flash.
A shy and bumbling young wizard when he arrives at Hogwarts,
Neville Longbottom, played by Matthew Lewis, has an unassuming beginning.
"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one."
However, during his time at Hogwarts, he grows into a determined and strong young wizard. By the
final films, Neville is leading the renegade group Dumbledore's Army at Hogwarts to fight Voldemort,
and plays a crucial role in the Battle of Hogwarts to take down the Dark Lord.
Lewis, like his character, has experienced a pretty dramatic
glow up and has turned into a bona fide leading man over the years.
As a result, he's racked up plenty of film roles throughout his career,
including in 2016's Me Before You and 2018's Terminal, as well as some television appearances.
Briefly introduced in the first film but fleshed out in Chamber of Secrets,
Ron's normally vivacious and bright younger sister, Ginny Weasley,
is played by Bonnie Wright. She's rendered more or less mute when she meets Harry,
on whom she has an enormous crush. Not only do the two eventually strike up a romantic relationship
in Half-Blood Prince, they get married and start a family after Harry finally defeats Voldemort.
Since Potter, Wright has continued working as an actor on the stage and screen,
but she has tended to focus more on production and direction. She has been responsible for bringing
several films to screen, including Separate We Come, Separate We Go and Medusa's Ankles.
Harry and his friends don't meet Evanna Lynch's Luna Lovegood until Harry Potter
and the Order of the Phoenix, but she certainly makes quite an impression.
Luna becomes close with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny,
with their bond intensifying after the group takes on Death Eaters together.
"Hungry. I hope there's pudding."
Lynch, a longtime Potter fan who was a devotee of the book series,
was deemed "perfect" for the part by producers after an open audition and continued to play
the role until the franchise ended. When it did, Lynch stayed in the public eye but took
on fewer projects, signing on for roles like 2015's My Name is Emily while taking breaks
from acting to focus on her environmentally friendly makeup line, Kinder Beauty Box.
One of the most accomplished and versatile actors working today,
Helena Bonham Carter was the ideal choice to play the savage, cruel Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange,
whose devotion to Voldemort borders on the inappropriate.
"I killed Sirius Black, hahahaha. You coming to get me?"
Throughout her long and impressive career, Bonham Carter has ping-ponged
between period pieces like 1992's Howards End, huge hits like 1999's Fight Club,
and fantastical collaborations with former partner Tim Burton like 2007's Sweeney Todd.
Bonham Carter has worked steadily for years, but one of her highest profile roles came in 2019,
where she took on the role of the hard-partying Princess Margaret on Netflix's The Crown.
Voldemort doesn't truly appear in the flesh for the first three Harry Potter films,
as he hasn't yet regained human form, but thanks to some loyal servants and dark magic,
he returns to his full strength in Goblet of Fire at the film's climax, played by Ralph Fiennes.
It might seem crazy that Jennifer Lopez's love interest in the 2002
romantic comedy Maid in Manhattan would go on to play the Dark Lord Voldemort,
but Fiennes has some serious range. On the heels of Voldemort, Fiennes appeared
in the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall as Gareth Mallory, and later reprised the role. In 2014,
he earned acclaim for a starring role in Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel.
Recently, Fiennes starred alongside Carey Mulligan in the Netflix original film The Dig.
When it came time to cast the bombastic, over-the-top author and Hogwarts professor
Gilderoy Lockhart, who makes his debut in Chamber of Secrets, there could be no other
choice than Kenneth Branagh. When Lockhart takes over the position of Professor of Defense Against
the Dark Arts, he's quickly revealed to be completely inept, despite his enormous ego.
An award-nominated actor who trained at and now leads the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art,
Branagh is a legend of the stage and the screen, well known for adaptations of Shakespeare.
"Upon Saint Crispin's Day!" YAAAAAY!
An accomplished director in addition to his work in front of the camera,
Branagh has made time to helm projects like the first Thor
film while continuing to appear in films like 2017's Dunkirk and 2020's Tenet.
Some actors only appear in a single Potter movie, but while David Tennant only popped up in Goblet
of Fire, he certainly makes an impression as the briefly seen but utterly disturbing Barty Crouch
Jr., a devoted follower of Voldemort. Crouch Jr. is disguised for most of the film as Mad-Eye
Moody, posing as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher until his disguise finally cracks.
By the time he appeared in Goblet of Fire, Tennant was already playing Doctor Who on the BBC.
Afterward, Tennant changed tack with the
gritty British crime drama Broadchurch, opposite Olivia Colman. Marvel fans likely remember Tennant
from his terrifying turn as Kilgrave in Netflix's Marvel series Jessica Jones.
"Cut your heart out dad. Put a bullet in your skull Patsy."
He's also appeared in some recent high-profile film projects,
including 2018's Mary Queen of Scots.
Thanks to a curse inflicted by Voldemort, the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts ends up with a
new professor in the role every year. During his third year, the seat was occupied by Remus Lupin,
played by David Thewlis]. Though Lupin remains tight-lipped about his personal life at first,
our heroes eventually uncover that he's a werewolf. Lupin is forced out of the job,
but he remains committed to helping fight against the rising darkness.
When it comes to non-Potter projects, Thewlis has kept busy over the years,
appearing in big films like 2011's War Horse, 2014's The Theory of Everything,
the 2017 blockbuster Wonder Woman as Ares. More recently,
you may have caught Thewlis in the 2020 Netflix film I'm Thinking of Ending Things.
We first see Brendan Gleeson, who plays Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody,
he's not who he seems - literally, as he's being impersonated by Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr.
Audiences finally get to meet him as his true self in Order of the Phoenix,
but when he appears in Deathly Hallows, tragically, it's his final appearance.
By the time he appeared in the Potter films, Gleeson was already well known for his roles
in huge movies like 1995's Braveheart and 2002's Gangs of New York. After the film franchise ended,
you may have caught him in 2014's Edge of Tomorrow or the delightful 2017 comedy Paddington 2.
"All right we'll have time for the cozy catch up later. We've
got to get the hell out of here, soon."
There are plenty of family connections within the cast of Harry Potter,
but casual fans might not know that the actor who portrays Bill Weasley,
Domhnall Gleeson, is the son of Mad-Eye Moody himself, Brendan Gleeson.
Immediately after his brief turn in the Potter franchise,
Gleeson appeared in leading roles in 2012's Anna Karenina adaptation and Richard Curtis'
sweet 2013 romantic comedy About Time. 2015 was a pivotal role for this talented young actor,
who appeared in the sci-fi thriller Ex Machina and also made his debut in the Star Wars
sequel trilogy in The Force Awakens. He's also appeared in films like mother! and Peter Rabbit.
In Harry's third year at Hogwarts, he and his classmates are introduced to Divination lessons,
a course led by the whifty, unreliable Professor Trelawney,
played by Emma Thompson. While her confidence in her own skills doesn't exactly match her output,
she once made a very real prediction: the one that settles both Harry and Voldemort's awful fate.
Emma Thompson, one of the most well-known and influential British actors of her time,
plays the silly Trelawney to perfection, almost unrecognizable in enormous glasses and
piles of shawls. She has appeared in a huge variety of different projects since,
including 2013's Saving Mr. Banks, 2017's Beauty and the Beast and 2019's Late Night.
"You know what, I'm not gonna remember any of this,
so here's what we're gonna do. Um, you're one. Two. Three."
When Harry first learns about Sirius Black, played by Gary Oldman, he believes that the
man wanted by the entire wizarding community is a murderer who killed 13 people with a single curse.
However, as Harry gets to know the man who turns out to be his godfather, he realizes
that not only has Sirius been falsely accused of his crimes, but he's a kind and generous man,
which makes it all the more tragic when he's killed in front of Harry in Order of the Phoenix.
Gary Oldman was already an enormous star before Harry Potter,
thanks to high-profile roles in films like The Fifth Element and Air Force One,
among many others. After competing for an Oscar in 2011 for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,
the veteran finally won one in 2017 for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.
Voldemort may be the biggest bad in Harry Potter, but Dolores Umbridge, played by Imelda Staunton,
gives him a run for his money. A devoted Ministry employee desperate to rise within the ranks,
Umbridge ends up placed at Hogwarts to keep an eye on Dumbledore and his supposed wrongdoings,
eventually succeeding him and becoming headmistress.
"So silly of me, but it sounds as if you're questioning my authority in my own classroom."
Staunton was well known pre-Potter thanks to roles in the 1998 Best
Picture winner Shakespeare in Love and 2005's Nanny McPhee, among many others.
After her time in the Potter films came to a close, you may have heard Staunton
in the Paddington films or seen her as a fairy in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil with Angelina Jolie.
Harry is bullied a lot in the series, and one of his first true enemies is his cousin,
Dudley Dursley. Played by Harry Melling, Dudley is a spoiled child who's given anything he wants by
his indulgent parents, and is a true terror for much of his life - though in the books and in a
deleted scene from Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Dudley does show remorse for his behavior towards Harry.
In the years that followed, Melling shed the image of Dudley and worked on several high-profile
projects. From 2018 to 2020, Melling appeared in three popular Netflix films - The Ballad of
Buster Scruggs, The Devil All the Time, and The Old Guard. But you might know him best from his
scene-stealing supporting role in the beloved 2020 Netflix miniseries The Queen's Gambit,
in which his character lends his love and support to chess prodigy Beth Harmon.
Petunia Dursley, played by Fiona Shaw, forces her nephew Harry to sleep in a cupboard
under the stairs and generally abuses him until he finally learns the truth about his magical blood.
After that revelation, the Dursleys avoid and marginalize him as much as possible,
never truly acknowledging him as a real member of the family.
Fiona Shaw was a legend of the British stage before she took on the role of Petunia Dursley,
and she continued working steadily after her Potter years ended.
Recently, Shaw appeared in films like 2020's Enola Holmes, and also found
time for television roles in popular shows like Killing Eve, Fleabag, and True Blood.
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