It’s been over twenty years since we first visited Hogwarts

One of the depressing yet inevitable part of growing up is watching some of your childhood favourites pass away.

Whether it be in sports, films, or TV, it’s just a tragic cosmic inevitability.

When you’re looking at iconic childhood figures, many of us will have grown up loving the Harry Potter franchise.

Although a reboot HBO series is currently in the works, the films are still iconic pieces of media – and tragically, many beloved actors from the films have died.

Richard Harris – Albus Dumbledore (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002)

Harris was the first untimely loss of the series when he passed away in 2002.

He may not have been Dumbledore for the majority of the films, but his whimsy and charm were vital parts of the first two movies in the series.

Robert Knox – Marcus Belby (21 August 1989 – 24 May 2008)

Knox played Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and the Half-Brood Prince prior to his tragic death.

The actor was stabbed to death outside a bar in London in 2008 after stepping in to protect his brother during a fight. .

There was later a documentary, titled (K)nox: The Rob Knox Story, made about the actor’s untimely death, as well as an annual film festival, The Robert Knox Film Festival, which was founded in 2009 and all proceeds going towards the Rob Knox Foundation, which was set up by Knox’s parents to educate young people on street violence.

Michael Gambon – Albus Dumbledore (19 October 1940 – 27 September 2023)

Michael Gambon took on the role of Dumbledore after Richard Harris passed away in 2002. Gambon himself ended passing away last year, with his family issuing a statement which said the actor had died ‘following a bout of pneumonia’.

Gambon became an iconic member of the cast, playing Dumbledore from the third film onwards.

One of the original members of the Royal National Theatre in the UK, he was also a beloved actor, having also starred in The King’s Speech.

Elizabeth Spriggs – The Fat Lady (18 September 1929 – 2 July 2008)

Spriggs was known for playing The Fat Lady, a living portrait that guards the Gryffindor common room, a role that was eventually handed over to comedian Dawn French.

The star was also an accomplished Shakespearean theatre actor, having starred in numerous West End performances, according to her obituary in The Guardian.

She died at the age of 78, with her funeral taking place in Oxfordshire.

Timothy Bateson – Kreacher (3 April 1926 – 15 September 2009)

Kreacher was an ageing house elf who worked for the Black family before ending up in the service of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe).

He was voiced by Bateson in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in his final film role before the actor passed away in 2009 at the age of 83.

Bateson also made numerous appearances in films and TV movies, like The Italian Job, Les Misérables and Terry Pratchett’s The Hogfather.

Jimmy Gardner – Ernie Prang (24 August 2014 – 3 May 2010)

Gardner was a WWII veteran who had acted since the 1960s, playing Knight Bus driver Ernie Prang in 2004’s third Harry Potter film, The Prisoner of Azkaban.

The actor had served in the Royal Air Force as an air gunner, and was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal, which is awarded to those who displayed ‘exceptional valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy’.

Gardener passed away at the age of 85.

Alfred Burke – Armando Dippet (28 February 1918 – 16 February 2011)

Alfred Burke died at the age of 92 in February 2011, having been known for his portrayal of Frank Marker in Public Eye and, later, Armando Dippett – Dumbledore’s predecessor at Hogwarts.

Outside of Harry Potter, the actor was best known for his role in the British TV drama, Public Eye, which ran from 1965 to 1975.

Eric Sykes – Frank Bryce (4 May 1923 – 4 July 2012)

Comic actor Eric Sykes played Frank Bryce, a Muggle who lived in the village of Little Hangleton – yep, the place where the Riddle family also resided.

Serving as their gardener, he became the prime suspect of the family’s murder, although fans will know he was not responsible.

He is then later killed by Peter Pettigrew – with his ghost later appearing to help Harry fight against a newly-resurrected Voldemort.

In 2001, Sykes also appeared alongside Nicole Kidman in The Others.

Richard Griffiths – Vernon Dursley (31 July 1947 – 28 March 2013)

No one could have brought Harry’s Uncle Vernon to life better than Richard Griffiths, who was a respected British actor of stage and screen known for roles including The History Boys, Withnail and I and Chariots of Fire.

The star died at the age of 65 following heart surgery, with Radcliffe saying he was ‘proud to know him’, as per the BBC.

“Any room he walked into was made twice as funny and twice as clever just by his presence.” he said.

Peter Cartwright – Elphias Doge (30 August 1935 – 18 November 2013)

Cartwright played the version iteration of the character Elphias Doge before his death in 2013, later being replaced by actor David Ryall.

Roger Lloyd Pack – Barty Crouch Senior (8 February 1944 – 15 January 2014)

Only Fools and Horses star Roger Lloyd Pack may have first risen to fame as Trigger in the long-running sitcom, but he also went on to feature in one of the biggest movie franchises of all time as was an influential Ministry of Magic official Barty Crouch Senior.

He also starred in BBC One’s sitcom, The Vicar of Dibley, as local farmer Owen Newitt.

Pack died at the age of 69 of pancreatic cancer – with both the Sport Relief episode of Only Fools and Horses and the final lockdown episode of The Vicar of Dibley both paying tribute to him.

Dave Legeno – Fenrir Greyback (12 October 1963 – July 2014)

The real die-hard fans will know that Fenrir Greyback was a werewolf and Death Eater with a dark penchant for attacking unsuspecting children.

Sadly, Legeno who played him was found dead by hikers in Death Valley, California in July 2014 after starring in three Harry Potter films.

Derek Deadman – Tom from The Leaky Cauldron (11 March 1940 – 22 November 2014)

Tom, the bartender from Diagon Alley boozer The Leaky Cauldron, was brought to life by Derek Deadman, a character actor with four decades of experience in the British entertainment industry.

Deadman sadly died from complications of diabetes.

David Ryall – Elphias Doge (5 January 1935 – 25 December 2014)

Ryall replaced Peter Cartwright as Order of the Phoenix member Elphias Doge, starring in 2010’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part: 1.

He passed away on Christmas Day, 2014.

Alan Rickman – Severus Snape (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016)

While the death of Severus Snape came as a huge blow to Harry Potter fans, Alan Rickman’s passing proved to be an even greater shock.

Tragically, the actor had terminal cancer – a diagnosis he chose to keep private – and died in January 2016.

Terence Bayler – The Bloody Baron (24 January 1930 – 2 August 2016)

New Zealand actor Terence Bayler starred as The Bloody Baron, a ghost at Hogwarts who was formerly a wizard also known as Phillip Strenger.

Hazel Douglas – Bathilda Bagshot (2 November 1923 – 8 September 2016)

You may remember Hazel Douglas from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, where she played magical historian Bathilda Bagshot – the well-known author of A History of Magic among other titles.

John Hurt – Garrick Ollivander (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017)

Hurt was a celebrated English actor whose career spanned five decades, featuring in the film series as kindly wandmaker Ollivander.

Sam Beazley – Professor Everard (29 March 1916 – 12 June 2017)

Beazley was an actor and antiques dealer who featured in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as the painting of Professor Everard. He died in 2017 at a respectable age of 101.

Robert Hardy – Cornelius Fudge (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017)

Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge was portrayed in the Harry Potter films by Robert Hardy CBE, who had acting credits in theatre, film and television before his death in 2017.

Verne Troyer – Griphook (1 January 1969 – 21 April 2018)

Verne Troyer was arguably most famous for playing Mini Me in the Austin Powers films, but he also starred as Griphook in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone before being replaced by Warwick Davies.

Paul Ritter – Eldred Worple (20 December 1966 – 5 April 2021)

Friday Night Dinner star Paul Ritter sadly died of a brain tumour in 2021, with news of his death rocking the British TV scene.

He also had many credits in cinema, too, including a turn as wizard and writer Eldred Worple, who had once been the favorite student of Horace Slughorn.

Helen McCrory – Narcissa Malfoy (17 August 1968 – 16 April 2021)

With roles including Polly in Peaky Blinders and Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise, McCrory had won a legion of fans before her untimely death in 2021.

Robbie Coltrane – Rubeus Hagrid (30 March 1950 – 14 October 2022)

In 2022, the world mourned after learning it had lost legendary Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane, who famously played friendly groundskeeper Hagrid in the Harry Potter films.

Leslie Phillips – The Sorting Hat (20 April 1924 – 7 November 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.

After forging a long-running and successful acting career, he died last November.

At the time, his wife, Zara, spoke about her loss and told fans: “I’ve lost a wonderful husband and the public has lost a truly great showman. He was quite simply a national treasure.

“People loved him. He was mobbed everywhere he went.”