Harry Potter: Every Actor To Play Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort is the arch-antagonist of the entire Harry Potter story, but the dark wizard was portrayed by a number of actors on the big screen.
Lord Voldemort is one of the most famous characters in the Harry Potter book and movie franchise, but he’s been portrayed by a succession of different actors on the big screen. Initially spoken of in hushed tones, J.K. Rowling introduces the legend of Voldemort in the very first book, depicting a fearsome wizard who terrorized the entire magic world, only to be defeated while attempting to kill a young Harry Potter.
After his clash with the most dangerous baby of all time, Voldemort loses his physical form and spends the first few books attempting a revival. The first time fans witness Voldemort, he’s secreted on the rear side of a teacher’s head, for example, and can later be seen as a deformed, blanket-covered bundle of evil. Only in The Goblet of Fire does Voldemort regain his true form, and this regular changing of appearance necessitated a series of actors when adapting Harry Potter for film. Furthermore, Rowling often delves back into Voldemort’s past as the Hogwarts student Tom Riddle, resulting in an even wider selection of actors playing the villain.
While one or two Voldemort actors are widely known, others may only be recognizable by sight, and some perhaps flew under the radar altogether. Here are all the actors who played Lord Voldemort on the big screen.
Cedric Diggory Robert Pattinson
If theres only one actor youve kept hearing about post-Harry Potter, its probably Robert Pattinson. Cedric Diggory only featured in Goblet of Fire, but he still left a huge mark on the series, even coming up in a big way in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. On top of starring in the Twilight saga as the iconic Edward Cullen, Pattinson has starred in tons of movies, including The Lighthouse. Even more importantly, hes been cast as the DCEUs new Batman!
Colin Creevey Hugh Mitchell
The Harry Potter obsessed kid-photographer, Colin Creevey, had a memorable role in Chamber of Secrets, but unfortunately didnt get a cameo during the Battle of Hogwarts . Creevey actor Hugh Mitchell has had a low-key acting life since Potter. He appeared as young Silas in The Da Vinci Code, as well as tv appearances in some British favorites including Parades End, The White Queen, and Wallander. If you like landscape photography though, has plenty of it.
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Neville Longbottom Matthew Lewis
About: Matthew Lewis
Known as That Actor Who Had The Best Glow Up, Lewis has also had a great career after his time as Neville Longbottom came to a close. He co-starred in the TV series Ripper Street, Girlfriends, and Happy Valley. He also appeared in the popular film Me Before You alongside Game of Thorones actress Emilia Clarke and The Hunger Games actor Sam Claflin.
In 2018 Matthew Lewis married Angela Jones, whom he actually met at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter where she was working as one of the event coordinators.
About: Neville Longbottom
Neville Longbottom is introduced as the scaredy-cat wizard that was somehow sorted into Gryffindor like Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Raised by his grandmother, Neville is seen throughout the schoolyears as clumsy, nervous, and self-conscious thanks to constantly being compared to his parents who were also part of the original Order of the Phoenix much like Harrys parents.
In later years, he is shown gaining more confidence as he joins the others in their battle against the rise of Voldemort and becomes an important member of Dumbledores Army. Neville also took part in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, the Battle of Hogwarts, and killed Voldemorts most precious Horcrux Nagini.
Michael Gambon Assumed The Role Of Dumbledore For The Remaining Six Films
Michael Gambon started portraying Dumbledore in the third “Harry Potter” film.
Like Harris, he was already a successful actor before “Harry Potter,” appearing in notable films like “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover” , “Sleepy Hollow” , “Gosford Park” , and “Path to War” .
While filming the “Harry Potter” movies, Gambon appeared in “The Good Shepard” , “The Book of Eli” , and “The King’s Speech” .
He also voiced a character in “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and starred on the BBC One miniseries “Emma” .
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You’ve Probably Been Pronouncing His Name Wrong
Remember when the guy who created the GIF file format tried to tell everybody that they should be pronouncing it ‘jif’? Well, as it happens, J.K. Rowling pulled something similar a few years back when she revealed that the ‘T’ at the end of Voldemort’s name is actually silent. It turns out that the most villainous dark wizard of all time was actually called ‘Vol-de-more’.
When coming up with a name for You-Know-Who, Rowling took inspiration from the French language with ‘vol’ meaning ‘flight’, ‘de’ meaning ‘of’ and ‘mort’ meaning ‘death’. This not only sounds cool, but it also describes the character’s driving motivations. The proper pronunciation of the name could perhaps have been better communicated to some of the actors in the movies though.
Thompson Has Starred In Many Films Since Harry Potter Ended
After “Harry Potter,” Thompson took on roles including Agent O in “Men in Black 3” , the voice of Queen Elinor in Pixar’s “Brave” , PL Travers in “Saving Mr. Banks” , and Mrs. Potts in “Beauty and the Beast” .
More recently, the actress appeared in “Late Night” , “Men in Black: International” , “Last Christmas” , “Dolittle” , “How to Build a Girl” , and “Cruella” .
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In ‘order Of The Phoenix’ Sirius Says ‘nice One James’ When Harry Disarms Lucius Malfoy The Same Thing He Said To Harry’s Dad In An Earlier Flashback
When Harry and Sirius take on death eaters at the battle of the Ministry of Magic, Harry disarms Lucius Malfoy. Sirius notes: “Nice one, James!”
This is the same thing a young Sirius told James Potter, Harry’s dad, when the latter cast a spell on Severus Snape in a flashback to Snape’s childhood we saw earlier on in the film.
In ‘the Sorcerer’s Stone’ You Can See Aunt Petunia Dying Dudley’s Old Clothes Gray For Harry’s School Uniform Which Was A Scene In The Books
In the books, there’s a scene in which Aunt Petunia dyes her son Dudley’s old clothes gray so Harry can wear them as his school uniform. The clothes are huge on him, and this is one of many things the Dursleys do that shows their vile treatment toward Harry.
This detail, however, is never mentioned explicitly in the films, but you can see Aunt Petunia dying the clothes in the background of “The Sorcerer’s Stone.”
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Where Do You Get Voldemort In Harry Potter
When you do the Nagini boss battle with Neville, run to the back right, around the hallway. Voldemorts character token is there. However, when you check in the character shop, Voldemort costs a whopping 25 million coins. To get this much, use all the Score x boosts, which will multiply the coins by a lot.
Youve Probably Been Pronouncing His Name Wrong
Remember when the guy who created the GIF file format tried to tell everybody that they should be pronouncing it jif? Well, as it happens, J.K. Rowling pulled something similar a few years back when she revealed that the T at the end of Voldemorts name is actually silent. It turns out that the most villainous dark wizard of all time was actually called Vol-de-more.
When coming up with a name for You-Know-Who, Rowling took inspiration from the French language with vol meaning flight, de meaning of and mort meaning death. This not only sounds cool, but it also describes the characters driving motivations. The proper pronunciation of the name could perhaps have been better communicated to some of the actors in the movies though.
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Harry Potter And The Cursed Child
| Harry Potter and the Cursed Child |
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| Promotional poster |
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a 2016 British two-part play written by Jack Thorne based on an original story by J. K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Thorne.Previews of the play began at the Palace Theatre, London, on 7 June 2016, and it premiered on 30 July 2016. The play opened on Broadway on 21 April 2018 at the Lyric Theatre, with previews starting on 16 March 2018. Its cast is similar to that of the first year in the West End, with returning actors Anthony Boyle, Sam Clemmett, Noma Dumezweni, Poppy Miller, Jamie Parker, Alex Price, and Paul Thornley.
The story begins nineteen years after the events of the 2007 novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and follows Harry Potter, now Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, and his younger son, Albus Severus Potter, who is about to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The play is marketed as the eighth story in the Harry Potter series.
In June 2021, the production team announced that the play would be re-staged as a single show for future performances on Broadway beginning in November 2021, as well the San Francisco and Toronto productions beginning in 2022. The existing two-part play will continue to be staged in London, Melbourne and Hamburg. Other details regarding the single-part version, such as length, have yet to be released.
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Draco Malfoy Tom Felton
About: Tom Felton
Despite not being one of the big three, Felton has had a great career in the years since the Potter films wrapped. Hes starred in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the TV series Origin, plus he had a big role on The Flash season 3 as Julian Albert. Hes also kept up a busy fan convention schedule and has participated in numerous events surrounding the Harry Potter franchise, including several Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park attraction openings.
About: Draco Malfoy
Aside from Voldemort, Draco Malfoy might be the top nemesis to Harry Potter in the series. Early on, he tries to make friends with Harry but when Harry snubs that invitation they become enemies. It doesnt help that they were also sorted to rival houses Gryffindor for Harry and Slytherin for Draco.
Through the years the rivalry continues and only seems to get worse. Draco, a pureblood Wizard, chooses to fight beside Voldemort with his family which really makes him an enemy for Harry. Though Harry still showed sympathy for his situation by the end of the war they never really moved past all the events that happened between them.
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Dobby Was Voiced By Toby Jones
In the “Harry Potter” films, Toby Jones provided the voice for Dobby.
The character was introduced in “Chamber of Secrets” and only appears in one other film in the series.
Before his debut in the “Harry Potter” universe, Jones had appeared in “Les Misérables” , “Ever After” , and “Hotel Splendide” .
Between “Harry Potter” films, Jones appeared in “Finding Neverland” , “The Painted Veil” , “Frost/Nixon” , and “Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll” .
Ralph Fiennes Took Ages To Be Persuaded To Play Voldemort In Harry Potter
Lets all thank his sister.
Ralph Fiennes has played many major movie characters, but hell always be remembered for the evil Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series.
It almost never happened though, and all Potterheads should be thanking the actors sister, who convinced him to sign up for the career-defining role.
I took ages to be persuaded to do Harry Potter and I have no regrets at all, Fiennes told Metroabout putting pen to paper for the franchise.
I didnt know the books. I had seen the first Harry Potter film and I didnt feel that sort of material was something that appealed to me.
He continued: But then my sister rang me up and said, Theyve asked you to play Voldemort. Do you not realise how big this is?
She has children who were reading Harry Potter, so suddenly I became aware.
But the actor has now said its the end of the road for bad guys after playing the Dark Lord, and hes told his agents no more bad guys.
I just didnt want to play malign spirits. Id had enough, Fiennes said.
I lost interest in going, Try to see it from their point of view, theyre not really bad, theyve got a good side.
Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe recently revealed that he was genuinely scared by Fiennes when they were shooting the Potter movies.
I remember when I was 15 doing scenes with Ralph for the first time. He was even scarier than Alan was at first, Radcliffe said.
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Wright Is Now An Actor Director And Environmental Activist
Wright went on to appear in and direct a few short films after the “Harry Potter” series ended.
She also appeared in “After the Dark” , “Before I Sleep” , and a 2018 retelling of “A Christmas Carol.”
Her other accomplishments include being named Star Baker on “The Great Sport Relief Bake Off” , being an ambassador for Lumos alongside Lynch, and working as an activist with Greenpeace to end plastic pollution.
Hermione Granger Emma Watson
About: Emma Watson
Watson hasnt starred in as many films as Radcliffe did after Harry Potter, but shes been involved with several high-profile projects. She starred in the book-to-film adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Disneys live-action re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, and The Bling Ring.
Following starring in the Harry Potter series, the actress also attended Brown University. She took some time off over the years in order to make room for acting projects but eventually did graduate with an English literature degree in May of 2014.
In more recent years Emma Watson has devoted a lot of her time to activism and womens rights work. She became the UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador for HeForShe. She also began a feminist Goodreads book club titled Our Shared Shelf in 2016 to encourage the spread of feminist ideas. In 2019, she helped to set up Rights of Women, a legal hotline for people who have suffered sexual harassment at work.
About: Hermione Granger
Hermione Granger is the only muggle-born witch of her best friends, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. Despite both of her parents being muggles, Hermione goes on to become the top of her class. A fact that leads many of her classmates to dislike her, including Harry and Ron at least.
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Magical Abilities And Skills
Rowling establishes Voldemort throughout the series as an extremely powerful, intelligent, and ruthless dark wizard, described as the greatest and most powerful Dark Wizard of all time. He is known as one of the greatest Legilimens in the world and a highly accomplished Occlumens he can read minds and shield his own from penetration. Besides Dumbledore, he is also the only wizard ever known to be able to apparate silently. Voldemort was also said to fear one wizard alone, Dumbledore.
On her website, Rowling wrote that Voldemorts wand is made of yew, whose sap is poisonous and which symbolises death. It forms a deliberate contrast to Harrys wand, which is made of holly, which she chose because holly is alleged to repel evil.
Rowling establishes in the books that Voldemort is magically connected to Harry via Harrys forehead scar. He disembodies himself when his Killing Curse targeting Harry rebounds on him, leaving the scar on Harrys forehead. In the books, and to a lesser extent in the films, Harrys scar serves as an indicator of Voldemorts presence: it burns when the Dark Lord is near or when Voldemort is feeling murderous or exultant. According to Rowling, by attacking Harry when he was a baby Voldemort gave him tools no other wizard possessedthe scar and the ability it conferred, a magical window into Voldemorts mind.
Luna Lovegood Evanna Lynch
Evanna Lynch has always been a symbol of hope for Harry Potter fans, getting hired on for Order of the Phoenix as a massive fan of the series. Besides appearing on MuggleCast several times, she has also starred and appeared in several smaller movies since Deathly Hallows wrapped, including 2015s Addiction, starring Pretty Little Liars actor Ian Harding. Notably, she also came third in season 27 of Dancing with the Stars. She currently hosts a vegan and sustainability podcast called The ChickPeeps.
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Helena Bonham Carter Played Bellatrix Lestrange
Dark witch Bellatrix Lestrange was played by Helena Bonham Carter.
Before joining the cast in “Order of the Phoenix,” Bonham Carter had already made a name for herself in films like “Hamlet” , “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” , “Fight Club”, “Planet of the Apes” , and “Corpse Bride” .
In between filming the “Harry Potter” movies, the actress took on other iconic roles, including Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” , the Red Queen in “Alice in Wonderland” , and Queen Elizabeth in “The King’s Speech” .
He Created An Army Of Corpses By Murdering Muggles
The books reveal that an Inferius is a corpse thats been reanimated by dark magic.
Fans may recall the scene in Half-Blood Prince when a swarm of Inferi surrounds Dumbledore and Harry in the cave as they try to retrieve the locket Horcrux.
What they may not know is that Voldemort by murdering vulnerable Muggles and reanimating their corpses.
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