00:00 "Password?" "Caput Draconis."
00:03 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at actors from the wizarding world who have
00:09 sadly passed away, but we can always find them in here.
00:13 "Mr. Potter. Our new celebrity."
00:20 Robert Hardy. With almost 70 years of experience under his belt,
00:26 this classically trained actor's career spanned theater, TV, and cinema.
00:30 Hardy played two particular figures multiple times, both government officials.
00:34 "I am here. I am here now."
00:42 He portrayed UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill on several occasions, receiving a BAFTA
00:48 nomination. He brought a similar authoritative presence to minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge.
00:53 "But what's he got to do with me?" "Nothing, of course."
00:58 "You're safe, and that's what matters." While usually well-meaning, Fudge makes some
01:04 of the franchise's most questionable choices, namely refusing to believe Voldemort has returned
01:10 until he sees the truth. Fudge may be flawed, but Hardy infused an identifiable, conflicted element
01:16 that made him feel like a real politician. We wish Fudge's exit in the Half-Blood Prince book
01:21 made it into the movie, but Hardy nailed his last line in The Order of the Phoenix.
01:26 "He's back."
01:26 Verne Troyer. We were all shocked to hear of this actor's passing in 2018, having just turned 49.
01:34 While mini-me of Austin Powers is his most memorable role,
01:37 Troyer popped up in a number of other films, including the first Harry Potter.
01:41 "Volt 687. Lamp, please."
01:48 Troyer was unrecognizable as Griphook the Gringotts Goblin,
01:51 making him one of the few Americans to land a noteworthy role in the franchise.
01:56 While Troyer donned the makeup, Griphook's voice was supplied by Warwick Davis,
02:00 who'd later fully inherit the role.
02:02 "Griphook has so much more depth to him that I've never been able to get into my work as
02:08 Professor Flitwick. And so I went in and read for David Yates, and our casting director,
02:12 and gave him a best shot."
02:13 Speaking of Davis, he repeatedly collaborated with stuntman Paul Grant,
02:17 who played an uncredited goblin in Philosopher's Stone.
02:21 It'd be Grant's last major role before his death in 2023.
02:24 Troyer also started as a stunt double, but he left this world a recognizable star.
02:29 "So I had to do everything that they did, and, uh, you know, it just physically
02:34 made me strong and made me confident."
02:37 Helen McCrory. In addition to playing some of the most prominent Shakespearean characters on stage,
02:42 McCrory was a prolific actress on screen.
02:45 "I-I know I ought not to be here. The Dark Lord himself forbade me to speak of this."
02:52 Initially, she was to make her Harry Potter debut in Order of the Phoenix as Bellatrix the Strange.
02:57 Having a daughter with future husband Damian Lewis,
02:59 McCrory's pregnancy required her to walk away from the intense role,
03:03 allowing Helena Bonham Carter to step in.
03:06 Since Narcissa Malfoy is Bellatrix's sister,
03:08 McCrory was an obvious choice to play Draco's mother.
03:12 "Is he alive? Draco, is he alive?"
03:16 McCrory strikes just the right note as a matriarch stuck in the middle of the Wizarding War.
03:21 Narcissa's true loyalty resides with her family, enabling Harry to defeat Voldemort.
03:27 Passing away from breast cancer at 52,
03:29 McCrory left behind significant contributions through her performances and charity work.
03:34 "She had taught me a lot. See, I can't even say it."
03:39 Leslie Phillips
03:40 Harry Potter fans might not know his face,
03:43 but they'll immediately recognize Leslie Phillips' distinct voice as the Sorting Hat.
03:48 "There's talent, oh yes, and a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you?"
03:56 By the time Harry was placed in Gryffindor,
03:58 Phillips had already been acting for over 60 years.
04:02 Outside of Hogwarts, Phillips was best known for his work in the Carry On and Doctor film series.
04:07 In the UK, he'd become synonymous with his catchphrases "Ding Dong" and "Hello."
04:12 "He was the cad, the bounder, the ladies' man. It made him a star."
04:16 "Hi girls, I'm available."
04:17 Gene Kelly, Peter O'Toole, and Angelina Jolie are just some of the names Phillips acted opposite.
04:24 Phillips' voiceover work in Deathly Hallows Part II marked his penultimate performance,
04:28 his last acting role being in 2012's After Death.
04:32 Likewise, the late Timothy Bateson's final performance would be voicing
04:35 Creature the House Elf in The Order of the Phoenix.
04:38 "Creature lives to serve the noble House of Black."
04:41 John Hurt. This two-time Oscar nominee was no stranger to fantasy,
04:46 voicing Aragorn in the animated Lord of the Rings, the Horned King in The Black Cauldron,
04:51 and the Great Dragon in Merlin. His most famous contribution to the genre was as Garak Ollivander.
04:57 "I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Mr. Potter."
05:01 Hurt makes a brief yet essential appearance in Philosopher's Stone as the wand shop owner who
05:06 notices an unnerving parallel between Harry and the Dark Lord. The scene manages to be
05:11 whimsical and ominous thanks to Hurt's presence, making for an iconic moment.
05:16 "I think it is clear that we can expect great things from you."
05:20 Hurt returned in the final two movies, reminding Harry that it's the wand that chooses the wizard.
05:26 Whether teaching Harry about the Deathly Hallows or feeling an alien pressing against his insides,
05:31 Hurt made the most of every role.
05:33 "How you doing?"
05:35 "Terrific, next silly question."
05:39 Richard Griffiths. Vernon Dursley never saw his nephew as much more than a nuisance.
05:46 Behind the scenes, Richard Griffiths formed a close bond with Daniel Radcliffe.
05:50 "If I had been as loquacious and eloquent as that when I was your age,
05:54 I think I'd be president of the world by now."
05:57 When Radcliffe shot his first scene as Harry, Griffiths eased his nerves.
06:01 Griffiths was there for Radcliffe again several years later when they co-starred in a production
06:06 of Equus, helping the young actor get through his first play. "Master of his craft and things like
06:11 that. It's like, yeah, but the best thing about him is that in the rehearsal period, he's just a
06:15 good person and he treats people well and that is the best thing you can possibly do."
06:21 Griffiths won several accolades, including a Tony, for his performance in the stage play
06:25 The History Boys, ironically beating Ralph Fiennes. "You're hurt." "I don't need your help."
06:32 From Best Picture winners like Gandhi to other blockbuster franchises like Pirates of the
06:36 Caribbean, Griffiths always left an impression. As Radcliffe put it, quote, "Any room he walked
06:42 into was made twice as funny and twice as clever just by his presence."
06:46 "His passing was the one that has affected me most because he was generous with knowledge,
06:50 he just wanted to share everything with you."
06:52 Richard Harris
06:54 Almost 35 years after starring as King Arthur in Camelot, Richard Harris played a character
06:58 closer to Merlin. The two-time Oscar nominee was initially hesitant to accept the role,
07:04 but his 11-year-old granddaughter talked him into it.
07:07 "That is one of my more brilliant ideas. And between you and me, that is saying something."
07:14 As Albus Dumbledore, Harris brilliantly balanced the headmaster's wisdom with playful humor.
07:20 He brought a calm, mysterious allure to the character, making it feel like Dumbledore was
07:25 always in control, even when he wasn't. "It is not our abilities that show what we truly are.
07:31 It is our choices." Sadly, Chamber of Secrets would mark Harris' last on-screen film role.
07:38 In August 2002, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, passing away just a month before the
07:43 sequel's release. Dumbledore was nonetheless the role of a lifetime for Harris, who will also be
07:48 remembered for Unforgiven, Gladiator, and The Count of Monte Cristo. "In return for your help,
07:55 I offer something priceless." Michael Gambon
08:00 Several Wizarding World roles had to be recast throughout the years. However, no actor faced a
08:05 more daunting task than Michael Gambon. Following Richard Harris' passing, Gambon stepped in as
08:11 Dumbledore from Prisoner of Azkaban onward. "Remarkable feat, don't you think? To enter
08:16 Hogwarts Castle on one's own, completely undetected." "Quite remarkable, yes."
08:21 Although a particular line delivery in Goblet of Fire inspired an infamous meme,
08:25 Gambon ultimately shined in some of Dumbledore's coolest, saddest, and most inspiring moments.
08:31 He accomplished this without impersonating Harris, creating a Dumbledore who was his own.
08:37 While the four-time BAFTA winner was known for his serious presence on screen and stage,
08:42 he could be a lovable joker, famously pranking Daniel Radcliffe with a fart machine.
08:47 "In our dreams, we enter completely our own world. You know, it's completely our own world.
08:55 And we like to, we like to swim in the deepest waters."
09:01 Described as a legend by many of his former co-stars, this Shakespearean actor's stature
09:06 matched Dumbledore's reputation in the Wizarding World. "You may not like him, Minister,
09:11 but you can't deny Dumbledore's got style."
09:15 Robbie Coltrane. "How am I doing my first day?" "Brilliant, Professor."
09:21 "Born to play" is a phrase that gets tossed around a lot, but we can't think of anyone
09:27 who could have done Rubeus Hagrid justice like Robbie Coltrane did. From the night he delivered
09:32 Harry to the Dursleys, to the day he carried Harry's seemingly dead body back to Hogwarts,
09:37 Coltrane was pitch perfect as the gentle half-giant. "Not all wizards are good.
09:41 Some of them go bad. A few years ago, there was one wizard that went as bad as you can go,
09:48 and his name was... his name was..."
09:51 Just as Coltrane stood tall at 6'1", his range knew few limits with roles in Shakespearean dramas,
09:59 light-hearted comedies, and action franchises like James Bond.
10:02 "Wilthart PPK. 7.65 millimeter. Only three men I know use such a gun.
10:08 I believe I've killed two of them."
10:10 Winning three BAFTAs for his work in the crime drama Cracker and receiving a nomination for
10:15 his performance in The Philosopher's Stone, Coltrane was one of a kind. Just as there's
10:20 no Hogwarts without Hagrid, we can't imagine the Harry Potter movies without Coltrane.
10:25 "There's no way I'm going to get away with this."
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10:53 Alan Rickman. With his villainous turns in Die Hard and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves,
10:58 Rickman sounded like the ideal candidate to bring Severus Snape to life.
11:02 Of course, when Rickman landed the role, readers didn't know if Snape would be good or evil.
11:07 "You don't know? Well, let's try again. Where, Mr. Potter, would you look if I asked you to
11:12 find me a bezoar?" Rickman was among the few who knew Snape's fate. Just as Snape
11:18 conceals his true nature throughout the series, Rickman kept the secret to himself.
11:22 "Understandable. Over the years, I've played my part well, so well,
11:26 I've deceived one of the greatest wizards of all time."
11:29 While readers learned the truth by the time Deathly Hallows Part 2 hit theaters,
11:33 this didn't make it any less devastating watching Snape's origin story unfold.
11:37 There wasn't a dry eye when Rickman passed away just a month before his 70th birthday.
11:43 Yet his screen presence as Snape and numerous other characters will stay with us always.
11:48 "Look at me. You have your mother's eyes."
11:58 Which Harry Potter actor will never leave you? Wands up in the comments.
12:02 "And you can always find me in here."
12:09 [music]
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