For years, millions of people have dreamed of getting a letter in the mail inviting them to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry Potter could be deemed as the book series that defined this generation. Having humble beginnings in a small coffee shop in the United Kingdom, our magical hero has come a long way, gaining and losing much in the process. Because the books were such a commercial success, it was only a matter of time before movies were made. In 2001, theaters were packed with people wanting to see their favorite trio brought to life. With each movie following, opening nights brought more fans, which allowed for more big-name celebrities to be included in the next film.
Many of the actors were either big-name British thespians or unheard of child actors at the time. Since then, many have created their own image and now have quite a name for themselves in Hollywood. Between hit television shows and movies, the actors on this list have the Harry Potter franchise to thank for their start in Hollywood. Some celebrities simply claimed to have been a student in the background, so we won’t grant them a degree from Hogwarts. While there are quite a few who have become household names, such as Emma Watson or Daniel Radcliffe, many of the witches and wizards included are those in the background or appeared in only one movie. Here are 25 celebrities you didn’t realize were in Harry Potter.
25 Byrne The Witch!
Playing Slytherin’s Pansy Parkinson may not have been the most glamorous role for Scarlett Byrne, but it certainly helped her prepare for her next role in The Vampire Diaries. Byrne plays Nora Hildegard, a half-vampire, half-witch character who can only use magic if she steals the ability from someone else. While she is nowhere near as cruel as Pansy is, Nora is still quite popular being one of the show’s first openly lesbian characters. She was featured heavily in season seven of the show.
24 The Ravenclaw Outcry
One of Voldemort’s first victims as Tom Riddle was a poor Ravenclaw girl named Myrtle. Maybe you’ve heard of her? Anyone passing the girl’s bathroom certainly has thanks to her constant moaning and cries of bewailment. But when she’s still in the land of the living her name is Shirley Henderson, a Scottish actress who was in films like Bridget Jones’ Diary and Trainspotting. Fans of the show Doctor Who will also recognize her from an episode that is so awkward that nobody really wants to talk about it. Trust me.
23 A Brother Worth Mentioning
The first of a few actors on this list to move from Harry Potter to Game of Thrones fame, Ciaran Hinds plays Aberforth Dumbledore and Mance Rayder. Whereas he is instrumental in hiding Harry from the Death Eaters in one, he’s busy uniting wild clans and becoming their king in the second.
When that all got too boring, he became the voice for Justice League’s Steppenwolf.
It seems like Hinds has a great agent to pair with his talent, as he has managed to snag roles in three very popular franchises in the last ten years.
22 And The Winner Is....
Introducing every Gryffindor Quidditch match in The Sorcerer’s Stone was a young Lee Jordan played by Luke Youngblood. Because he wasn’t a major player in the film franchise, his schedule was open enough to get bit roles in popular TV shows. He finally found a recurring role as Magnitude in the show Community. There, he is again a student, but this time at university, being a party animal. His catchphrase is “pop pop.” Can’t say you’d ever hear those words in a good way at a Quidditch match.
21 Battle Of The Bands
When you’re going to have one dance every four years, you’d better hope the entertainment is good. Hogwarts pulled out the stops using musicians from actual (possibly Muggle?) bands Radiohead and Spinal Tap to play at the Yule Ball in the fourth film.
Jarvis Cocker, Jonny Greenwood, and Phil Selway came together to create a movie-specific band to celebrate.
With such amazing musicians, you have to wonder who was more awestruck backstage. I would put my galleons on the Harry Potter cast.
20 High Flyer
Madame Hooch was one of the film’s short-lived cast members, only being included in the first films. Played by Zoë Wanamaker, Madame Hooch was responsible for teaching the students to fly. She didn’t make an appearance in the other films, although her character was around. This was mainly due to public pay disputes. She seemed to do well enough for herself though, starring in several British television shows such as Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Cassandra on Doctor Who. Even after leaving Harry Potter, it seems that Madame Hooch is still flying high.
19 East Meets West (Europe)
Even in the Wizarding world, there has to be some competition. Although Olivander's seems to be the place to go, it's not the only place for young witches and wizards to buy a wand.
Rade Serbedzija plays Gregorovitch, an Eastern European wizard who is silenced by Voldemort after not being able to give any information on the Elder Wand. Serbedzija doesn't get a large part in the movie, but you might recognize him in Batman Begins, Mission Impossible 2, and 24.
18 They Choose The Wand... Merchant
Doctor Who is that? John Hurt has had quite the illustrious career with many roles spanning from Indiana Jones to his role as Olivander in Harry Potter. Hurt is one of the many characters to be in both the first movie as well as the last two, playing a pretty important part by providing wands and advice to our titular hero. John Hurt seems to be one of those actors that everyone can recognize by face, but has a hard time remembering the name for. That’s got to hurt!
17 A Bad Egg
Anyone who follows Quidditch can tell you who Cormac McLaggen is. For anyone else’s knowledge, he was the keeper that Ron replaced in The Order of the Phoenix. McLaggen was sick during Quidditch tryouts that year.
Freddie Stroma played Cormac McLaggen and was in Pitch Perfect as Luke, the guy who runs the Barden University radio station.
There isn’t much info on what happened to Cormac McLaggen after the Battle of Hogwarts, so who’s to say they aren’t the same?
16 Another Franchise To Own
Yet another Potter alum that ended up in Game of Thrones, Julian Glover has been in so many iconic franchises that Harry Potter (and his role as Aragog the spider) is just another drop in the bucket. He was general Veers in Star Wars, Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only, and Walter Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Julian Glover is a trained thespian who will always be remembered for his many talents in the franchises he is included in.
15 A Dark Lord's Origin Story
Every good story requires a villain. As anyone who is alive can tell you, that villain is Tom Marvolo Riddle, more commonly referred to as Lord Voldemort. He wasn’t always bald and without a nose, though. As a student in Slytherin house, he was actually quite handsome thanks to the casting of Christian Coulson. Since playing the young dark lord, Coulson has moved on to other roles such as Gossip Girl (along with the actress who played Fleur DeLacour) and The Good Wife.
14 A Small Part For A Large Heart
There are times when the Harry Potter books and movies differ, and they're usually to help create a better viewing experience, as movies cannot always work in the same way as books do. This is the case of Dre Head on the Knight bus. The book allows him to talk, but in the movies he's a mute. In order to create comedic relief, the directors hired comedian Lenny Henry to be the talking head that interacts with Harry. Henry is also known for starting a charitable organization.
13 Ghostly Tragedy
Another Scottish ghost made the list, although she is far less known than Myrtle is. Her name is Helena Ravenclaw, and she had to be convinced before she’d let anyone take her mother’s diadem again, for good or bad.
If you’ve seen a Disney movie in the last ten years, you might be able to hear the voice of an apple’s worst enemy, Merida.
Kelly Macdonald has done a few movies (including a rom-com with fellow Harry Potter Alum, David Tennant). While not the most popular Scottish actress, she has made quite a name for herself.
12 Another Young Start
Yet another young Voldemort, Frank Dillane plays the Dark Lord at an older age than Christian Coulson's He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. This time, he's gotten into his ideals as the villain we know, and is quite a bit darker, learning about the horcruxes.
Playing Voldemort was a great way to prepare for future roles, as Dillane later got a chance to play on Fear the Walking Dead. Although not a villain there, being able to react to a dark tone is important to both roles.
11 A Picture's Worth A Few Movies
Okay, this one is a technicality, because you only get to see him for a second in a picture next to Albus Dumbledore, but based on who his character is, it counts. Jamie Campbell Bower is one of the key items that sets up the basis for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as he is pictured as Gellert Grindelwald himself. After being another heinous villain’s origin story in Harry Potter, he joined Robert Pattinson in Twilight as Caius. His career saw both the most beloved and hated movies of this generation.
10 One On The Rocks
Doctor Zhivago and Farenheit 451 actress Julie Christie got a small (but very important) part as Madame Rosmerta in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the owner of the Three Broomsticks.
She gets cursed by Malfoy to bring cursed items into Hogwarts.
She also was Gertrude in Hamlet. Because she's of the older generation it may have been hard to recognize her, but it's hard to ignore all of the contributions she's made to film.
9 Always A Mother
It seems that the need to protect one’s brood transcends even realities. Natalia Tena plays some pretty tough mothers on both Harry Potter as Nymphadora Tonks as well as Osha on HBO’s Game of Thrones. Both end up perishing by some pretty cruel people too, Tonks by Bellatrix and Osha by Ramsay. One difference, though, is Osha is quick to violence and is willing to use herself to get what she wants. Meanwhile, Tonks proclaims love for only Remus and remains with him till the bitter end.
8 How To Get Away With A Career
Beyond his work as Dean Thomas in Harry Potter, Alfred Enoch has only a few roles to his name; although the few things he has done have been fairly popular. Most notably, he starred as Wes Gibbons on How to Get Away With Murder, Sherlock, and showed variety as Edgar in Shakespeare's King Lear. Occasionally, he has been credited as Alfie Enoch. He's come a long way from his Hogwarts roots, and it should be interesting to see where he will go in the future.
7 An Odd Duck
Odd might be a good word that describes Rhys Ifans. Not only is character, Xenophilius Lovegood out of the ordinary, so is the fact that he isn’t more of a well-known actor. Between his roles on Harry Potter, Alice Through the Looking Glass, and Elementary on CBS, Ifans has quite the body of work behind him.
Perhaps it’s the range of roles played that accounts for his relative obscurity; something you don’t see as much in A-list actors these days.
Odd or not, we love him anyway.
6 A Magical Director
While mainly credited as one of the directors of the Harry Potter movies, Alfonso Cuaron takes from a note out of the book of Alfred Hitchcock's school of thought by making a couple of cameos in his own movie. Harry Potter is no different. He makes an appearance in a couple of backgrounds if you keep an eye out. Cuaron has written or directed films such as Gravity. Most of his other works are predominantly Spanish, so if you're into foreign films, check him out!