Summary
- The cast of the Harry Potter movies have had successful acting careers since the franchise ended, with Daniel Radcliffe taking on unconventional roles and Emma Watson focusing on activism.
- Veteran actors like Ralph Fiennes and Maggie Smith have continued to make waves in the film industry with memorable roles.
- Tragic losses have been felt in the Harry Potter cast, such as the ing of Alan Rickman in 2016 and Robbie Coltrane in 2022
The cast of Warner Bros' Harry Potter movies are the ones who first brought these beloved characters to life, but what have they been up to since then? Many of these stars were young children with minimal acting experience when they first signed on for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and by the time the film franchise wrapped up with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, they were fully fledged actors with bright careers ahead of them. The adult actors, on the other hand, had already established lucrative careers by the time they took on their iconic roles and have remained just as present in the limelight.
Being cast for the Harry Potter movie series was a long commitment, with many of these actors playing their roles for ten long years. Even now that it's been over two decades since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone hit the theaters, those who played characters like Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and many more can't escape the legacy of their roles. Now, the mantle will be ed to new talented individuals, who will take on these characters in the HBO Harry Potter TV series. Still, we will never forget the talent that first brought these characters to life.
15 Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)
Daniel Radcliffe will likely always be ed for his round glasses and lightning-shaped scar, but since Harry Potter rapped back in 2011, he has had a very active acting career. Radcliffe starred in the Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and several films like Guns Akimbo, Swiss Army Man, and more recently, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story as Weird Al himself. Radcliffe has earned a reputation for taking on unconventional roles, further reinforced by his recurring portrayal of Ezekiel Brown (as well as other characters) in the comedy series Miracle Workers (2019 - present).
14 Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley)
Rupert Grint had never played in a movie before Harry Potter, but his performance throughout the series proves he was the perfect actor for the job. While still working as Ron Weasley, Grint took on a couple of other movie roles, such as in Thunderpants, Cherrybomb, and Wild Target. After the conclusion of Harry Potter, the actor took on several projects, including a role in the Broadway play It's Only a Play, starring alongside names like Matthew Broderick. Though Grint took a small break from acting after 2015, he recently starred as Julian Pearce in Apple TV+ series Servant, which concluded its fourth and final season in 2023.
13 Emma Watson (Hermione Granger)
Like her costars, Emma Watson went on to play in several more movies after the Harry Potter series, including The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), The Bling Ring, The Circle, and This Is the End. She also notably played Belle in Disney's live-action remake of The Beauty and the Beast alongside actor Dan Stevens. However, it's been a while since Watson took on a film role, the last being Meg March in Greta Gerwig's Little Women in 2019. Instead, Watson has been applying her talents to activism, working toward improvements for the environment and women's rights.
12 Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort)
Ralph Fiennes was a relatively late addition to the Harry Potter series, first portraying Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005. Still, this was far from the actor's introduction to the film industry and even further from an end to his career. Since finishing up as the Dark Lord, Fiennes has had memorable roles in films like The Grand Budapest Hotel and A Bigger Splash and directed The White Crow. Still, his most notable role since Harry Potter is likely chef Julian Slowik in The Menu, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor.
11 Alan Rickman (Severus Snape)
Alan Rickman will be ed for his roles in movies like Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, but something about his portrayal of Severus Snape truly stuck with audiences. Unfortunately, the actor ed away in 2016, only five short years after the conclusion of the Harry Potter series. During those years, he played in the Broadway play Seminar (2011) and directed and starred in the film A Little Chaos. His final on-screen performance was in Eye in the Sky, released in the US after Rickman's death.
10 Gary Oldman (Sirius Black)
Another of the veteran actors of the Harry Potter series, Gary Oldman ed the cast for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Since his character died in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (and appeared briefly in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2), Oldman played in films like Robocop, Child 44, Man Down, and Criminal. More recently, in 2022, Oldman played the lead in the Apple TV+ spy drama Slow Horses, his first lead role in a television series. He has since announced that he plans to retire after this role.
9 Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall)
Maggie Smith was considered an icon long before her portrayal of Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter, and she has continued to be one in the years that followed. From 2005 to 2015, Smith played Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the wildly popular Downtown Abbey—a role that gained her even more notoriety among audiences of all ages. Now in her late 80s, Smith is still active in her career, recently starring in the 2023 film The Miracle Club alongside Laura Linney and Kathy Bates.
8 David Thewlis (Remus Lupin)
Like Gary Oldman, David Thewlis ed the cast of Harry Potter in Prisoner of Azkaban when his character, Remus Lupin, became the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. Already a well-respected actor, Thewlis has since played in films like Separate We Come, Separate We Go, Wonder Woman, and the third season of the TV series Fargo. More recently, he has done work with Netflix in originals like I'm Thinking of Ending Things, The Sandman, and Enola Holmes 2.
7 Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore)
After actor Richard Harris died in 2002, the Harry Potter movie series had the job of finding someone to fill the legend's shoes. The role was given to the talented Michael Gambon, who continued with the character until the movie series ended. Afterward, he played in films like Quartet and Hail, Caesar!. Most recently, Gambon played in the 2019 films Judy, a biography about Judy Garland, and the period thriller Cordelia. In 2022, the actor announced (via People) that he would retire due to memory issues.
6 Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid)
It's hard to imagine an actor more perfect to play Rubeus Hagrid than Robbie Coltrane. The actor beautifully captured the character's warm personality and has been largely responsible for the comforting nostalgia of the Harry Potter series. Coltrane had few roles after the series ended. He lent his voice to Pixar's Brave in 2012 and starred in the four-part British drama National Treasure in 2016, a role that earned him a nomination at the 2017 British Academy Television Awards. Unfortunately, Coltrane ed away in 2022, shortly after the release of his touching reunion in Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.
