The Wizarding World is mourning another loss.
Leslie Phillips, who voiced the Sorting Hat inHarry Potter, has died at 98. His agent told theBBCthat the beloved actor died peacefully in his sleep Monday night.
“I’ve lost a wonderful husband and the public has lost a truly great showman,” his wife, Zara Carr, toldThe SunTuesday.
While Phillips is most known for his voice in the U.S., he’s a well-known star in the U.K., having starred in four of theCarry Onfranchise movies between 1959 and 1960. He made his first film appearance in the 1930s.
“He was quite simply a national treasure,” his wife continued toThe Sun. “People loved him. He was mobbed everywhere he went.”
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Phillips voiced the Sorting Hat in three Harry Potter movies:Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone(2001),Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets(2002), andHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2(2011).
In the wake of his death, tributes have come pouring in for the British film icon, who appeared in over 150 films. Piers Morgandescribedhim as a “wonderful character and superb comedy actor.”
Tony Maudsley, who stars in the British daytime soap operaCoronation Street,saidworking with Phillips was a “joy.”
Trainspotting authorIrvine Welsh, who exchanged messages with Phillips online, said he “always liked his pater”.
Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Phillips' death comes just weeks after news of fellowHarry PotterstarRobbie Coltrane’s deathat the age of 72.
J.K. Rowlingcalledthe Hagrid actor “an incredible talent,” saying she’ll “never know anyone remotely like Robbie again.”
Tributes from the rest of the cast also reflected Hagrid’s role in their lives as young actors.
“Robbie portrayed Hagrid’s warmth, sense of home and unconditional love for his students and magical creatures so brilliantly,” wroteBonnie Wrightin an Instagram post. “Robbie always treated me and my fellow cast mates when we were wee kids like equal professionals on a film set.”
source: people.com
