Instead of Spriggs, it was actress Dawn French who took on the role for the third film, bringing a more comedic element to the character as she desperately tries to impress the Hogwarts student body with her glass-breaking operatic skills, later duckingbehind a neighboring painting's hippopotamus when things get dicey. Spriggs died on 2 July 2008 aged 78. Dreadman stepped back from the movie scene after his appearance and sadly passed away from complications associated with his diabetes in 2014. 9 Major Retcons That Saved Iconic Movie Franchises. However, Spriggs portrayal was brief and rather rigid in blithely asking for the prefects password, so before the character would return to enjoy a little more light-hearted screen time in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the actress was replaced with someone experienced in being funny. Credit: Warner Bros Timothy Bateson - Kreacher (3 April 1926 - 15 September 2009) She was a regular on the long-running British soap opera, EastEnders, and her shooting schedule conflicted with the production of Order of the Phoenix. Career Born in 1929, Spriggs' longest role on television was perhaps that of Nan on Shine on Harvey Moon. She presumably was educated at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was Sorted into Gryffindor house. Then Alfonso Cuaron came along and made probably the weirdest recasting in Harry Potter history, transforming Tom into a snaggle-toothed hunchback whom he should've just renamed Igor. 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Although there are still plenty of Harry Potter fans who prefer Richard Harris depiction of the Hogwarts headmaster, the role was recast ahead of the third film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, after the two-time Oscar winner passed away in 2002 from Hodgkins disease. Considering the enhanced importance of the role that emerged in the later books, the film part was given to a more accomplished actress instead of its originator. Her singing career was stillborn, however, due to an affliction with bronchial asthma. He explained on BBC's HARDtalk: "When they called me up and said would I be interested in being in the Harry Potter films, they didn't say in what part. "Griphook has so much more depth to him than Id ever been able to get into my work as Professor Flitwick. The Fat Lady had a much more active role in Prisoner of Azkaban, since Sirius Black attacks her painting, and French provided some much needed comic relief. (1997) dan Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001). Spriggs did not work regularly on television until the mid-1970s. MCU Quiz: Who Said It - Steve Rogers Or Sam Wilson? Her other films included Richard's Things (1980), Impromptu (1991), Paradise Road (1997) and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001). Four months after Harris' death, esteemed actor Michael Gambon was announced as the new Dumbledore. RELATED: Harry Potter Cast's Cursed Child Absence Sets Up An Even Bigger Return A classically trained actress, Spriggs' performance oozed regality and gave The Fat Lady an air of sophistication. Biographical information Elizabeth Spriggs as The Fat Lady Warner Bros Spriggs played the living portrait in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) that guards the Gryffindor common room at Hogwarts Castle and asked those who wished to enter for the password. "The producers spent a long time fighting to get me so I'm very proud to have been the first. 18 September, 1929Buxton, Derbyshire, England, UK She's gone on to have a fairly successful career, and most recently appeared in The Royals, a British TV show about the Royal Family. All rights reserved. Here are15 Harry Potter Actors Who Were Recast. [citation needed]. Even so, though, McKellen added that he sometimes saw himself in the posters of Gambon as Dumbledore. Elizabeth Spriggs as the "Fat Lady" When the "Fat Lady"that is the unfortunate nickname of the Victorian-era woman in the moving portrait that opens the door to the Gryffindor common roomfirst appeared in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, it was the celebrated actress Elizabeth Spriggs who portrayed her. She appeared in three plays by Alan Bennett: Afternoon Off (1979), Intensive Care (1982) and Our Winnie (1982). She continued to work on television, in series like Heartbeat, Midsomer Murders (playing a murder victim in the pilot episode of the series in 1997 and returning in 2006 as the character's identical twin sister) and Poirot. Although several of the actors portraying minor and background Hogwarts students came and went throughout the Harry Potter films, the recasting of Lavender Brown proved to be highly controversial. 0 Comments; pet friendly cabins in gatlinburg tn by owner Cartwright had no dialogue in his appearance as Doge, as he merely showed up alongside the other members of the Advanced Guard to accompany Harry Potter to the Order of the Phoenix's headquarters at 12 Grimmauld Place. CNN . Although he's a Weasley, Bill is only mentioned in passing during the first two books, since he lives on his own in Egypt. Height But the role is now being played by Ralph Fiennes, who is an old mate, in the fourth film," he Remmer told Digital Spy. Malfoy's new lieutenant, who was played by Louis Cordice, appeared in the final three films and was killed by Friendfyre in the Room of Requirement in Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Jim Tavare took on the role for the third film and was instructed to be more like Igor from Young Frankenstein. Harris' portrayal, however, was only based on the first four books, since those were the only ones published at the time. He appeared in martial arts comedy Shanghai Nights, as an officer in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and in Coronation Street in 2004. Although there are still plenty of Harry Potter fans who prefer Richard Harris' depiction of the Hogwarts headmaster, the role was recast ahead of the third film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, after the two-time Oscar winner passed away in 2002 from Hodgkin's disease. She played a small role in the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride | Waiting line | Elizabeth Spriggs#shorts #harrypotter WhatCulture is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. However, you wouldn't be able to recognise him as he was shrouded in a dark cloak for the dark scenes. True to the first few books, she was originally depicted as just another one of the many poltergeists that pesters the students of Hogwarts, with actress Nina Young floating around in the CGI role. She died on 2 July 2008 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. Born in Buxton, Derbyshire, in 1929, Spriggs had an unhappy childhood, later stating that she "grew up entirely without affection". When Voldemort reemerges into a corporeal form during Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the role was passed on to Ralph Fiennes, best known for his starring role in the Oscar-winning film,The English Patient. She also featured in RSC productions of Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance, Shaw's Major Barbara and Dion Boucicault's comedy London Assurance, playing Lady Gay Spanker alongside Donald Sinden. It's likely that the original casting was more of an afterthought than a purposeful choice, assigning extras minor characters' names from the book so they could keep track of them. Although some fans criticized Gambon's depiction of Dumbledore, particularly in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, he continued on in the part for the remainder of the series, which has come to define his career as a performer. Elizabeth Jean Spriggs (18 September 1929 2 July 2008) was an English character actress. In 1962, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and stayed for 14 years. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). The young actor, like many of his contemporaries in the series, was completely new to the world of film when he suited up as the Slytherin sycophant, but he gradually got more and more screen time throughout his six-film tenure and was convincing as the sniveling sidekick. Richard Bremmer did what he could with the abbreviated role, but wasnt surprised when he wasnt invited back for the characters next major movie outing in the fourth film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by which time the Dark Lords power reached its peak (and so did the phenomenon of the franchise). Richard Fish made a very fleeting appearance in The Prisoner of Azkaban as Bill Weasley. From the momentHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone began production, fans were eager to see how the filmmakers would bring Hogwarts and its characters to life. After all, he was hidden behind Professor Quirrells turban throughout the story, and even when he did emerge at the tail end of the movie, his face was still superimposed on the back of someones skull. Harry Potter is no exception and has seen many cast changes over the years. The list below is sorted by film and the character's surname, as some characters have been portrayed by multiple actors. The second director, Alfonso Cuarn, wanted to continue to work on the fourth film. As a result, they recast the role and gave it to a white actress instead, Jessie Cave. "I'm rebellious by nature and felt it could be rather difficult to handle.". The Harry Potter cast was perfectly chosen and it's hard to imagine many of the characters being played by anyone else. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Tom the bartender is one of the first people to recognize Harry and treat him like a celebrity. At least one of his co-stars would publicly rise to his defense, but the damage was still done to the actors career, and he hasnt worked in a single film since. 10 Movie Sequels Stuck In Production Hell. One-half of the Patil sisters, Padma was originally played by Sharon Sandhu in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Years active French s take was. How then, could the producers pass up an opportunity to actually use the actor who played Mad-Eye Moody's son for the part? Harris had expected that he might not be able to carry the character, which he took to please his granddaughter, to its cinematic end. It is unknown when or how she died, but it was by some time in the 1890s at the very latest (since her portrait already guarded the entrance to Gryffindor Tower by then). Some fans were taken aback when Elizabeth Spriggs was cast in the Fat Lady role, since she was an older Shakespearean actress that wasn't necessarily known for her comedic chops. 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