10 Stars You Didn't Know Were Extras in the Harry Potter Movies
#10: Tom Ackerley
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These days Ackerley spends most of his time behind the camera as a successful producer on major films like “Promising Young Woman” and “I, Tonya,” the latter of which stars his wife Margot Robbie. But he got his start in the film industry in front of the camera playing an unnamed Slytherin student in the first three “Harry Potter” movies. His most notable appearance comes in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” During Hagrid’s Care of Magical Creatures class, Draco Malfoy shoves Ackerley out of the way to brazenly approach Buckbeak the hippogriff – and immediately gets injured.
#9: Ben Shephard
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One of the hardest working TV presenters in the UK, Ben Shephard can be found all over British entertainment. From “Good Morning Britain,” to “Ninja Warrior UK,” to “Men’s Health” magazine, Shephard is literally everywhere. So it only makes sense that this staple of English pop culture would show up in the “Harry Potter” franchise too. In “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” Shephard appears in Fred and George’s Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes joke shop. As Harry walks past, he’s visible for just a moment on the left side of the screen helping his young children, though you might not immediately recognize him with long hair and a mustache.
#8: Jonny Greenwood
The Weird Sisters are the most popular rock band in the wizarding world. So when they make an appearance at the Yule Ball in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” naturally the students go wild. But did you know that the Sisters are played by real rock stars? Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood is lead guitarist Kirley Duke. His real-life bandmate Phil Selway joins him on the drums. And the vocalist is another of Greenwood’s contemporaries, Jarvis Cocker of the English rock band Pulp. This might have been Greenwood’s first foray into Hollywood, but it wasn’t his last. Since then, he’s become an incredibly successful film composer, writing scores for major movies like “There Will Be Blood” and “Phantom Thread.”
#7: Ian Brown
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The Weird Sisters aren’t the only real rockstars who show up in the “Harry Potter” movies. English musician Ian Brown also makes an appearance. Brown is best known as the lead singer of The Stone Roses, though he’s also had a prolific solo career. In “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” he appears in the Leaky Cauldron as a wizard who magically stirs a drink while reading Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time.” Since most wizards don’t take much interest in Muggle affairs, let alone Muggle science, this choice of reading material makes Brown’s character somewhat mysterious. It also makes us wonder – was Stephen Hawking actually a wizard?
#6: Michelle Fairley
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One of the most heartbreaking cameos in the “Harry Potter” franchise comes from this Northern Irish star playing Hermione’s Muggle mother. Fairley has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows going back to the late 80s, including a major role as Catelyn Stark in “Game of Thrones.” In “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1,” the wizard war begins to ramp up. Our Hogwarts heroes know that their families will be in danger, so to protect her Muggle parents, Hermione obliviates all memory of her from their minds. She also erases any evidence of her existence from their home before she sets out with Ron and Harry to find Voldemort’s Horcruxes.
#5: Verne Troyer
Although he’s clearly visible on screen, you probably didn’t recognize Troyer in his “Harry Potter” appearance. Best known as Mini-Me in the “Austin Powers” franchise, Troyer had an extremely successful film career that spanned more than 25 years before his tragic death in 2018. In “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” he plays Griphook the goblin, but his face is completely obscured by heavy makeup and prosthetics. He has a few lines, though we don’t actually hear his voice, since it was dubbed over by English actor Warwick Davis. Davis later replaced Troyer for Griphook’s expanded role in the final two films of the franchise.
#4: Julianne Hough
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This multi-talented performer first gained national attention on “Dancing with the Stars.” But before that, she appeared in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” as a Gryffindor student. We see her cheering at the Quidditch match next to Dean Thomas. Later she shows up in the Great Hall. She’s not the only “Dancing with the Stars” alum in the film. In fact, she’s not even the only Hough. Her brother Derek also appears as a Ravenclaw. And fellow dancer Mark Ballas can be seen behind Ron in the Sorting Hat ceremony. While on set with Daniel Radcliffe, Hough admits to developing quite a crush on the young star, sending him a Beanie Baby and a love note for Valentine’s Day. Sadly, he never responded.
#3: Jamie Campbell Bower
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Robert Pattinson isn’t the only “Twilight” actor who appeared in “Harry Potter.” Also known as the Volturi vampire Caius, Jamie Campbell Bower plays a young Gellert Grindelwald in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.” Under torture from Voldemort, wandmaker Gregorovitch reveals in flashback that Grindelwald stole the Elder Wand from him years ago. Bower is also the only actor to play the same role in both the “Harry Potter” and “Fantastic Beasts” franchises. In “The Crimes of Grindelwald,” Dumbledore watches a young version of himself making a blood pact with Gellert in a bittersweet vision in the Mirror of Erised.
#2: Charlotte Ritchie
The Button House isn’t the first residence that Ritchie has shared with some supernatural roommates. Before the “You” actress got her start in television, she was a student at Hogwarts. Although her character isn’t named, you can clearly spot her in Slytherin green sitting behind Ron in a Defence Against the Dark Arts class. During the session, the imposter Professor Moody demonstrates one of the unforgivable curses on an unfortunate spider. This appearance in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” was actually Ritchie’s first role in a feature-length film. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Lenny Henry
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Jesy Nelson
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Zoë Sugg
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Paije Richardson
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Henry Lloyd-Hughes
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#1: Regé-Jean Page
Before he was a paladin in one fantastical realm, Page was a wizard in another. He gained national attention – and stole our hearts – in the role of Duke Simon Basset. Page appeared in quite a few films and series prior to his “Bridgerton” break-out. That includes a minor part as a guest at Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour’s wedding in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.” In this scene, Page and the other guests react to some sudden disturbing news. We don’t know anything about his character – we don’t even know for certain that he’s a wizard. But we are sure of one thing: he’s definitely magical.
