23 Former ‘Harry Potter’ Stars Who Took Their Talents to TV
Twenty years ago, audiences were introduced to the Harry Potter film franchise when the 2001 book-to-movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released.
Since the films wrapped with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 2011, many of the stars have gone on to grace our TV screens. Including the franchise’s lead Daniel Radcliffe who continues to elicit laughter with his ever-changing roles on TBS‘s Miracle Workers.
The half-hour comedy anthology will be back for a fourth season, but before then, HBO Max is reuniting Radcliffe with his costars in an HBO Max TV special, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts. Ahead of the reunion, we’re taking a look at some of the small-screen parts the stars of Harry Potter have taken on in the years since the films.
Scroll below for a peek into the stars’ TV gigs and stay tuned for the HBO Max reunion special.
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, Premieres Saturday, January 1, 2022, HBO Max
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)
Radcliffe may be best known for playing “the boy who lived,” but he’s appeared in a number of films since his Potter days and starred alongside Jon Hamm in the UK series A Young Doctor’s Notebook & Other Stories from 2012-2013. Now, Radcliffe is making viewers laugh with new characters in each season of TBS’s anthology Miracle Workers (above).
Rupert Grint (Ronald Weasley)
Radcliffe’s former onscreen bestie has dabbled in TV for some time now. Grint is appeared in Amazon Prime Video’s The ABC Murders and has also starred in the Sony Crackle series Snatch along with the British comedy series Sick Note. Most recently, the actor has been getting spooked in Apple TV+’s haunting M. Night Shyamalan series Servant (above).
Katie Leung (Cho Chang)
This former Hogwarts inhabitant has made small TV appearances over the years but her latest project, White Dragon (above), is her most involved to date. The Amazon Prime Video series follows the mystery surrounding around a woman’s death in Hong Kong.
Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy)
The former Potter baddie traded one franchise for another when he played Julian Albert in CW’s The Flash (above). Before that, he was part of TNT’s Murder in the First, and most recently headlined YouTube’s Origin.
Maggie Smith (Professor Minerva McGonagall)
Over her lengthy career, Smith has made more than a few TV appearances, but none so memorable as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the smash-hit PBS series Downton Abbey. Luckily for fans of her Downton role, they’ll be able to see her return once more in the sequel film, Downton Abbey: A New Era in 2022, a follow-up to 2019’s Downton Abbey movie.
David Thewlis (Remus Lupin)
One of the sadder casualties of the Potter franchise, fans saw Thewlis return to screens in Fargo‘s third season as the no-good V.M. Varga (above). Thewlis joined Netflix’s Big Mouth as the Shame Wizard, offering his ghoulish vocals since Season 2. He’s also appeared in The Feed and Barkskins before filling his most recent role as Christopher Edwards in HBO’s Landscapers alongside Olivia Colman. He’s also set to play a role in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of The Sandman.
Michael Gambon (Professor Albus Dumbledore)
Hogwarts’ former headmaster has been busy, appearing in 2015’s mini-series adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy, 2017’s Fearless, Amazon Prime Video’s Fortitude, and the PBS miniseries of Little Women (above).
Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange)
The movie star may have played a deranged former Azkaban prisoner, but she’s went prim and proper for her most recent role as Princess Margaret in The Crown‘s third and fourth seasons on Netflix (above). In 2016, the actress appeared in BBC’s Love, Nina and she lent her voice for Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley)
Ron Weasley’s father became Father Brown in 2013, solving mysteries as the titular character (above). The BBC series, available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, is inspired by the stories of GK Chesterton. Williams has appeared in a slew of other projects over the years, as well, including, Doctor Who, Blandings, and The Link.
Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood)
She may not have taken home the Mirror Ball Trophy, but Lynch — who placed third in Dancing with the Stars in Season 27 — showed off her best moves for ABC’s competition.
Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy)
In 2018, Isaacs joined another famous franchise when he was cast in Star Trek: Discovery as Captain Gabriel Lorca (above). He’s also lent his vocals to Netlflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and appeared in the streamer’s most recent third season of Sex Education. Isaacs is set to play a doctor alongside Sophia Bush in CBS’s upcoming series Good Sam.
David Bradley (Argus Filch)
Bradley’s been busy since Potter, showing up on series such as Game of Thrones (above), Les Misérables, The Strain and much more. The actor’s latest roles include parts in Ricky Gervais’s Netflix show, After Life and Britannia.
Clémence Poésy (Fleur Delacour)
The French actress has appeared on shows like NatGeo’s Genius: Picasso (above), playing painter Françoise Gilot. She also starred in the British-French crime drama The Tunnel and guest starred in a few episodes of Gossip Girl.
Alfred Enoch (Dean Thomas)
Years after leaving Hogwarts, Enoch signed up for a new class as Annalise Keating’s (Viola Davis) student in How to Get Away with Murder (above). After 50 episodes on the ABC show, he joined the BBC One-Netflix series, Troy: Fall of a City among other titles. Currently, the actor can be seen in the first season of Apple TV+’s Foundation.
Fiona Shaw (Aunt Petunia)
Harry Potter’s aunt may not have been a fan favorite but actress Shaw is thanks to her other TV roles. Currently, she can be seen as Carolyn Martens in BBC America’s Killing Eve (above) and she’s appeared on True Blood, Channel Zero, Fleabag, Mrs. Wilson, Baptiste, and more.
Jim Broadbent (Professor Horace Slughorn)
The former absentminded professor took on the role of Archmaester Ebrose in Game of Thrones‘ seventh season. Among the actor’s other TV gigs are 2016’s War & Peace (on Lifetime), 2015’s London Spy (on Netflix and BBC One), and more.
Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy)
After playing Draco’s mother in the Potter films, the late McCrory went on to appear in titles like Netflix’s Peaky Blinders (above), ITV’s Fearless, and Showtime’s Penny Dreadful, as well as MotherFatherSon on BBC.
Natalia Tena (Nymphadora Tonks)
Like some of her fellow Potter stars, Tena did a stint on Game of Thrones, playing the character of Osha. She later starred in the short-lived Wisdom of the Crowd on CBS. Tena’s most recent role was on Sky’s Wolfe, and she appeared on YouTube’s Origin (above) alongside her old Potter costar Tom Felton.
Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge)
She may have played a terrifying headmaster at Hogwarts, but she’s going a bit more regal with her upcoming role as Queen Elizabeth II in the upcoming season of Netflix’s The Crown (above). Staunton’s other recent roles include a kind and eccentric social worker in Apple TV+’s underrated series Trying, and parts in PBS Masterpiece’s Flesh and Blood among other titles.
Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley)
After playing Harry Potter’s insufferably miserable cousin Dudley Dursley, Harry Melling has gone on to play more subdued characters. Most recently, the actor portrayed Harry Beltik, a chess player and romantic interest to Anya Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon in Netflix’s award-winning limited series The Queen’s Gambit (above).
Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom)
The actor who portrayed the loveable Neville Longbottom has done quite a few TV projects in the years since his film appearances. Most recently, Lewis has appeared in PBS Masterpiece’s acclaimed series All Creatures Great and Small. Among his other credits are roles in titles like Ripper Street, Girlfriends, Happy Valley, and Bluestone 42 among others.
Luke Youngblood (Lee Jordan)
He may have had a brief role in the film franchise, but Luke Youngblood made a memorable mark on fans as he announced quidditch scores at games. He’s also played a role in shows like the short-lived but fan-favorite Galavant (above), as well as Community‘s “pop pop” loving Magnitude. Currently, he’s a part of the game show series Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses.
Frank Dillane (Tom Riddle)
Appearing as Tom Riddle in The Half-Blood Prince, Frank Dillane’s role in the Harry Potter films was brief, but his TV career hasn’t been. Best known for playing Nick Clark in Fear the Walking Dead, Dillane’s expected to appear alongside Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston in the forthcoming series The Essex Serpent. Among the actor’s other TV credits are The Girlfriend Experience and Sense8.
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