Another member of the Harry Potter cast has passed away.
The Sun reports that Leslie Phillips, who voiced the Sorting Hat in the fantasy film series, has died at 98 years old. His agent, Jonathan Lloyd confirmed that the actor died “peacefully in his sleep.”
Phillips played the role in 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 2002’s Chamber of Secrets, and 2011’s Deathly Hallows, where, as the talking wizard’s hat, he placed Hogwarts students into one of the school’s four houses.
Phillips had been in show business long before the Harry Potter films, and was also known for appearing in the Carry On franchise in the late 50s. During his career, which extended over 80 years, he starred in more than 200 films, television series, and radio shows. His older fans knew him for his catchphrases like, “Ding Dong,” “Well, Hello,” and “I Say.”
“I’ve lost a wonderful husband and the public has lost a truly great showman,” his wife, Zara, told The Sun. “He was quite simply a national treasure. People loved him. He was mobbed everywhere he went.”
She added, “When we married he cheekily introduced me to the Press as royalty, insisting I was the new Zara Phillips and that I was related to the Queen.”
RIP.
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