12 Harry Potter Actors Who Were Replaced In The Sequels

Just in case any actor got the wrong idea that they weren't entirely expendable in the eyes of Hollywood's money men, they're replaced with surprising frequency in movie franchises.

Sometimes it happens because the original guy was too expensive (and not good enough), as per Terrence Howard in Iron Man, sometimes people just get sick of the role, and other times life (or death) gets in the way. It's usually horrible for continuity, but luckily everyone knows that film audiences are dribbling morons who notice nothing about their favourite films.

Just kidding, you're all special little snowflakes and of course you noticed. Like when Harry Potter films replaced TWELVE of their actors for various reasons. Some were forgivable, but some just seem oddly unnecessary

12. Verne Troyer - Griphook

The Replacement: Warwick Davis

The diminutive actor turned up in The Philosopher's Stone playing Griphook, a noticeably smaller goblin who guides Harry and Hagrid down to Harry's vault in Gringotts.

But by the time the character reappeared for a more expanded role in The Deathly Hallows, he had been replaced by Warwick Davis, who actually lent his voice to the goblin in The Philosopher's Stone.

Interestingly, Davis is the only Harry Potter actor to have played two versions of the same character, since Professor Flitwick was oddly reinvented between the first and third movies.

11. Jennifer Smith - Lavender Brown

The Replacement: Jessie Cave

The most controversial of changes saw Jennifer Smith, a young black actress who played Brown as a non-speaking background character in The Prisoner Of Azkaban.

Her replacement by more established white actress Jessie Cave has inspired some accusations of white-washing, but the reality is probably more complex (no matter how appealing the conspiracy theory might seem).

Smith wasn't really an actress, judging by her CV - it's more likely she was merely an extra given a familiar character name, while Cave had experience and was more suited (on ability alone) to the expanded role. She was definitely annoying enough for the love-sick supporting figure in The Half-Blood Prince, that's for sure.

10. Peter Cartwright - Elphias Doge

The Replacement: David Ryall

The character who inspired a hundred Doge meme jokes was first played by British TV veteran Peter Cartwright in The Order Of The Phoenix in 2007. He was one of the Advance Guard who turned up at Privet Drive to escort Harry to Grimmauld Place - a largely forgotten role, without any lines.

By the time the character was required to speak in The Deathly Hallows Part 1, he had been replaced by David Ryall, another veteran.

Both actors have sadly died since their appearances: Cartwright passed away in 2013 and Ryall in 2014.

9. Emily Dale - Katie Bell

The Replacement: Georgina Leonidas

The first two Harry Potter films featured Emily Dale as Katie Bell when the role was largely just a background figure without any lines. She was then replaced with an unnamed actress for the third film, when Katie ends up being hit by lightning in the Quidditch match and is seen in hospital after the match.

For The Half-Blood Prince, Georgina Leonidas - a more established actress with a handful of credits to her name - took on the role and kept it for The Deathly Hallows.

As with Lavender Brown, it was likely a case of an extra being replaced with an actual actor when the role required more performance.

Confusingly, Bell actually swaps years in the films, joining Harry for a Potions class despite being in the year above him. But then she did miss six months of school when she was accidentally cursed, so that's maybe forgivable.

8. Derek Deadman - Tom The Innkeeper

The Replacement: Jim Tavare

The instantly recognisable figure of Derek Deadman initially played the part of Tom the Innkeeper - the man behind the bar at The Leaky Cauldron who welcomes Harry to Diagon Alley in the first movie.

Quite why the actor - who died in 2014 - was replaced for The Prisoner Of Azkaban remains to be seen, but the character was entirely reinvented for the third film. When Jim Tavare took him on, he was a more comic figure, complete with a shorn head and hump back, who was clearly designed to inspire some disposable laughs while was briefly on screen.

7. Elizabeth Spriggs - The Fat Lady

The Replacement: Dawn French

The first time the Fat Lady in the portrait at the entrance to the Gryffindor common room appeared in The Philosopher's Stone, she was an elegant, aloof character played by Elizabeth Spriggs.

The classically trained actress, who had worked with the RSC frequently was replaced three years later with comedian Dawn French, who added a more comic spin to the character.

French's take was far more slap-stick and more suited to a comedy actor, so it's not hard to see why the role was recast.

Spriggs died in 2008.

6. Scott Fern - Marcus Flint

The Replacement: Jamie Yeates

In a not-so rare case of IMDB getting something completely wrong, they actually have Will Theakston listed as playing Marcus Flint in The Philosopher's Stone, when in fact he was playing Slytherin's Quidditch Seeker Terence Higgs.

The real actor who played sixth year Flint was Scott Fern, who was noticeably older than Theakston and fits the character biography far better. He was replaced before he got the juicier role as the Quidditch captain in The Chamber Of Secrets.

His replacement Yeates was a great pick for the role: there's something menacing about his look that fit the Slytherin villain more than Theakston's innocent good looks. And Harry Potter's accusation that he probably has troll blood fits a lot more.

Fern actually reappeared in The Chamber Of Secrets, but as fellow Slytherin Adrian Pucey.

5. Helena Ravenclaw - Nina Young

The Replacement: Kelly Macdonald

Though she's only in the first film very briefly, Nina Young appears as Hogwarts ghost The Grey Lady - later revealed to be Helena Ravenclaw - for a few moments.

Young was eventually replaced for the final movie by Scottish actress Kelly MacDonald for the more important role when Harry visits Helena to learn about the diadem horcrux.

By the time that film came round, the role needed more of an established actor - though Young did have experience in Tomorrow Never Dies and Sliding Doors. Clearly MacDonald fit the bill better for David Yates, and it was an admittedly impressive supporting performance.

4. Genevieve Gaunt - Pansy Parkinson

The Replacement: Scarlett Byrne

Secondary Hogwarts pupil villain Parkinson was everything JK Rowling hated about the girls at school who had bullied her: it was that hatred that ultimately meant she wasn't allowed to marry Draco Malfoy, according to the writer.

The character - who was described as "pug-faced" in the books - was actually played by four actresses across the films. She first appeared in Chamber Of Secrets, played as a background extra by Katherine Nicholson, though that doesn't really count.

For the character's first legitimate appearance in The Prisoner Of Azkaban she was played by Genevieve Gaunt, who was first replaced by Lauren Shotton in the follow-up (though she didn't speak in what was mostly a cameo).

For Half-Blood Prince and the final two films, Scarlett Byrne stepped in for the more expanded role, and captured that hatefulness Rowling painted in her perfectly.

3. Jessica Hynes - Mafalda Hopkirk

The Replacement: Sophie Thompson

You could be forgiven for not knowing that Jessica Hynes - recognisable to British comedy fans for the excellent Spaced - was even in Harry Potter. She was actually only involved briefly, lending her voice to Mafalda Hopkirk in The Order Of The Phoenix.

The character isn't actually seen on screen, but it's Hynes voice that expels Harry Potter for his improper use of magic at the start of the film.

For The Deathly Hallows, Mafalda was required to be seen on screen as it is she who Hermione Grainger pretended to be to access the Ministry. For that film, David Yates brought in fellow British comedy actor Sophie Thompson.

2. Richard Harris - Professor Dumbledore

The Replacement: Michael Gambon

Looking back, the casting of British veteran Richard Harris was perfect for Albus Dumbledore: he was classically trained, charismatic and had a notorious mischief to his persona that contradicted his almost regal poise.

And his performance in the first two movies proved that casting to have been wonderfully considered. He almost didn't even take the role, turning it down initially before his granddaughter convinced him he had to take it by saying she'd never speak to him again if he didn't.

Sadly, Harris died two weeks before the premiere of The Chamber Of Secrets, and was recast for the third film, with Michael Gambon stepping in and impressively making the role his own.

1. Richard Bremmer - Voldemort

The Replacement: Ralph Fiennes

Considering how perfect Ralph Fiennes was for the big bad of the Harry Potter universe, it's almost unthinkable that he wasn't actually the first actor to play the role.

But that's precisely what happened: in The Philosopher's Stone, when Lord Voldemort was relegated to playing a glorified growth on the back of Professor Quirrell's head, the actor charged with the role was Richard Bremmer.

Unfortunately for him (and fortunately for every fan), when it came time to give Voldemort his body back, David Yates chose to bring in Ralph Fiennes, who ironically expressed reluctance as he hadn't liked the first two movies.

Luckily he changed his mind and came on board for The Goblet Of Fire.