Leslie Phillips, a 98-year-old Harry Potter actor, has passed away.
On Monday, the actor best recognized for providing the Sorting Hat’s voice in the J.K. Rowling series passed away (7 November).
Details about Carry On and Harry Potter star Leslie Phillips died at age 98:
Phillips had endured disease for some years and had already escaped two strokes. He has been recuperating at home in recent years after experiencing a potentially fatal stroke in 2015.
His 63-year-old wife Zara Carr recalled her husband as a “national treasure” in a statement.
The public has lost a truly great showman, and I’ve lost a beautiful husband, she remarked. Simply put, he was a national treasure. Everyone adored him. Everywhere he went, he was mobbed.
Fans will also be familiar with the 75-year-old actor from his parts in the raunchy Carry On movie series, where he first used the catchphrases “ding dong” and “he-llo.”
The family of Phillips, who was born in Tottenham in 1924, moved to Essex when he was a little child. His father passed away at the age of 44 when he was just 11 years old, and his death was attributed to him working in a factory where the air was “filthy, sulphurous.”
After he passed away, Phillips’ mother sent him to the famed Italia Conti drama school, where he studied acting and dancing. However, it was crucial that he study received pronunciation (RP) and elocution to get rid of his Cockney accent since he was worried that it would harm his acting career.
He received his first film part the next year after making his theatrical debut in a pantomime at the London Palladium in 1937.
He began playing in the West End during the early years of the Second World War, but in 1942, he was called up, delaying his acting career. He was, however, deemed unfit for service in 1944 as a result of a neurological disorder that left him partially paralyzed.
He went back to acting after the war, and the 1950s helped him solidify his skill at playing stereotypical Englishmen on film.
After appearing in Carry On Nurse, Carry On Teacher, and Carry On Constable in 1959 and 1960, respectively, he declared he would not reprise his role in any subsequent installments of the franchise. However, he returned to Carry On Columbus in 1992.
He made an appearance in the movie series and became well-known for his catchphrases, including “Ding dong!” & “He-llo.”
In the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Phillips provided the Sorting Hat voice. He returned to the role in the 2002 follow-up and the 2011 eighth installment.
He also appeared in 2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider alongside Angelina Jolie. After the release of the final Harry Potter movie in 2012, he played his final movie role.
The first of Phillips’ three marriages, to actor Penelope Bartley, with whom he had four children, took place in 1948. In 1965, the couple was divorced.
Then, in 1981, he wed the performer Angela Scoular, with whom he remained together until her passing in 2011. He and Carr got married in 2013.
Following the news of Phillips’ passing, tributes have poured in.
