Top 10 Best Acting Performances from the Harry Potter Movies
Something wonderful about the Harry Potter film adaptations is the consistent and surprisingly conflict-free cast. For an entire decade and a half, the series maintained a solid cast (except for the unfortunate passing of Richard Harris).
I decided to look back at some of the best acting performances in the Harry Potter films.
-
Alan Rickman - Severus Snape
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (February 21, 1946 - January 14, 2016) was an English actor and director known for playing a variety of roles on stage and screen, most notably Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series and Hans Gruber in Die Hard. He passed away of pancreatic cancer in 2016. Rickman also received... read more
Alan Rickman has always been one of my favorite actors in the film industry. By only rarely letting us in on what he feels, Rickman involves the audience in this mystery, prompting them to do just as much speculation as the main characters do. Even though the series on the page has ended, Rickman is certain to maintain that doubt to the very end.
He really has the ability to demonstrate all of Severus Snape. Love the guy. Rest in peace, Alan Rickman.
-
Helena Bonham Carter - Bellatrix Lestrange
Helena Bonham Carter was great at her part in playing Bellatrix. She really brought the character that was in the book to a whole different level.
Acting so well that I hated her. Haha!
-
Gary Oldman - Sirius Black
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, filmmaker, musician, and author. Renowned for his "big" acting style, Oldman is one of the most celebrated thespians of his generation, with a diverse career encompassing theatre, film, and television. He has received a Golden Globe award and an Academy Award... read more
Gary Oldman as Sirius Black might just be the smartest piece of casting in all of Harry Potter cinema. Who better really to play both hero and villain in the same series?
Come on, it is Gary Oldman. He is always a fantastic actor that does well in most of the movies he appears in.
How can you have a complaint with Gary?
-
Ralph Fiennes - Voldemort
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (born December 22, 1962) is an English actor, director, and producer. A noted Shakespeare interpreter, he first achieved success on stage at the Royal National Theatre.
Fiennes' portrayal of Nazi war criminal Amon Göth in Schindler's List (1993) earned... read more
-
Emma Watson - Hermione Granger
Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson is a British actress, model, and activist. Born in Paris and brought up in Oxfordshire, Watson attended the Dragon School as a child and trained as an actress at the Oxford branch of Stagecoach Theatre Arts.... read more
-
Maggie Smith - Minerva McGonagall
Dame Margaret Natalie "Maggie" Smith CH DBE (28 December 1934 - 27 September 2024) was an English actress known for her wit in both comedic and dramatic roles. She had an extensive and varied career on stage, film, and television spanning over seven decades. Smith appeared in more than 50 films and was... read more
-
Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born July 23, 1989) is an English actor. He rose to prominence portraying the title character in the Harry Potter film series (2001-2011).
Since then, he has taken on a variety of roles in stage, film, and television, including The Woman in Black, Swiss Army Man, Kill Your... read more
His performance has been more than perfect, but he has also grown considerably from where he started. Honestly, out of all the young stars, I look forward most to what Radcliffe will do next, as I do believe he has star power in the making.
He made me think Hogwarts was real. Radcliffe expressed his character so thoroughly and well, and his acting is still progressing to this day. I love how he just gets better and better. Awfully great.
-
Robbie Coltrane - Rubeus Hagrid
Robbie Coltrane (March 30, 1950 - October 14, 2022) was a Scottish actor best known for playing Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter film franchise, based on the book series by J.K. Rowling. He also starred in the acclaimed TV series Cracker, for which he won three consecutive BAFTA Awards. Coltrane had... read more
Rubeus Hagrid is a vital character in the Harry Potter series. Serving to explain the essentials of the wizard universe to both Harry and the audience, Hagrid is that nonchalant guide who knows everyone. As Harry, Hermione, and Ron regularly visit Hagrid throughout the series, he becomes their first straightforward, honest role model.
-
Richard Harris - Albus Dumbledore
Richard Harris was a British television writer, most active from the early 1960s to the mid-1990s. He wrote primarily for the crime and detective genres. He contributed episodes to series like The Avengers, The Saint, The Sweeney, Armchair Mystery Theatre, and Target.
R.I.P. Richard Harris. We miss him so.
-
Imelda Staunton - Dolores Umbridge
-
?
Jim Broadbent - Horace Slughorn
-
?
Fiona Shaw - Petunia Dursley
-
David Thewlis - Remus Lupin
Why does everyone forget his performance?
-
Tom Felton - Draco Malfoy
-
Rupert Grint - Ron Weasley
Rupert Alexander Lloyd Grint is an English actor who became famous for playing Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter film series. Ron is one of the three main characters and Harry Potter's best friend. Grint's performance has been praised by fans and critics alike.
-
Michael Gambon - Albus Dumbledore
-
Evanna Lynch - Luna Lovegood
Evanna Patricia Lynch is an Irish actress and model. She rose to prominence for her portrayal of Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film series, appearing in four films. Lynch also voiced the character in several tie-in video games and has remained involved in fan events and activism related to the series... read more
Evanna was brilliant. She fit perfectly with the character. The dreamlike quality, oddities, etc.
-
Brendan Gleeson - Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody
-
Kenneth Branagh - Gilderoy Lockhart
Even though, no offense (it's in the eye of the beholder also), he did not play the heartthrob Lockhart that was in the lines of the books, Kenneth was brilliant and hilarious.
Best thing about Chamber of Secrets, in my opinion. He is hilarious!
-
Emma Thompson - Sybill Trelawney
-
Matthew Lewis - Neville Longbottom
Matthew David Lewis is an English film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for playing Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films. Lewis has also appeared in television series such as The Syndicate and Bluestone 42, and in the romantic drama film Me Before You.
-
Jason Isaacs - Lucius Malfoy
-
David Bradley - Argus Filch
-
Bonnie Wright - Ginny Weasley
-
Bill Nighy - Rufus Scrimgeour
-
Richard Griffiths - Vernon Dursley
-
David Tennant - Barty Crouch Jr.
David Tennant is a Scottish actor known for his roles in television and film. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, Alec Hardy in Broadchurch, and Kilgrave in Jessica Jones. Tennant has also appeared in the Harry Potter film series as Barty Crouch Jr. and played the lead in... read more