At the age of 98: the voice behind the sorting hood in the "Harry Potter" film series has died.
Leslie Phillips, the British actor and comedian, passed away on Monday after a long battle with a serious illness, it was announced on websites around the web.
"He died peacefully at home with his beloved wife Zara by his side," confirmed his agent Jonathan Lloyd in a press release.
Leslie Phillips in 2008, photo: AP
Phillips was born in 1924 in Tottenham, London and already as a teenager at the age of 14 had to become the sole breadwinner in his family, after his father, who worked in an oven manufacturing factory, died of heart disease as a result of the pollution in the factory at the age of only 44.
He began to become famous in the 1950s, accumulating in his resume more than 200 series, films and television programs, among them "The Doctor", "Venus" (a role for which he was nominated for the prestigious BAFTA award), Carry On and the series BC The Navy Lark which he led for 17 years.
The sorting bonnet in "Harry Potter", photo: Public Relations
To the younger audience, Phillips was mostly known for his voice as the voice behind the famous Sorting Hat in the "Harry Potter" film series, the same hat that belonged to Godric Gryffindor and was responsible for sorting Hogwarts students into the various houses.
"Harry Potter" reunion special poster, photo: Public Relations
In 1998 he was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire as part of the birthday celebrations of the late Queen Elizabeth, and a decade later in 2008 he was also awarded the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Leslie Phillips in 2007, photo: Reuters
Phillips' off-screen life has known quite a few upheavals.
He married for the first time in 1948 to Penelope Bartley, with whom he had four children.
They separated in the early 1960s, after Phillips had an affair with actress Caroline Mortimer and years later when they were already divorced, she died in a fire.
In 1982 he married actress and former Bond girl Angela Scouler, a marriage that ended tragically when she took her own life in 2011 after a difficult battle with bipolar disorder and cancer.
Two years later, at the age of 89, Phillips married for the third time Zara Carr, who remained by his side until his death earlier this week and supported him even after he had two strokes.
"He was a national treasure. People loved him," his widow paid tribute to him.
Phillips is not the only star of the series from whom the world of culture and "Harry Potter" fans are forced to say goodbye.
Only recently we were also informed of the death of Robbie Coltrane, who played the groundskeeper.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us