Summary

• Each Voldemort actor in the Harry Potter franchise portrayed different stages of the dark wizard's life and transformations.
• The evolution of Voldemort's character required different actors to show various versions from childhood to full power.
• With the Harry Potter universe getting a reboot, more performers will join the list of Voldemort actors in the future.

Every Lord Voldemort actor throughout the Harry Potter movies and beyond has had a certain purpose in bringing the evil wizard to life. Initially spoken of in hushed tones only, Harry Potter introduces the legend of Voldemort in its very first book, depicting a dark, fearsome wizard who terrorized the magic world, only to be defeated while attempting to kill a young Harry Potter. That led to various versions of Voldemort appearing throughout the franchise, meaning seven actors played He Who Must Not Be Named in various movies.

Over the years, every version of Voldemort had to be depicted on the big screen. That means there was someone to portray him when he took control of a Hogwarts professor, there was a Tom Riddle actor when he showed up as a flashback memory, there was a star to play him when he returned to his full form. With the news that the Harry Potter universe is getting a reboot on Max, that means a handful of other performers will be joining the list of Voldemort actors in the future.

The Harry Potter movies are available to stream on Peacock.

Richard Bremmer

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

In the first Harry Potter movie, Lord Voldemort is merely an enigmatic old threat lingering in the background, but when the history of Harry is explored via flashbacks, the dark wizard makes a brief debut, breaking into the Potters' home and skulking into baby Harry's room. The audience's next glimpse of Lord Voldemort comes during Harry's first year at Hogwarts with the digitized face of veteran British actor Richard Bremmer in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone's final battle.

Bremmer will remain iconic as he's the first true look at Voldemort that audiences got in the films.

Not necessarily a familiar name to many, Bremmer has appeared in movies such as Shanghai Nights, To Kill A King, and The 13th Warrior. In a curious twist, he also played a minor role in Onegin — a 1999 romance starring future Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes. Bremmer's Harry Potter career might've been brief — and his face may have been obscured by early-2000s CGI — but the footage was reused in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, allowing the original Voldemort actor to bookend the entire Harry Potter franchise.

Since that appearance in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Richard Bremmer has continued to work consistently, albeit in smaller roles. He appeared in films like Mr Turner, In the Heart of the Sea, and most notably, Stars Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, though he was credited as First Order Officer #5. Regardless, Bremmer will remain iconic as he's the first true look at Voldemort that audiences got in the films.

Christian Coulson

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets delves deeper into Voldemort's life before Harry Potter, specifically his childhood. The movie explores his former identity as Tom Riddle and his days as a Hogwarts student, building towards the moment Harry begins his journey to kill the Dark Lord by unknowingly destroying part of the villain's soul. These scenes required a younger Voldemort actor to replace the middle-aged Bremmer, and British talent Christian Coulson was ultimately cast as Tom Riddle, receiving the honor of being the first non-digitized face to portray Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter franchise.

Coulson made a considerable impression as the mysterious brooding teenager

Playing the ethereal apparition of a 16-year-old Tom Riddle, Coulson made a considerable impression as the mysterious brooding teenager — despite already being in his mid-20s while filming Harry Potter. Coulson brought a good blend of arrogance and charisma to the role, which makes sense given Riddle's noted charm as a teen and who he became when he got older. The actor hasn't had a major career since but he continues to act, appearing in Gossip Girl, Nashville, and Blue Bloods.

Ralph Fiennes

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010) & Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)

Of all the Voldemort actors, British actor Ralph Fiennes is the Thespian most widely associated with the role. First appearing in 2005's The Goblet of Fire, Fiennes would go on to make the villainous role iconic, appearing in each of the remaining Harry Potter films in varying capacities. Older transformations and youthful incarnations aside, Fiennes' face is the Voldemort actor fans remember — the definitive image of the Harry Potter villain.

This was also the Voldemort that faced Harry Potter in real battles, making him the most exciting iteration.

The critically-acclaimed actor was a resounding success as He Who Shall Not Be Named, managing to eke every last drop of venomous, sinister personality from Harry Potter's original book series. For a lot of book fans, Fiennes expertly captured the character from the pages in the same way that Alan Rickman did with Snape or that Maggie Smith did with McGonnagall. This was also the Voldemort that faced Harry Potter in real battles, making him the most exciting iteration.

Harry Potter fans needn't look far to see what else Fiennes has been up to. The actor starred as M in the James Bond franchise, worked with Wes Anderson in The Grand Budapest Hotel, and lent his voice to The Lego Batman Movie and Doolittle. For anyone wanting another look at Fiennes playing a villain, he received high praise for his role in The Menu as a deadly chef.

Hero Fiennes-Tiffin

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Playing Lord Voldemort became a family affair in The Half-Blood Prince when Ralph Fiennes' nephew was cast to play the 11-year-old version of Voldemort. Hero Fiennes-Tiffin can be seen when Dumbledore and Harry begin diving into memories, seeking a way to end the growing threat of Voldemort once and for all. David Yates (Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince director) has admitted Hero Fiennes-Tiffin's resemblance to Ralph was an important factor but also insisted Hero excelled during auditions, managing to exude Voldemort's darkness better than the other young candidates.

An older Hero Fiennes-Tiffin recently starred as the lead in the romance franchise, After.

Despite an outwardly innocent appearance, Fiennes-Tiffin was able to communicate the potential for evil in his brief role. An 18-year-old version of Voldemort came close to appearing in The Half Blood Prince, with Michael Berendt cast as the adolescent evildoer and ready to film, but these scenes were cut from the final script. An older Hero Fiennes-Tiffin recently starred as the lead in the romance franchise, After.

Frank Dillane

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Casting for the multitude of flashbacks in Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince onward, a mid-teens Voldemort actor was required. Christian Coulson was considered for a reprisal but, having already been much older than Hogwarts-era Voldemort the first time around, the 30-year-old was ruled out of contention by David Yates. Several names were put forward for the part, but British actor and drama student Frank Dillane was eventually cast, having only appeared as an extra in previous projects.

Frank Dillane offered a more unhinged performance as Tom Riddle/Voldemort

The son of Game of Thrones actor Stephen Dillane, Frank Dillane offered a more unhinged performance as Tom Riddle/Voldemort — a youngster beginning to embrace his dastardly instincts and forge a path towards wrongdoing. Outside of Harry Potter, Frank Dillane will be most familiar as Nick Clark from Fear The Walking Dead. One of the spinoff's original cast members, Nick met an untimely death in the AMC zombie show's fourth season.

Ian Hart

Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Voldemort's appearance Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone was unique for technically requiring two actors to play the character. The villain survived his brush with Harry Potter and eventually came to graft himself onto the head of an unassuming Professor Quirrell - a naive student he met by chance and successfully corrupted. While Voldemort spends most of his Harry Potter debut beneath a turban, the climactic scene sees Quirrell reveal his true nature, and Voldemort's face is uncovered in all its horror.

As a testament to Hart's performance, this duality is not at all obvious in the finished film.

Professor Quirrell is played by British actor Ian Hart, who pulled double duty, also serving as the voice behind Voldemort's CGI face. As a testament to Hart's performance, this duality is not at all obvious in the finished film. Since his stint in the wizarding world, Hart has continued to rack up television and film credits, making appearances in Agents of SHIELD, Finding Neverland, and Boardwalk Empire.

Eddie Izzard

The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)

Not a name usually associated with Harry Potter's list of Voldemort actors, British comedian Eddie Izzard lent her voice to the wicked wizard in 2017's The LEGO Batman Movie. Despite having precious little to do with DC's Dark Knight, Voldemort makes an appearance in the LEGO spinoff venture alongside a host of familiar figures from pop culture, and it's Izzard providing his familiar tones to the plastic version of Harry Potter's big bad.

Despite landing nowhere near the canon of Harry Potter's universe, Eddie Izzard as Voldemort certainly piqued fan interest, with the comedian's unique performance style and unmistakable vocals making her an ideal alternative to Ralph Fiennes. Perhaps when the Harry Potter reboot comes to pass, Izzard will be put forth as the next actor to play Lord Voldemort in live-action.

Ralph Fiennes is also part of The LEGO Batman voice cast as Alfred Pennyworth.

Why Lord Voldemort's Actor Was Changed

Voldemort's Arc Meant He Was Never The Same For Long

There are two main reasons Harry Potter's Voldemort actor changes so often: his many transformations and the story's twisting narrative. Voldemort doesn't stabilize into his Ralph Fiennes form until the final act of Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire, which means the likes of Ian Hart and Richard Brenner were required to portray proto-Voldemort's various pre-resurrection forms.

Voldemort's backstory is also told in stop-start fashion throughout the Harry Potter books, skipping from childhood to adolescence to young adulthood. Actors getting older was already a problem for the Harry Potter movies, but Voldemort was one of the few characters the franchise could get away with recasting each time since Tom Riddle would always age a few years between each flashback.

Key Release Dates

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  Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

  Release Date:

  2022-04-15