Leslie Phillips, who voiced the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter franchise, has passed away at the age of 98. Though Phillips had over 200 film, television, and radio credits to his name, he was perhaps best known to general audiences for voicing the Sorting Hat in three Harry Potter films – The Sorcerer's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The Sorting Hat is one of the most important magical objects in Harry Potter as the enchanted headwear famously sorts Hogwarts newcomers into the school houses – Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin.
Now, the BBC reports that Phillips has passed away at the age of 98 following a long illness. His agent, Jonathan Lloyd, confirmed that Phillips died peacefully in his sleep on Monday. He is survived by his wife Zara Phillips who paid tribute to her late husband. Read what she said below:
I've lost a wonderful husband and the public has lost a truly great showman. He was quite simply a national treasure. People loved him. He was mobbed everywhere he went.
Leslie Phillips Had 200+ Film, TV & Radio Credits Outside Of Harry Potter
Though Philips might be widely remembered for voicing the Sorting Hat, the venerable British actor had over 200 film, television, and radio credits outside of Harry Potter. He first achieved prominence during the 1950s through the Carry On series, starring in a total of four films – Carry On Nurse, Carry On Teacher, Carry On Constable, and Carry on Columbus – in which he coined his famous catchphrases such as "Ding Dong" (a reference to his character Jack Bell in Carry on Nurse) and "He-llo." While Phillips only starred in four of the 31 total Carry On films, these catchphrases followed the actor for the rest of his career.
In addition to the Doctor in the House film series, Phillips is also known for the long-running BBC radio show The Navy Lark, playing the role of a clueless Navy officer for 17 years. One of Philips' most critically-acclaimed performances came in the 2006 film Venus, winning a British Independent Film award and a receiving BAFTA nomination for his supporting role opposite Peter O'Toole. Philips also appeared in films such as Sydney Pollack’s Out of Africa and Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun.
Sadly, the Harry Potter franchise has lost many of its stars in recent years, including Alan Rickman who played the role of Severus Snape and died in 2016. More recently, Robbie Coltrane, who played the lovable Rubeus Hagrid, passed away last month at the age of 72. Unfortunately, Phillips has now joined this list of esteemed English actors, but through the Harry Potter franchise and their incredible bodies of work, their contributions to the screen will not soon be forgotten.
Source: BBC