JK Rowling pays tribute to late Harry Potter star Robert Hardy
The actor, who played Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge in the film series, has died aged 91
Yesterday film and TV lovers worldwide were saddened to learn of the death of actor Robert Hardy, who has passed away aged 91. Hardy enjoyed a long and varied career but was best known for playing country veterinarian Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small and Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge in the Harry Potter film series.
"It is with great sadness that the family of Robert Hardy CBE today announced his death,” a statement from his family read, “following a tremendous life: a giant career in theatre, television and film spanning more than 70 years."
And now, Harry Potter author JK Rowling has joined the chorus of tributes to Hardy, describing him as a “talented actor” in a message on Twitter.
And she wasn’t the only member of the Potter family to say farewell, with Percy Weasley actor Chris Rankin (who shared scenes with Hardy) also paying tribute.
Hardy first appeared in the film series in 2002’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and continued until 2007’s The Order of the Phoenix before his character left the franchise.
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Other notable roles included Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small (the series ran from 1978-1990), master blackmailer Charles Augustus Milverton opposite Jeremy Brett in The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes and in 2015 as Winston Churchill in ITV's Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain.
