Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • Home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Fantasy Movies

50 Greatest Harry Potter Characters

Features
By George Wales published 14 July 2011

It's not all about the Boy Who Lived... (Hallows Pt 2 Spoilers!)

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

Lily Potter

As Played By: Geraldine Somerville, Susie Shinner and Ellie Darcey-Alden

The Character:
Harry’s mother and subject of the affections of both James Potter and Severus Snape. Revered by her contemporaries for her beauty, kindness and bravery, she lays down her life in order to protect Harry from Voldemort, so beginning the longest-running feud in the magical world.

Key Quote: “I know James Potter’s an arrogant toe-rag! I don’t need you to tell me that!”

Molly Weasley

As Played By: Julie Walters

The Character: The warm-hearted matriarch of the Weasley clan, Molly rules the Burrow with an iron fist, keeping her army of children in line whilst finding room for Harry and Hermione too. Largely presented in her domestic setting, Molly can also hold her own on the battlefield, as Bellatrix LeStrange can attest to…

Key Quote: “Not my daughter, you BITCH!”

Lucius Malfoy

As Played By: Jason Isaacs

The Character: The elder Malfoy was one of Voldemort’s closest supporters first time around but managed to wriggle his way out of a spell in Azkaban when the Dark Lord was defeated. It’s that slippery nature that best sums him up, alongside his snobbery and cowardice. Indeed, it’s no surprise to see him and his wife down tools once the final battle begins to swing away from Voldemort… although their desire to find Draco should probably be flagged as another contributing factor.

Key Quote: “Potter, your race is run. Now hand me the prophecy like a good boy… ”

Latest Videos From
Watch full video here:

Arthur Weasley

As Played By: Mark Williams

The Character: The head of the Weasley clan is an affably bumbling eccentric with a profound interest in the Muggle world and its workings. Alongside his wife Molly, he takes on a kind of surrogate parent role in Harry’s life, and is a key player in the Order Of The Phoenix in the later books. He’s also a big wheel at the Ministry of Magic, before Voldemort’s cronies turn the organisation sour.

Key Quote: “We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of a wizard, Malfoy.”

Luna Lovegood

As Played By: Evanna Lynch

The Character:
Either a “free spirit” or a “total oddball” depending on your perspective, Luna’s charm lies less in her kooky idiosyncrasies and more in her basic decency. Her plain-speaking manner is the only thing able to cut through Harry’s grief following Sirius’s death, and her dedication to Dumbledore’s Army knows no bounds. As for the weirdness? Well, you’d be weird too if Rhys Ifans was your old man.

Key Quote:
“I think I'll just go down and have some pudding and wait for it all to turn up - it always does in the end.”

You may like
  • Harry Potter The best Harry Potter movies ranked from worst to wand-erful
  • Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter in HBO's Harry Potter TV show Harry Potter TV series release date, cast, trailer, plot, and more news
  • Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter in HBO's Harry Potter TV show First trailer for Harry Potter TV series feels nothing like the films, and that's a good thing

Dolores Umbridge

As Played By: Imelda Staunton

The Character: A squeaking, snarling, pink-clad nightmare, Dolores Umbridge is the passive-aggressive figurehead of the repressive regime that takes grip of Hogwarts in The Order Of The Phoenix . Later seen as the Senior Under-Secretary of the fallen Ministry Of Magic, she callously mounts the late Alastor Moody’s magical eye on the door of her office. So loathsome, even Snape can’t stand her…

Key Quote: “Now I want you to write… ‘I must not tell lies.’”

Minerva McGonagall

As Played By: Maggie Smith

The Character: In the early books, McGonagall appears every inch the classic schoolmarm, with her stern demeanour and seen-it-all-before brand of withering sarcasm. However, as the story progresses, the warmer side of her character is slowly revealed, particularly when Harry and the school come under sustained threat from the Death Eaters. And boy, does she kick some ass come the final reckoning!

Key Quote:
(Rallying the enchanted suits of armour) “Hogwarts is threatened. Man the boundaries, protect us, do your duty to our school!"

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Neville Longbottom

As Played By: Matthew Lewis

The Character: Having spent most of the early stories as the bumbling butt of everybody’s jokes, Neville really comes into his own as times grow darker, first as a willing and able member of Dumbledore’s Army, and finally as a key player in the Battle of Hogwarts. Wielding the sword of Gryffindor like a champ, it is he who takes out the serpent Nagini, destroying a fragment of Voldemort’s soul in the process.

Key Quote: (To Voldemort) “I’ll join you when hell freezes over.”

Fred & George Weasley

As Played By: James and Oliver Phelps

The Characters: Mildly irritating in the big-screen version (largely thanks to the wooden delivery of the Phelps boys, who appear to have bagged the roles largely by virtue of being twins), Fred and George provide many of the books’ funnier moments, as well as supplying one of the major emotional hits of the final battle. The scene in which they escape Umbridge’s regime by flying their brooms over the school wall is a punch-the-air moment of pure teenage rebellion.

Key Quote: “George? I think we’ve outgrown a full-time education… ”

Bellatrix Lestrange

As Played By: Helena Bonham Carter

The Character: One of Voldemort’s most trusted lieutenants, the maliciously loopy Bellatrix is a proven sadist, enjoying nothing better than carrying out her master’s more violent commands. Described in the books as, “a witch with prodigious skill and no conscience,” the moment when she finally gets her comeuppance at the hands of Molly Weasley is one of the most joyous moments of the final film!

Key Quote:
“I killed Sirius Black, I killed Sirius Black!”

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Current page: Page 4

Prev Page Page 3 Next Page Page 5
George Wales
George Wales
Social Links Navigation

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.

Read more
Harry Potter
Fantasy Movies The best Harry Potter movies ranked from worst to wand-erful
 
 
Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter in HBO's Harry Potter TV show
HBO Harry Potter TV series release date, cast, trailer, plot, and more news
 
 
Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter in HBO's Harry Potter TV show
Fantasy Shows First trailer for Harry Potter TV series feels nothing like the films, and that's a good thing
 
 
Harry Potter cast
Fantasy Shows Harry Potter TV show is already recasting a major character for season 2
 
 
Paul Bettany in WandaVision
Fantasy Shows Vision actor denies rumor he'll play Voldemort in the Harry Potter TV show: "I've heard nothing about that"
 
 
Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter in HBO's Harry Potter TV show
Fantasy Shows HBO boss says there are no plans to turn the Harry Potter universe into "a DC or a Marvel"
 
 
Latest in Fantasy Movies
Alexander Skarsgard and Anya-Taylor Joy in The Northman
Lord of the Rings Movies Lord of the Rings fans are divided as The Hunt for Gollum introduces another non-canon character
 
 
Nicholas Galitzine as Adam in Masters of the Universe
Fantasy Movies Film fans list the movies that didn't deserve to flop at the box office, including Masters of the Universe
 
 
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Fantasy Movies Steven Spielberg explains why he turned down directing the first Harry Potter movie
 
 
Nicholas Galitzine as He-man in Masters of the Universe
Sci-Fi Movies Masters of the Universe director reveals how that She-Ra post-credits cameo happened
 
 
Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings Movies Elijah Wood says The Hunt for Gollum feels like "a family reunion," although Frodo only has a "relatively small" part
 
 
Nicholas Galitzine as Adam in Masters of the Universe
Fantasy Movies Masters of the Universe isn't a Marvel-esque summer blockbuster, it's actually a movie about hope
 
 
Latest in Features
Fallout 76 Screenshot
Fallout Fallout 76 interview: Bethesda talks Infestations and the impact of the Fallout TV show on its shared-world RPG
 
 
Claire Redfield is grabbed from behind in Resident Evil Veronica by a figure in a gas mask, with the orange GamesRadar+ Summer Preview 2026 frame
Resident Evil I'm glad Resident Evil Veronica will have a "reimagined story" – remakes need reinvention to survive
 
 
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2
Live Action Shows What time is Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 releasing on Netflix?
 
 
Tom Holland as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Marvel Movies Who is Spider-Man: Brand New Day's mystery villain? Our 5 biggest theories, from Mister Negative to Jean Grey
 
 
Image of a bunch of gaming accessories on a blue GamesRadar+ background.
Accessories You deserve to get in some gaming time this summer, and these travel-friendly gadgets will help with that
 
 
Milly Alcock as Supergirl in a behind the scenes featurette
DC Movies What to watch before Supergirl: The DC movies and shows to catch up with in preparation
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Fallout 76 Screenshot
    1
    Fallout 76 interview: Bethesda talks Infestations and the impact of the Fallout TV show on its shared-world RPG
  2. 2
    Using a mobile controller has completely ruined my ability to game without one, and it's the perfect time to test one
  3. 3
    Despite playing a key role in Final Fantasy 7, Tetsuya Nomura says "Kingdom Hearts has become my life's work"
  4. 4
    De-digitize your life with 12 retro gadgets that will send you straight back to the 90s this Prime Day
  5. 5
    Slay the Spire 2's lead birthed reviled boss Doormaker after "playing too much Deadlock"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...