The Evolution of Tom Felton

Tom Felton lent his cherubic features to a number of adverts before he made his feature debut in The Borrowers (the movie version, not the Ian Holm-starring TV show).

It must have been a useful Potter -preparation exercise for the then nine-year-old, as he gained experience of appearing in an adaptation of a well-loved children's book, worked on a fun, large-scale set, and appeared alongside future Potter stars Jim Broadbent and Mark Williams.

Scary hair? Tom's angelic blond locks are buried beneath a curly ginger wig.

Felton was next seen on an episode of BBC Saturday night drama Bugs . The show followed a trio of crime-fighting gadget experts who worked alongside the Bureau of Weapons Technology to solve various hi-tech crimes.

Felton only appeared in one episode: he played 'James', a primary school kid who picks up a sword that somehow made its way onto the playground. Fairly low-profile stuff by Felton's standards.

Scary hair? He's sporting more of a 'dirty' blond mop here, hidden beneath a schoolboy cap.

Before Hogwarts was a twinkle in J.K. Rowling's eye, Jill Murphy was writing and illustrating The Worst Witch book series, which follows the exploits of Mildred Hubble at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches.

There was an American movie made, but this was the British TV programme that aired on CITV. Felton only appeared in one episode but it must have looked good on his CV when he went for a role in the big wizarding franchise.

Scary hair? It's impossible to track down any evidence for this one.

Another TV role for Felton, although he was acting opposite Hollywood star-in-the-making Clive Owen (and the now-ubiquitous Eddie Marsan was also onboard).

Owen played a detective trying to mask the fact that he was gradually losing his sight (which can't have been easy). Felton was Thomas, a boy who was of interest to the detective as he was investigating the murder of the boy's mother.

Scary hair? Sporting a golden blond barnet here.

Felton notched up another role in a sizeable movie production here, playing the son of title character Anna Leonowens (Jodie Foster in this version). She heads to Siam to become the governess to the children of the nation's ruler (Chow Yun-Fat), and slowly (and unconvincingly) a romance develops.

You'll probably be more familiar with the story from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I than this ambitious, but patchy, retelling.

Scary hair? It's often tucked away under a frightfully wide-brimmed hat.

Aged 13, Tom Felton nabbed the role of Draco Malfoy after originally auditioning for Harry and Ron. He would go on to appear in every Harry Potter film as the boy wizard's school rival and enemy.

Draco's character is established in the first movie (he must have known his fate was pretty much sealed when the sorting hat put him into Slytherin). He's one of the movie's more memorable figures, even though he doesn't have a great deal to do in this one.

Scary hair? Felton apparently dyes his hair to reach Malfoy's ultrablond shade. The character's personality is in stark contrast with his angelic appearance.

This is the movie in which Draco's nefarious father Lucius (played with steely menace by Jason Isaacs) is introduced. Draco himself gets a little more to do here: for one thing he becomes the seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team, making him a sporting rival to Harry.

He also reveals a little more of his personality when he unwittingly allows Harry and Ron into his private chambers (the pair having disguised themselves as his cronies Crabbe and Goyle after glugging some polyjuice). You can also clearly see that Felton 'shot up' a couple of inches over the summer break between the two movies, as he towers above Radcliffe and chums.

Scary hair? His blond locks were even more harshly scraped back this time.

The Potter -machine was in full swing by this point, as new director Alfonso Cuaron took the series in a darker direction. It's not the most dignified entry for Malfoy though.

He's attacked by a hippogriff, Buckbeak, during one of Hagrid's lessons; he then gleefully watches the animal's execution preparations, but gets shown up royally in front of his friends when Hermione punches him in the face.

Scary hair? A little longer, a little whiter…

As much of the action in this Potter installment focuses on the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the leads' budding hormones, Draco Malfoy took a bit of a backseat.

He's still present and correct though, making some snide class-related jibes to the Weasley family at the Quidditch World Cup, and being turned into a ferret by Professor Mad-Eye Moody, who catches him trying to curse Harry in a most ungentlemanly manner.

Scary hair? It's a distinctively custard/canary shade here, with the ferret providing a closer match for his usually platinum blond tones.

In this movie, the Ministry of Magic, who refuse to believe that Voldemort has returned, interfere with Hogwarts by appointing Dolores Umbridge as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

When Umbridge is struggling to find Dumbledore's Army's secret training sessions in the Room of Requirement, she recruits Draco Malfoy and his sidekicks as prefects, and the egregious enforcers are soon causing problems for Potter's crew.

Scary hair? Foppily side-parted.

During a Potter hiatus, Felton turned up in a support role in this low-budget Brit horror. Matthew (Harry Treadaway) is haunted by guilt following the abduction of his younger brother, who was taken while under his care.

Felton plays Simon, a friend who tries to help Matthew when he starts to suffer from more literal hauntings. The Disappeared lacked the wide exposure of the HP films and went straight to DVD.

Scary hair? As he had ditched the Hogwarts robes for a hoodie, Felton got a crew cut to complete the look.

The sixth installment in the franchise gave Felton his most dramatic material so far. Lucius Malfoy is holed up in Azkaban after being revealed as one of Voldemort's Death Eaters, and his family are left in shame.

Draco takes up an unbreakable vow to whack Dumbledore on the order of Voldemort. Under the protection of Severus Snape, he makes various attempts on Dumbledore's life but loses his grip on his sanity in the process. He also has a couple of violent run-ins with Harry.

Scary hair? A severe side parting.

Tom Felton had an uncredited cameo in Forgetting Sarah Marshall spin-off Get Him to the Greek . Jonah Hill is tasked with getting rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) from London to a gig in LA.

It's a brief appearance, but Felton gamely sends up his Potter fame when Hill bumps into him in a glitzy nightclub, and invites him to his table: "Feel free to bring Professor Snape…Come by, we'll play some late-night Quidditch."

Scary hair? Brilliantly blond, but seductively tousled.

Another low-budget Brit horror for Felton here, away from the production design, big-name casts and cinema releasing of the HP franchise.

He's joined by Hollyoaks star and lads' mag favourite Gemma Atkinson in a tale of teens caught in an isolated country house during a raging storm. The young'uns drinking and partying doesn't last long though, as they're soon being picked off by a mysterious stalker.

Scary hair? Could be verging on a mullet if it wasn't buried beneath a beanie.

Felton's penultimate part in the franchise that's slowly but surely reaching its dramatic finale. Harry, Ron and Hermione have begun their epic journey to find the remaining horcruxes that hold the key to Voldemort's destruction. Expect tears, drama, and a bit of an anticlimax as they leave you hanging the cliff waiting for the proper ending.

Deathly Hallows: Part 1 hits cinemas today, and you can read Total Film's verdict here .

As well as making his final Potter appearance in Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (due out July 2011), Felton already has Rise of the Apes in the can. The Planet of the Apes prequel also stars James Franco and Freida Pinto, and Andy Serkis is on mocap duties as the head ape.

He'll feature alongside Twilight star Ashley Greene in supernatural thriller The Apparition , and he has another couple of potential movies in the pipeline. Throw in a fledgling music career, and it's starting to look like there could well be life after Malfoy for Felton.