Harry Potter acting legend Robert Hardy has passed away at the age of 91-years-old.
In a statement, Hardy’s family said that the actor had a “tremendous life” and “a giant career in theatre, television, and film spanning more than 70 years”.
Hardy was perhaps best known for numerous portrayals of Winston Churchill, however, in more recent years, he appeared as Cornelius Fudge, The Minister for Magic, in four of the Harry Potter films.
Hardy’s children Emma,Justine and Paul said in a statement:
“Dad is also remembered as a meticulous linguist, a fine artist, a lover of music and a champion of literature, as well a highly respected historian, and a leading specialist on the longbow. He was an essential part of the team that raised the great Tudor warship The Mary Rose. Gruff, elegant, twinkly, and always dignified, he is celebrated by all who knew him and loved him, and everyone who enjoyed his work.”
Hardy began his career as a classical actor. In 1959 he appeared as Sicinius opposite Laurence Olivier in Coriolanus at Stratford-upon-Avon, directed by Peter Hall.He then appeared in Shakespeare’s Henry V on stage and in television’s An Age of Kings and subsequently played Coriolanus in The Spread of the Eagle and Sir Toby Belch for the BBC Television Shakespeare production of Twelfth Night in 1980.
Over the years, Hardy has played a range of parts on television and film. His first continuing role in a TV series was as businessman Alec Stewart in the award-winning oil company drama The Troubleshooters for the BBC, which he played from 1966 to 1970.
