‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Doctor Who’ Star Dies: Simon Fisher-Becker Was 63

Actor Simon Fisher-Becker, who starred in Harry Potter and Doctor Who, has died. Fisher-Becker passed away Sunday afternoon at the age of 61, his husband Tony confirmed on the actor’s Facebook page. A cause of death was not disclosed.

“Hello everyone. This is Tony, Simon’s husband. I have some very sad news,” Tony wrote. “At 2:50 this afternoon Simon passed away. I’ll be keeping this account open for a while. I’m not sure at this point if I’ll be posting again. Thank you.”

Fisher-Becker’s agent, Kim Barry, added in a statement to the Daily Mail, “Today I lost not only a client in Simon Fisher-Becker, but a close personal friend of 15 years standing. I shall never forget the phone call I made to him when he was offered the part of Dorium Moldovar in BBC’s Dr Who. Simon was also a writer, a raconteur and a great public speaker. He helped me out enormously and was kind, gracious and interested in everyone. My condolences go to his husband Tony, his brother, nieces and nephews and his legion of fans.”

In addition to his role as Hufflepuff House’s resident ghost the Fat Friar in the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Fisher-Becker portrayed the blue-skinned Crespallion black markeeter Dorium Maldovar during Matt Smith’s tenure as the Doctor in Seasons 5 and 6 of BBC’s hit series Doctor Who from 2010 through 2011. He returned for podcast series Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles and Jenny – The Doctor’s Daughter.

Born in London in November 1961, per his IMDb profile, Fisher-Becker enjoyed a three-decade-long acting career that began with a small role in a 1990 episode of ScreenPlay Firsts. He followed it with appearances throughout the ‘90s on titles like An Ungentlemanly Act, 99-1, Beg!, and Crimewatch File. He later starred in the BBC series Puppy Love, as well as other television shows such as One Foot in the Grave, The Bill, Doctors, Getting On, Afterlife, and Love Soup. He also had a small role in the Oscar-winning 2012 film Les Misérables, appearing during the song “Master of the House.”

Paying tribute to him online, one fan said, “His stage routine was one of the funniest things I’ve heard in ages. A dear man who valued his audiences. RIP Simon, shine on.” Another person commented, “A legend of Who both in show and in the community. I never got to meet him properly, but friends who worked with him have nothing but lovely things to say. A real testament to his character. Farewell sir.”