Leslie Phillips, 'Harry Potter' Sorting Hat, Dead at 98
Leslie Phillips, the actor best known for voicing the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films and for his role in several of the British Carry On comedies, has died. Phillips died "peacefully in his sleep" on Monday, his agent Jonathan Lloyd confirmed to Sky News. The Sun reported the actor died following an unspecified long illness. He was 98.
His wife Zara told The Sun of her late husband, "I've lost a wonderful husband and the public has lost a truly great showman." She went on to remember him as "quite simply a national treasure," adding that "people loved him" and Phillips "was mobbed everywhere he went." At this time, Phillips' official cause of death has not been confirmed. According to the BBC, the actor previously suffered two strokes six months apart at the age of 90.
Born in Tottenham, north London, in April 1924, Phillips attended Italia Conti Stage School before serving as a lieutenant in the Durham Light Infantry during World War II between 942 and 1945 before being declared unfit for service just before D-Day with a nervous illness that caused partial paralysis. However, his acting career began before that, with Phillips working in West End plays alongside Hollywood stars Vivien Leigh and Rex Harrison by 14 and making his film debut in 1938 in Lassie From Lancashire. Over the following decades, Phillips would star in more than 200 films, TV, and radio series, his career skyrocketing following the war.
He starred in Carry On Nurse, Carry On Teacher, Carry On Columbus, and Carry On Constable, the hit British comedies. With his passing, which comes nearly two years after the death of Barbara Windsor, Jim Dale, 86, is the only remaining surviving regular from the Carry On films. In addition to Carry On, Phillips was also well-known as the voice behind the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films, with his death following the October passing of fellow Harry Potter star Robbie Coltrane.
In addition to Carry On and Harry Potter, Phillips also starred opposite Ronnie Barker and Jon Pertwee on the BBC radio show The Navy Lark for 17 years and was also nominated for a BAFTA for his role in Hanif Kurieshi's Venus in 2006. He was known and loved for his distinctive voice and his trademark caddish phrases like "Lumme", "Well, hello," "I say," and "Ding Dong." Throughout his career, Phillips worked alongside Steven Spielberg, Laurence Olivier, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, and more, with his credits including Heartbeat, Midsomer Murders, Monarch Of The Glen, Empire Of The Sun, Scandal, Out of Africa, and more. He was made an OBE in the 1998 Birthday Honours and was promoted to CBE in the 2008 New Year Honours.