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HBO’s Harry Potter Series Reveals Who’s Playing the Sorting Hat, Fat Lady, and Hogwarts Ghosts

HBO has filled out Hogwarts’ supernatural staff just before Halloween, with David Threlfall voicing the Sorting Hat.

Dima Mohanna
Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter in HBO's Harry Potter series
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HBO has filled out the supernatural side of Hogwarts, naming the actors behind the Sorting Hat, three of the four house ghosts and the Fat Lady. The announcement landed on Friday, the day before Halloween, and it comes less than two months before the series premieres.

According to Deadline, David Threlfall, who played Frank Gallagher in the original UK Shameless, voices the Sorting Hat. Variety reports that Leo Bill (The Living and the Dead, Alice in Wonderland) plays Gryffindor’s ghost, Nearly Headless Nick. Andrew Brooke (PhoneShop, The Agency) is Slytherin’s Bloody Baron, and Daniel Fearn (Things You Should Have Done, Slow Horses) is the Fat Friar. UPI reports that Laura Smyth plays the Fat Lady, the portrait guarding the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.

Three young students dressed in dark robes walk together in a stone corridor, smiling and engaging with each other.
A young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a dark gray shirt, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression against a soft, neutral background.
A close-up portrait of a young woman with long brown hair, wearing a white blouse, looking directly at the camera.
A man in a tuxedo with a bow tie, smiling, with short dark hair and blue eyes, at a formal event.
A smiling man in a black suit and tie sitting on a red chair against a red background.
A young boy with glasses and short dark hair, smiling joyfully while wearing a colorful jacket.
A young boy with curly red hair, wearing a striped shirt, sits at a table with condiments in the foreground, looking thoughtfully at the camera.
A young girl with curly hair wearing a school robe and tie, smiling while sitting at a desk in a classroom filled with other students.
Two young boys in light blue school shirts and ties, looking concerned while walking in a schoolyard.
A young boy with short dark hair and round glasses, wearing a black and green outfit, stands smiling next to a wooden birdcage.
A middle-aged man with long gray hair and round glasses appears to be conversing intently in a dimly lit environment.

Threlfall’s casting has a particular weight. According to Geo News, the hat was voiced in the films by Leslie Phillips, so this is a new take on a role that audiences know well. SlashFilm lists the Fat Friar as Hufflepuff’s ghost, and Winter Is Coming notes that this leaves one house ghost, Ravenclaw’s, still unannounced.

These are the latest additions to a cast that has been growing steadily. UPI says Jasper Talbot and Hannah Chinn were named earlier this week as James and Lily Potter, and Harry Gilby as Charlie Weasley, while Kit Harington plays Gilderoy Lockhart. Deadline’s rundown has Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout leading as Harry, Hermione and Ron, with John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape and Nick Frost as Hagrid. We’ve also covered the casting of Peeves, Moaning Myrtle and Arthur Weasley, and Dobby and young Voldemort.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone premieres on 25 December on HBO and HBO Max, where available. The first season has eight episodes, and Variety says work is already underway on Season 2, which adapts Chamber of Secrets. The first full trailer is worth a rewatch if you want a look at the castle these characters will haunt.

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Who voices the Sorting Hat in HBO’s Harry Potter series?

Deadline and Variety report that David Threlfall, best known as Frank Gallagher in the UK version of Shameless, voices the hat. Some early reports named another actor, but the trade outlets agree on Threlfall.

When does HBO’s Harry Potter series premiere?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone debuts on 25 December 2026 on HBO and HBO Max. We haven’t seen confirmation of how or when it reaches UAE viewers.

Which Hogwarts ghosts have been cast?

Leo Bill plays Nearly Headless Nick, Andrew Brooke plays the Bloody Baron, and Daniel Fearn plays the Fat Friar. The Ravenclaw ghost hasn’t been announced.

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