Steph Deschamps / November 9, 2022

The actor Leslie Phillips passed away on November 7, at the age of 98. He was the voice of the magic hat, the animated object that determines which of the four Hogwarts houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Slytherin) each of the new first-year students would be sent to. According to his agent, Leslie Phillips passed away “peacefully in his sleep” after battling a long illness.

Leslie Phillips is survived by his wife, Zara Carr, who spoke about his death in the columns of the Sun. “He was simply a national treasure. People loved him,” recalls with emotion the widow of the actor with a rich career across the Channel. “He was mobbed everywhere he went.” The actor had indeed played in no less than 174 films. In recent years, he had played Wilson in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Leo in 3 times 20 years. He had not appeared on the big screen since 2012 and his role in the film Darkheart Manor. Zara Carr, who became Zara Phillips after her marriage to Leslie Phillips, fondly remembers that her husband was amused that she was now called as the daughter of Princess Anne and willingly introduced her as a member of the royal family of England to entertain their friends.