12 Doctor Who Actors Who Also Appeared in Harry Potter

It’s always a fun surprise when a familiar face from a favorite series shows up in another franchise. The nature of the job means we’re used to seeing the same actors pop up across multiple series or films, especially if an acting legend is at the peak of their career. But there are certain franchises that become so cemented in the public consciousness that an actor becomes synonymous with a part and it can be almost jarring to see them go on to play another role, even more so if they’ve made a name for themselves across not one but two fan-favorite franchises. Sometimes, franchises are so popular they start to attract the greats of television, leading to a whole range of interesting crossovers — and when it comes to British pop culture juggernauts, you might be surprised to know that Doctor Who and Harry Potter share more than a few cast members.

When Warner Bros. first bought the rights to J.K. Rowling’s hugely successful Harry Potter books in 1999, anticipation was rife for the film adaptation of this unprecedented success story. By the time the first film began production, the famous boy wizard had become enough of a pop culture phenomenon to attract some of Britain’s finest acting talent. It’s no wonder then, that when Russell T Davies’s hugely successful reboot of Doctor Who, another true British institution, graced our screens just a few years later, with 40 years of history and the nostalgia factor behind it, it began to attract some of the same famous faces.  From Time Lords to Hogwarts professors, Death Eaters to space pirates, the crossover between Doctor Who and Harry Potter proves just how small the acting world can be. Whether you first met these performers in the TARDIS or the Great Hall, their performances helped create both universes we know and love.

Some had blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearances, while others held iconic roles in both. Here are 12 Doctor Who actors who also appeared in Harry Potter.

1) David Tennant – The Tenth Doctor & Barty Crouch Jr.

It’s hard to think of a more bizarre example of an actor jumping between universes than David Tennant. Most fans will know him for his iconic role in Doctor Who, where he played the charming, energetic (and dare we say something of a heartthrob) Tenth Doctor, instantly winning over millions of particularly newer fans when he took over the iconic role from Christopher Eccleston in “Parting of the Ways” in 2005 and when he cemented himself in the part later that year in the Christmas special, “The Christmas Invasion.” Although progressing nicely in his career, the part was one of Tennant’s first major roles, catapulting him into stardom, and he has spoken candidly in interviews about the impact of becoming famous practically overnight.

But before taking on the TARDIS, Potterheads will know that that very same year, Tennant made an appearance in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Barty Crouch Jr., the unhinged Death Eater partly responsible for helping ensure Voldemort’s rise back to power. Tennant creates a truly repulsive and sinister figure in the role, and his somewhat exaggerated Shakespearean style of acting worked perfectly in the role. From villain to hero, Tennant’s demonstration of his range across the two franchises soon cemented him as one of the greats.

2) Michael Gambon – Kazran Sardick & Professor Dumbledore

Sir Michael Gambon began his acting career performing alongside the likes of Laurence Olivier, becoming one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre. Over his 60-year career, he’s earned three Olivier Awards and four BAFTAs and even received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. But the acting legend proved he’s not above portraying a fan-favorite character on screen when he stepped into one of the most iconic roles in cinema, taking over from the late, great Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films. Gambon paid tribute to Harris’s ethereal, instantly likeable take on the role whilst subtly evolving the part to make it more his own over the course of the movies.

But Whovians might instead know Gabon as Kazran Sardick, the miserly old money lender in the Doctor Who 2010 Christmas special, “A Christmas Carol.” Like Scrooge before him, Gambon’s character was a curmudgeon set on allowing a whole spacecraft of people die for no other reason than apathy, when he is the only person who can save them. Kazran is eventually redeemed only by the Eleventh Doctor’s timey-wimey intervention when he uses the TARDIS to travel back and befriend Kazran as a child in the hope of changing his ways in time to save the doomed spacecraft above. After the twinkly-eyed, (usually) calm and collected Dumbledore, it’s fun to see Gambon take on such a different, more animated character. During an appearance at the London Film and Comic Con, Gabon reportedly admitted he felt he “wasn’t very good” on Doctor Who, but we think he might be being a little harsh on himself! The episode was certainly one of the show’s more memorable Christmas specials.

3) Helen McCrory – Rosanna Calvierri & Narcissa Malfoy

The late Helen McCrory left a mark on both franchises with roles that displayed her gravitas and quiet stage presence as an actor. In Doctor Who, she played Rosanna Calvierri, the matriarch of a vampiric alien species masquerading as a Venetian noble and patron of the city in the Season 5 episode “The Vampires of Venice.” Despite the character’s evil plot (kidnapping the daughters of Venetian nobles under the guise of running a boarding school), one can’t help feeling somewhat sorry for Rosanna, as it turns out she is converting the girls into females of her own species to ensure its survival. While it might not justify her actions, her motivation is understandable, and McCrory brought a formidable determination and strength to the character that viewers could recognise as stemming from the love of a mother.

In Harry Potter, she embodied a similarly formidable mother figure in Narcissa Malfoy — a character who ultimately risked everything and defied Voldemort (who, by the way, was a skilled legilimens — or mind reader), lying to his face when asked to confirm if Harry was dead, out of love for her son Draco. Despite having minimal lines, McCrory brought a real humanity to Narcissa. Just from mannerisms and body language, we could tell this was a character stuck between a rock and a hard place, forced to go along with an evil regime she probably doesn’t fully agree with in order to protect her family. Both roles showed McCrory’s gift for speaking volumes with few words.

4) Bill Nighy – Dr. Black & Rufus Scrimgeour

In another example of an actor playing wildly different roles across franchises, eagle-eyed fans might have spotted Bill Nighy in one of Doctor Who’s more bittersweet episodes, “Vincent and the Doctor.” Nighy brought a quiet poignancy to his cameo as Dr. Black, a bumbling art expert in the Musée d’Orsay in France whose warm words about his favorite painter (who unbeknownst to him was standing right behind him) finally let Vincent van Gogh appreciate his worth. It’s perhaps one of the funniest moments in the episode when Dr. Black does a double-take at the man who’s just shaken his hand before deciding that, of course, it can’t possibly be Van Gogh himself, can it?

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Nighy brought us a vastly different character as the no-nonsense Rufus Scrimgeour, the newly elected and doomed Minister for Magic, who, unlike his predecessor Fudge, stood up against Voldemort before unfortunately being killed. Scrimgeour wasn’t the most likable character, not being particularly fond of Harry and his friends due to Harry’s refusal to cooperate with the Ministry and be a poster boy in the fight against Voldemort, but Nighy definitely brought a commanding presence to the role. Both parts were brief but extremely well played by Nighy.

5) Toby Jones – The Dream Lord & Dobby

Toby Jones OBE (who earned acclaim for his recent role in ITV drama Mr Bates vs. The Post Office) certainly has a talent for voices. While he didn’t actually appear in Harry Potter on screen, Jones lent his voice to bring to life Dobby, the Malfoys’ devoted house-elf whose arrival in Harry’s life brings chaos in its wake. Dobby was a fan favorite in the Harry Potter franchise, appearing in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1, and his tragic sacrifice remains one of the film series’ most heartbreaking moments. Jones’s voicework as the renegade house elf is iconic and it’s safe to say the free elf we all know and love wouldn’t have been the same without him.

In Doctor Who, Jones took on a much darker role, portraying the Dream Lord, a sinister manifestation of The Doctor’s own darker impulses in the Season 5 episode “Amy’s Choice.” At first, we are unaware of who the Dream Lord really is, and Jones is undeniably creepy as the unknown entity, as he torments The Doctor, seemingly knowing everything about the Time Lord, while we know nothing about him in return. Jones’s performance, though a one-off, sticks in the memory of Whovian’s as one of the more disturbing of Doctor Who villains, especially after the reveal that he is, in fact, a sort of version of the Doctor, as it reminds us of the less savoury aspects of our hero’s personality, buried deep down.

6) Mark Williams – Brian Williams & Arthur Weasley

Actor and comedian Mark Williams seems to have staked his claim on the market of lovable dad roles. In Doctor Who, he played the eternally affable Brian Williams, Rory’s endearingly awkward father, who in Season 7’s “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship” found himself unwittingly brought along for the ride when the Doctor materialized the TARDIS around him. Despite some (understandable) initial confusion, he soon took it all in his stride, and returned in “The Power of Three” to assist The Doctor, Amy, and Rory with their investigation of the “invasion of the very small cubes.” Despite only appearing in two episodes, with his amiable demeanor and earnest desire to help The Doctor, he quickly became a fan favorite.

Of course, this wasn’t the only time Williams had played a devoted father — throughout the Harry Potter franchise, he played the equally lovable Arthur Weasley — patriarch of the Weasley clan, and enthusiastic collector of Muggle gadgets, including those mysterious rubber ducks. Williams brought an instant likability to Arthur Weasley,  fiercely protective of his family and always looking out for Harry. He was exactly what a pure blood wizard ought to be, and the antithesis of the prejudiced Malfoys. Alongside Julie Walters as his wife Molly Weasley, the pair had instant chemistry and added a true comedic double act to the series whenever on screen together.

7) David Bradley – Solomon & Argus Filch

David Bradley (known for his role as Walder Frey in the Game of Thrones series) may be something of a victim of typecasting, as he is no stranger to playing the grumpy old man archetype. Eagle-eyed fans might have spotted that he has more than one appearance in the Whoniverse. He first appeared on Doctor Who in 2012 as the truly detestable and ruthless space mercenary Solomon in “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship,” but his performance must have made an impression, because Bradley returned to the Whoniverse in 2013 to help the franchise celebrate its 50th anniversary with docu-drama An Adventure in Space and Time, (which charted the shows rocky journey to success) portraying the First Doctor’s actor, William Hartnell. Bradley was so convincing as both Hartnell and the First Doctor that he has since been invited back to the show in episodes like “Twice Upon a Time” and “The Power of the Doctor” to portray the first iteration of our favorite Time Lord.

Potterhead’s however, will better know Bradley as Argus Filch, the cantankerous caretaker of Hogwarts with — let’s be honest — perhaps the world’s most iconic jog through the great hall. All these roles showcase Bradley’s range and talent as an actor. From literally rooting for his untimely demise as the evil Solomon, to bringing us to tears as William Hartnell, to making us chuckle as Argus Filch, he has an uncanny ability to embody any role he takes on.

8) John Hurt – The War Doctor & Ollivander

Few actors can boast roles as iconic as the late, great John Hurt’s. The BAFTA award-winner first rose to fame playing Richard Rich in A Man for All Seasons. From playing Emperor Caligula in BBC’s I, Claudius to providing the voice of the Dragon in The Adventures of Merlin, Hurt has certainly gotten around. In Harry Potter, he was introduced to countless fans of the wizarding world in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as the eccentric wandmaker Garrick Ollivander. Hurt really captures the unpredictability and sporadic nature of the wandmaker in his performance, selling the scene opposite a young and clearly slightly unnerved Daniel Radcliffe.

In 2013, he was revealed as the War Doctor for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, the hidden incarnation of the Time Lord who fought in the Time War and whom The Doctor has done his level best to forget. His role in the 50th-anniversary special was initially met with some scepticism when he was revealed in the previous episode “The Name of The Doctor,” as some Whovians were unhappy with the tampering with the numbering system of the Doctor’s (hence why his iteration of the Doctor is credited as “The War Doctor”), but he soon silenced the critics, giving a powerful performance as a war-weary version of the Time Lord prepared to commit genocide to secure peace. Luckily, the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors are there to stop him and the 50th Special remains one of Who’s most heartwarming episodes.

9) Roger Lloyd Pack – John Lumic & Barty Crouch Sr.

Best known as Trigger in Only Fools and Horses from the early ’80s and Owen Newitt in The Vicar of Dibley in the ’90s and early 2000s, Roger Lloyd Pack’s performances often leaned toward the comedic and eccentric. But he proved he could also pull off the mustache-twirling villain when, in 2006, he stared in a two-parter of Doctor Who “Rise of the Cybermen” and “Age of Steel” as John Lumic, the ruthless businessman and tech mogul who, due to his own pride and arrogant belief in his own ability to control this new creation, unleashed a new wave of Cybermen in a parallel Earth during the Tenth Doctor era.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Pack gave us another, more serious, and this time more sympathetic role as Barty Crouch Sr., the Ministry official brutally murdered by his Death Eater son (David Tennant), whom he had previously locked away in Azkaban. Both figures were ultimately doomed to die brutal and painful deaths (Lumic eventually being converted into a cyberman himself by his own creation), and although flawed, Pack brought a distinct vulnerability to both characters that made us pity their demise.

10) Zoë Wanamaker – Cassandra & Madam Hooch

Four-time Tony award nominee Zoë Wanamaker OBE is best known for her work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre Company, but she has also given fans two unforgettable roles in the Who and Potter franchises. In Doctor Who, she voiced the icon that is Lady Cassandra, the self-proclaimed “last pure human,” who due to her refusal to accept the mixing of species that occurred when humanity first ventured out in to the stars, believed herself to be superior, despite having so many operations that she was unrecognizable as human, being reduced to nothing but skin stretched across a frame by the time she met her demise in “New Earth.”

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, fans might have recognized her as the no-nonsense Madam Hooch, Hogwarts’s by-the-book Quidditch referee and flying instructor. Both roles, though brief in the grand scheme of the franchises, were scene-stealers in their own right, with Wanamaker bringing an energy to the characters that made them stand out despite their brevity.

11) Shirley Henderson – Ursula Blake & Moaning Myrtle

Shirley Henderson (of the Bridget Jones and Trainspotting film series) certainly has a knack for playing comedic characters with tragic fates. In Doctor Who, she appeared in the oft derided episode “Love and Monsters” as Ursula Blake, a member of the London Investigation ‘N’Detective Agency (LINDA for short), a group of Enthusiasts dedicated to tracking down The Doctor after each having their own encounter with the rogue Time Lord. Unfortunately, sweet Ursula was absorbed by the alien “Abzorbaloff,” played by the hilarious Peter Kay, and could only be partially resurrected by The Doctor, living on as a head baked into a paving stone (don’t ask).

In Harry Potter, Henderson played the admittedly irritating Moaning Myrtle, the ghost of a Hogwarts student killed by the Basilisk in both Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire. Despite the awkwardness of the moment, you couldn’t help laughing at an uncomfortable Harry (or was it just Daniel Radcliffe?!) when Myrtle sneaks up on him in the bath. Both roles demonstrated Henderson’s willingness to take on the weird and wonderful. Whether haunting bathrooms or trapped in cement, her characters might have been cursed with unlucky afterlives, but they certainly provided entertainment value.

12) Warwick Davis – Professor Flitwick/Griphook & Porridge

Warwick Davis certainly had his work cut out on the Harry Potter series and is unique on our list for having taken on multiple Harry Potter roles. He first played Professor Filius Flitwick, the Hogwarts Charms Master, and then went on to play the scheming goblin Griphook, whose double cross and stealing of the sword of Gryffindor in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 unwittingly played a small part in helping win the wizarding war, as it kept the sword out of Voldemort’s hands and the sword was later able to present itself to Neville who of course struck the fatal blow that killed Nagini.

In Doctor Who, Davis guest-starred in the Season 7 episode “Nightmare in Silver” as Porridge, who turned out to be Emperor Ludens Nimrod Kendrick Cord Longstaff XLI (quite the name) in disguise. Despite his royal responsibilities, Porridge shared a tender moment when he even proposed to Clara Oswald, though she sadly had to decline the offer.

Know of any other surprising Doctor Who Harry Potter crossovers? Let us know in the comments!

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