According to The BBC, British character actor David Ryall died on Christmas Day. He was 79.
To an American audience, Ryall would almost certainly be best-recognized for playing Elphias Doge in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Doge wasn’t the most famous character in the Harry Potter movies, but his membership in the Order Of The Phoenix and association with the Ministry Of Magic definitely made him an integral part of the series’ mythology. However, as Ryall’s daughter—actress Charlie Ryall—pointed out on Twitter, he had a “huge five-decade-spanning career” and it wasn’t “just Harry Potter.”
She’s right, of course. Ryall has over 100 credits to his name, dating all the way back to the late-’60s. He appeared in countless British TV shows, including The Singing Detective, The Village, Outnumbered, the original version of House Of Cards, and The Tractate Middoth—a TV movie directed by Sherlock‘s Mark Gatiss. Ryall also had several notable film roles, including parts in 2008’s City Of Ember, 2004’s Around The World In 80 Days, and David Lynch’s The Elephant Man. Ryall is survived by his son and two daughters.