Actor. He is perhaps best known as the voice of the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter film series. Born Leslie Samuel Phillips he was the third child of a working-class family, his dad Frederick Samuel Phillips was a factory employee who died at the age of 44 and his mom Cecelia Margaret Phillips sent him to the Italia Conte stage school to lose his Cockney accent. His first experiences in films came in 3 uncredited films in 1938 "Lassie from Lancashire," "The Citadel" and "Climbing High." He was also a World War II veteran who served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Durham Light Infantry but was found unfit for service just before D-Day with an illness that caused partial paralysis. Some of the other 80 plus films he appeared in were "The Woman with No Name," "You Know What Sailors Are," "Inn for Trouble" and "Is There Anybody There?" Between 1948 and 2009 he had roles in over 50 television films and episodes the included "Morning Departure" film, "Tracey and Me" (episode), "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (episode) and "Walking with Shadows" (film). He made his stage debut in 1937 as a wolf in "Peter Pan." Other production he lent his voice to were "Gex: Enter the Gecko" as "Gex," the cat in Iams advertising, and the voice of the captain of the Virgin Atlantic safety video. He was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor in 2007 for his role in the film "Venus." He was married to Penelope Bartley (1925–1981), Angela Scoular in 1982 until her death in 2011 and Zara Carr in 2013 until his death in 2022. He passed away after a long illness, at the age of 98.
Actor. He is perhaps best known as the voice of the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter film series. Born Leslie Samuel Phillips he was the third child of a working-class family, his dad Frederick Samuel Phillips was a factory employee who died at the age of 44 and his mom Cecelia Margaret Phillips sent him to the Italia Conte stage school to lose his Cockney accent. His first experiences in films came in 3 uncredited films in 1938 "Lassie from Lancashire," "The Citadel" and "Climbing High." He was also a World War II veteran who served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Durham Light Infantry but was found unfit for service just before D-Day with an illness that caused partial paralysis. Some of the other 80 plus films he appeared in were "The Woman with No Name," "You Know What Sailors Are," "Inn for Trouble" and "Is There Anybody There?" Between 1948 and 2009 he had roles in over 50 television films and episodes the included "Morning Departure" film, "Tracey and Me" (episode), "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (episode) and "Walking with Shadows" (film). He made his stage debut in 1937 as a wolf in "Peter Pan." Other production he lent his voice to were "Gex: Enter the Gecko" as "Gex," the cat in Iams advertising, and the voice of the captain of the Virgin Atlantic safety video. He was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor in 2007 for his role in the film "Venus." He was married to Penelope Bartley (1925–1981), Angela Scoular in 1982 until her death in 2011 and Zara Carr in 2013 until his death in 2022. He passed away after a long illness, at the age of 98.
Bio by: Alan
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