Who plays Voldemort in Harry Potter?

Majorly portrayed by actor Ralph Fiennes, the character of Voldemort has been portrayed by various actors in the Harry Potter franchise.

Harry Potter is a globally popular fantasy movie series based on the novels written by J.K. Rowling going by the same name. The film franchise consists of a total of eight movies released between 2001 and 2011, produced under the banner of Warner Bros. The franchise revolves around the life and adventures of a young wizard, Harry Potter, portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe, and his friends Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) during their time as students at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, also known as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, sets the path for Harry, an orphan living with his cruel relatives, to discover his magical heritage when he is invited to Hogwarts as a student on his 11th birthday. The series dives deep into various themes like friendship, loyalty, and the never-ending battle between good and evil as Harry confronts the dark wizard Lord Voldemort.

Over its 10-year journey, the movies collectively grossed over $7.7 billion worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing movie franchises in Hollywood. The movies' successes also brought in a spin-off series titled Fantastic Beasts which was also a blockbuster.

Who plays Voldemort in Harry Potter?

The character of Lord Voldemort was shown in various forms and versions throughout the 8 movies released in the franchise. Let's check them out.

Young Voldemort aka Tom Riddle played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, we see a moment in Professor Dumbledore's memory, where he meets up with a young Tom Riddle, around 11 years of age, in an orphanage. At the time, Dumbledore, who was unaware of the path Tom would take, had arrived to bring him to Hogwarts seeing his potential of being a wizard. This young version of Tom Riddle is played by child actor Hero Fiennes Tiffin. The actor was selected amongst the thousands of child actors who had tried for the role in the movie. Apart from Harry Potter, Hero was seen working on other projects like Private Peaceful, After We Fell, The Woman King, and The Loneliest Boy in the World among many others.

Tom Riddle at Hogwarts played by Frank Dillane

Another version of Lord Voldemort aka Tom Riddle was shown in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, in Professor Slughorn's memory where he was teaching Potions to a teenage version of Tom Riddle. It was around this time when Riddle learned the art of making Horcruxes. This version of Tom Riddle was played by Frank Stephenson Dillane who was around 10 years old at the time when the movie was released. Dillane is a famous American movie and television actor who received global fame appearing as Nick for 4 seasons of Fear the Walking Dead (2015–2018).

16-year-old Tom Riddle played by Christian Coulson

This version of Voldemort was seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets which was when he was revealed to be the main antagonist of the film series. This is the first time where Harry encounters a physical form of Voldemort and learns that he is always going to be his target until he kills the boy who lived. This version of Lord Voldemort was played by Christian Coulson who is a famous English actor. While he made a name for himself by playing Tom Riddle, Christian also featured in other projects like Take Me Back, Leaving Circadia, Love Is Strange, and many more. The actor was also planning to reprise his role in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince but at the time the actor became too old to play a 16-year-old.

Voldemort's partial self voiced by Ian Hart

This version of Lord Voldemort was shown in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone which was the first movie in the franchise and showed a weaker and more vulnerable form of the Dark Lord, leaching on the life force of Professor Quirinus Quirrell who was the Defence against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. Ian Hart was chosen to play a double role in the movie, where he played the role of Professor Quirrell and also voiced Voldemort. Apart from Harry Potter, Ian Hart is also seen in movies like Nothing Personal, Michael Collins, The Butcher Boy, Born Romantic, Bring Me Your Love, and many more.

The Dark Lord / Voldemort played by Ralph Fiennes

The final and true embodiment of Lord Voldemort was played by Ralph Fiennes, and this version of Voldemort was introduced in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This movie showed the rebirth of Voldemort and Fiennes played the character till the final movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, commonly known as Ralph Fiennes is a well-known English actor famous for his roles in the James Bond movies as M, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Schindler's List, The English Patient, The Menu, and more. The actor has received various accolades and awards including a BAFTA and a Tony Award, as well as nominations at the Oscars and the Golden Globes.

Read more about: Harry Potter cast