Legendary British actor Leslie Phillips, best known in the US for voicing the Sorting Hat in the “Harry Potter” films, has died after a long battle with illness at the age of 98.
Phillips’ agent Jonathan Lloyd confirmed that the thespian passed away “peacefully in his sleep” on Monday.
Born April 20, 1924, in Tottenham, London, the comic actor starred in over 200 films, TV and radio series during his storied 80-year career.
Phillips is perhaps best known to younger generations for lending his voice to three “Harry Potter” films as the Sorting Hat, the enchanted wizard’s cap that would choose which houses new Hogwarts students would belong to.
The actor is most famous for playing a honey-tongued ladies’ man in the “Carry On” and “Doctor” films in the 1950s and 60s. His characters became known for uttering the saucy catchphrases “Ding dong”, “I say” and “Well, hello,” when in the presence of attractive women. These one-liners became so iconic that Phillips joked that they would be inscribed on his headstone.
Along with his comic movie roles, the Brit also had a 17-year stint on the BBC radio show “The Navy Lark.” He played a dim-witted army officer alongside Ronnie Barker and Jon Pertwee.
Despite his success, Phillips began to resent being typecast as a wise-cracking womanizer.
This came to a head when his pals dubbed him “King Leer” after he played King Lear in a performance for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
“I felt I was in a bit of a rut,” lamented Phillips. “It wasn’t necessarily a bad rut, and some people might actually want to be in that particular rut, but I wanted to get out.”
The comic actor’s wife Zara paid tribute to her late husband. “I’ve lost a wonderful husband and the public has lost a truly great showman,” the bereaved widow said. “He was quite simply a national treasure. People loved him. He was mobbed everywhere he went.”
Phillips is survived by his third wife, Zara Carr, and four children.
