‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Chernobyl’ Actor Paul Ritter Dead at 54

Actor Paul Ritter, known for roles in a Harry Potter movie and the “Chernobyl” miniseries, has died. Ritter, who had been suffering from a brain tumor, was 54.

His agent confirmed the news to The Guardian, saying, "It is with great sadness we can confirm that Paul Ritter passed away last night. He died peacefully at home with his wife Polly and sons Frank and Noah by his side.”

The statement went on, "Paul was an exceptionally talented actor playing an enormous variety of roles on stage and screen with extraordinary skill. He was fiercely intelligent, kind and very funny. We will miss him greatly.”

Ritter’s career included notable roles like Eldred Worple in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2009), supervisor Anatoly Dyatlov on HBO’s “Chernobyl” (2019), and patriarch Martin Goodman on the UK’s Channel 4 series “Friday Night Dinner” (2011-2020).

He will also appear in the upcoming war movie “Operation Mincemeat.”

“Friday Night Dinner” creator Robert Popper paid tribute to Paul on Twitter, writing, "Devastated at this terribly sad news. Paul was a lovely, wonderful human being. Kind, funny, super caring and the greatest actor I ever worked with x.”