Leslie Phillips, the voice of Sorting Hat in 'Harry Potter' films, dies at 98

Veteran English actor Leslie Phillips, best known for starring in 'Carry On' and 'Harry Potter' film series as well as the BBC radio comedy series 'The Navy Lark', has died at the age of 98. His agent Jonathan Lloyd said that he died peacefully in his sleep, reported Deadline. Born on April 20, 1924 in Tottenham, Middlesex, Phillips first made his acting debut on stage in 1937. In a production of Peter Pan, he played a wolf. In 1938 came his film debut. It was a musical comedy called 'Lassie from Lancashire'. However, despite intermittent acting, he did not get gain fame until 1957's Hollywood musical film 'Les Girls'.

Despite his Hollywood success, however, he chose to stay in his native Britain and starred in comedies such as 'Brothers in Law' and 'The Smallest Show on Earth'. He played a small role in the second film in the 'Carry On' series, called 'Carry On Nurse'. The role popularised his catchphrase 'Ding dong'. He also had a successful career in radio, particularly in the aforementioned 'The Navy Lark'. He also appeared in 'The Navy Lark' the film, being the only audio cast member to do so.

To modern audiences, he was best known as the voice of the Sorting Hat in 'Potter' movies. The Sorting Hat is a sentient magical hat that sorts the students of Hogwarts into one of the four houses as per their traits.

The official Twitter handle of the 'Harry Potter' films shared an image of Phillips to pay tribute. The caption read, "We are incredibly sad to hear of the passing of the wonderful Leslie Phillips who voiced the Sorting Hat with such inimitable wit and style in the Harry Potter films."

Official Bafta Twitter handled also shared a condolence message. "We’re saddened to hear that Leslie Phillips, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films and BAFTA-nominated for his incredible performance opposite Peter O’Toole in Venus, has died. Our thoughts are with his family," it read.