‘Harry Potter’ Actor David Ryall Dead; Daughter Asks Fans To Remember Wide Career

English actor David Ryall, best known for his role in the “Harry Potter” film series, died Christmas Day at the age of 79. The news was confirmed by actor and writer Mark Gatiss, as well as Ryall’s daughter, Charlie Ryall.

Gatiss, a writer for “Sherlock” and “Doctor Who,” posted the following tweet over the holiday weekend:

Charlie Ryall posted her own message for fans, as well, asking them to not only remember her father for his role as Elphias Doge in 2010’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” but also to honor his “five-decade-spanning career.” His daughter added that she loves “Harry Potter,” but that “there’s so much more” to be remembered of her father.

Due to the enormous “Harry Potter” fan base, Ryall’s part as Elphias Doge is one of his most memorable. “Harry Potter” fans took to Twitter to pay their respects to Ryall, asking other Potterheads to “raise their wands” for the actor.

The character of Doge was a longtime friend of Albus Dumbledore’s and member of the Order of the Phoenix. Doge surfaced after the death of Dumbledore to write an obituary for the Daily Prophet newspaper. Harry Potter later spoke to him about some of the “dark arts” rumors that trash reporter Rita Skeeter appeared to hint at in her book, “The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore.”

Ryall’s career was launched in 1967 by the television movie “Much Ado About Nothing.” Subsequently, he landed a series of roles on TV shows such as “The Pallisers, “Crown Court,” “Armchair Thriller,” “The Singing Detective,” “The Return of Shelley” and “Casualty.” In recent years, he had parts on “Holby City,” “Trollied” and Peter Moffatt’s BBC series, “The Village.”

David Ryall is survived by his son, Jonathan Ryall, and his two daughters, Imogen Ryall and Charlie Ryall.