Given the cues taken by its author, it is perhaps no surprise that the Harry Potter universe is jam packed full of Scottish acting talent.

JK Rowling wrote the vast majority of the early part of the wizarding world in the centre of Edinburgh – though the exact location is disputed – and much of the scenery depicted in Hogwarts can thank the capital for the inspiration.

While the franchise made global icons out of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, there were plenty of other big names who appeared in some form throughout the series.

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Several have gone on to become major stars in their own right, taking the best of Scottish acting talent global, while others have seen their careers plummet as a result of legal trouble.

Here are a few of the Scottish voices found in the film franchise and what they went on to do next.

Robbie Coltrane

Perhaps the most recognisable Scottish name connected to the film series, Coltrane’s beloved portrayal of caretaker Rubeus Hagrid earned him global recognition as one of the cast’s most iconic members.

The Rutherglen-born actor was already a major star before being approached for the role having scooped three best actor Baftas for his role in Cracker and appeared in Pierce Brosnan Bond films ‘The World is not Enough’ and ‘GoldenEye’ however was personally chosen for the part by author JK Rowling.

Motivated by children Alice and Spencer, who were fans of the series, Coltrane was revered for his depiction of the character – earning him another award nod for the first film in the franchise.

He appeared in some form in all eight of the films and returned earlier this year for the reunion special, which aired in January.

David Tennant

One of Scotland’s best loved actors, Tennant’s appearance as Bartemius Crouch Jr in 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire sparked a career after he was named as Christopher Eccleston’s successor in Doctor Who months later.

Regularly named as one of the best to ever takes on the time travelling hero, Tennant departed in 2009 but has since appeared in a slew of popular roles from grizzled detective Alec Hardy in Broadchurch to the nefarious Kilgrave in Jessica Jones to the devilish Crowley in Good Omens.

He also picked up an international Emmy award for the controversial portrayal of serial killer Dennis Nielsen in ITV’s Des in 2020 and will play Alexander Litvinenko in an upcoming dramatisation of the former Russian intelligence officer’s poisoning.

Peter Mullan

The legendary actor was a late addition to the Potter franchise, appearing in just the last two films, but is highly-regarded as one of Scotland’s best performers.

Taking on the role of evil death eater Yaxley, Mullen was a key part of the story arc in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows parts one and two after a distinguished career on both the big and small screen.

Having appeared in supporting roles in both Braveheart and Trainspotting, Mullan would go on to find more recent success in Netflix thriller Ozark and the HBO series Westworld as both starring and recurring characters.

The 58-year-old is now signed up to another fantasy project and is due to play an unnamed role in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power when it is released later this year.

Shirley Henderson

Perhaps the most memorable recurring character in the franchise, Shirley Henderson’s characterization of the enigmatically weird ‘Moaning Myrtle’ earned her universal acclaim as a character actor.

Already an established name thanks to her role as Gail in Trainspotting, Henderson assisted Harry in his quests in both the second and fourth films of the series and would go on to be beloved by fans.

She returned as Gail in T2 and played the part of traumatised wife Bunty in Filth, another Irvine Welsh story, alongside James McAvoy.

Her most recent film, See How They Run, in which she stars alongside Saoirse Ronan, Sam Rockwell and David Oyelowo is currently in post-production and is due to be released this year.

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Kevin Guthrie

Stepping outside the main Potter canon, Guthrie portrayed Abernathy in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them however a sexual assault conviction meant he was dropped from the follow up, ‘The Secrets of Dumbledore,’ before production began.

Previously popular following roles in Sunshine on Leith, Sunset Song and Dunkirk, Guthrie was sentenced to three years in prison and was placed on the sex offenders’ register following the incident in October 2017.

An appeal against the conviction was rejected in November 2021 but he has since lodged a second bid against the decision.

Katie Leung

Another of the Trainspotting crossover crew, Leung beat more than 4,000 other hopefuls to land the role of Cho Chang in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

The Dundee-born actor’s on-screen kiss with Daniel Radcliffe was the subject of intense media coverage when the film was released in 2005, however Leung reprised her role for the follow up, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, two years later.

Now 34, she appeared alongside Macdonald and Henderson in T2, but previously spoke about her experiences with being asked to deny racist abuse levelled at her online for her part in the wizarding world – revealing a publicist advised her to “say it’s not happening”.

She most recently voiced Annika in the Netflix animated series ‘Arcane’ and is due to play Ash in the Amazon Prime production ‘The Peripheral’.

Kelly MacDonald

Taking on the part of Helena Ravenclaw in 2011’s ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2,’ the Glaswegian actor has since gone on to voice Merida in Disney’s Brave alongside Billy Connolly and reprised her role as Diane Coulston in T2.

Perhaps her most notable recent role however came in the form of DCI Joanne Davidson in the sixth series of Line of Duty, where her storyline became a national obsession for much of last year.