‘Chernobyl’ and ‘Harry Potter’ actor Paul Ritter dies at 54

LONDON (AP) — Versatile British actor Paul Ritter, who appeared within the “Harry Potter” franchise and performed a key determine behind nuclear catastrophe in “Chernobyl,” has died, his agent stated Tuesday. He was 54 and had been affected by a mind tumor.

A well-recognized face to British tv viewers and theatergoers, Ritter performed Martin Goodman, the eccentric father of a London Jewish household, within the Channel 4 sitcom “Friday Evening Dinner.”

He additionally performed ill-fated nuclear engineer Anatoly Dyatlov within the HBO drama “Chernobyl;” the wizard Eldred Worple in “Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince;” and appeared as a devious political operative within the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace.”

Ritter was a daily forged member in productions at Britain’s Nationwide Theatre, and his stage roles additionally included “Artwork” at London’s Outdated Vic and Prime Minister John Main in royal drama “The Viewers.”

He was nominated for a Tony Award in 2009 for his efficiency in Alan Ayckbourn’s farce “The Norman Conquests” on Broadway.

Company Markham, Froggatt & Irwin stated Ritter died Monday evening “peacefully at residence together with his spouse Polly and sons Frank and Noah by his facet.”

“Paul was an exceptionally gifted actor enjoying an unlimited number of roles on stage and display with extraordinary talent,” the company stated. “He was fiercely clever, form and really humorous. We’ll miss him tremendously.”