MOVIE: Just How Well Known Are The HP Movie Stars?

[catherine at cator-manor.demon.co.uk]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "Cindy C." <cynthiaanncoe at h...> wrote:
> As an American, I must confess that I haven't ever heard of any of 
> the stars of the HP movie (although that Richard fellow rings a 
> bell).  On a scale of 1-10, how big are these stars in Britain?  
What 
> kind of acting are they known for?  And just for fun, what American 
> star is the closest analog, e.g is Alan Rickman = Harrison Ford or 
> something?
> 
> Cindy

Well, I would say very big, most of them.  Maggie Smith, for about a 
zillion films, but also she's one of our grande dames of the theatre 
(her Lady Bracknell was superb).  She was also in the BBC adaptation 
of David Copperfield, along side Daniel Radcliffe, and Zoe Wanamaker

Robbie Coltrane - mainly TV stuff, including the wonderful Cracker.

Alan Rickman - again, when he isn't playing baddies opposite Bruce 
Willis, he has done all kinds of cinema, including Truly Madly 
Deeply, The Winter Guest, Sense and Sensibility - and some American 
films such as Dogma.  Again though, he does theatre, and is 
considered a "serious" actor.

Erm, who else?  Well, he of the very irritating voice, Richard Harris 
did films such as Camelot and Cromwell in his more youthful days, and 
of course was in Gladiator recently.

Richard Griffiths is a fairly well known television actor, mainly in 
drama series such as Pie in the Sky - he also does costume dramas etc.

Fiona Shaw - again, mainly theatre, although she did play the 
headmistress with a crush on Tom Selleck in Three Men and a Little 
Lady (how could she!)

Zoe Wanamaker, TV and theatre, but is best known for TV.  Can't think 
of much off the top of my head except for the terrible Love Hurts, 
oh, and she was in Gormenghast.

John Cleese.  A hero.  Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, films such as 
Clockwise and A Fish Called Wanda.  He is an institution over here.

Anyway, although none of them are big stars in the same way as 
Harrison Ford etc. (they don't get paid as much, for a start), they 
are all extremely well respected in their various fields.  I think 
all of them are theatre stalwarts (with the exception of John 
Cleese?).  Maggie Smith and Fiona Shaw probably rank along side Judi 
Dench as our best theatre actresses (of a certain age) at the 
moment.  And Maggie Smith doesn't sell out and do stupid sitcoms in 
the same way Judi Dench does.  BTW: can anyone see her as Madame 
Pomfrey?

So, I'd say with the exception of perhaps Richard Griffiths, all are 
extremely well known, popular and respected, even if they don't quite 
have the celebrity status of people such as Hugh Grant.

Catherine