All 8 Hogwarts Professors Cast For HBO's Harry Potter TV Show

HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV show has an incredible cast of actors who will bring the legendary professors tasked with honing the young minds at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to life. The original portrayals of the teachers of the magical school are embedded into pop culture — from the quiet wisdom that Richard Harris and Michael Gambon brought to Albus Dumbledore to how Maggie Smith perfectly captured Minerva McGonagall’s strictness.

Harry Potter is one of the biggest fantasy franchises in the world. As such, not everyone is happy with the choice of actors who have taken the baton from familiar faces. Despite the controversies facing the ensemble cast of HBO’s Harry Potter, there’s no denying that the actors set to depict Hogwarts’ professors are talented.

Since the upcoming Harry Potter series is going to focus on the first book in J.K. Rowling’s series, characters like the hated Professor Dolores Umbridge, Professor Sybil Trewalney, and Professor Remus Lupin are yet to be cast. HBO’s Harry Potter show is set to be a faithful adaptation of the novels, so fans can expect to see teachers like Professor Vector, who wasn’t part of the original films, to be in the upcoming series.

Harry Potter Series Professors
Actor	Professor
Svetlana Karabut	Professor Septima Vector
Richard Durden	Professor Cuthbert Binns
Sirine Saba	Professor Pomona Sprout
Warwick Davis	Professor Filius Flitwick
Luke Thallon	Professor Quirinus Quirrel
Paapa Essiedu	Professor Serevus Snape
Janet McTeer	Professor Minerva McGonagall
John Lithgow	Professor Albus Dumbledore

Svetlana Karabut as Professor Septima Vector

Originally Played By: NA

In the Harry Potter novels, Arithmancy is a class that Hermione picks up in her third year at Hogwarts, but surprisingly, the professor who helms it, Professor Septima Vector, wasn’t part of the original film. The HBO series is set to rectify that as Svetlana Karabut has been cast to play the Arithmancy professor.

Karabut doesn’t have a lot of acting credits to her name, so she might not be a familiar face. The actor has appeared in No Time To Die, Quite the Pickle, and The Radleys. Her role in HBO’s Harry Potter will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of her career.

Richard Durden as Professor Cuthbert Binns

Originally Played By: NA

In the Harry Potter novels, Professor Cuthbert Binns was tasked with teaching the young Hogwarts students the history of their race. Instead of making The History of Magic subject as intriguing as it sounds, Professor Binns gained a reputation for making it so boring that no student, except Hermione, had ever asked him a question in his classroom.

The original films strangely omitted Professor Binns, despite his significance in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as he was the one who explained to the students about the tale involving the heir of Slytherin. Thankfully, Richard Durden, known for his work in From Paris With Love and Bridgerton, will be bringing the classic character in the HBO series to life.

Sirine Saba as Professor Pomona Sprout

Originally Played By: Miriam Margolyes

Miriam Margolyes as Professor Pomona Sprout sitting at the staff table in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Sirne Saba was added to the Harry Potter series cast as the Herbology teacher, Professor Pomona Sprout. Saba has spent the majority of her career as a theater actor, but she also has several TV and movie credits. The actor has had roles in EastEnders, Doctor Who, and Holby City.

Although Mirriam Margoyle’s portrayal of Professor Sprout is memorable, and her character will always be a fan favorite, Saba has shown that she is more than capable of bringing the Herbology professor to the small screen in a way that will not only honor the source material but might also add something fresh to the story.

Warwick Davis as Professor Filius Flitwick

Originally Played By: Warwick Davis

Flitwick conducts the choir at Hogwarts in Harry Potter.

Most of the roles in HBO’s Harry Potter have been filled by actors who weren’t part of the original films. Warwick Davis is so far the only exception, as he will once again be portraying the Charms teacher, the lovable and bubbly Professor Filius Flitwick. Aside from his role in Harry Potter, Davis has gained recognition for appearing in Leprechaun, Willow, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

In addition to playing Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter franchise, Warwick Davis also took on the role of the goblin, Griphook.

In an interview with Times Radio, the actor gave insight into the Harry Potter reboot, stating that it will stay true to the novels. While in the books, several important conversations that Harry, Hermione, and Ron had took part in the Charms classroom, the movies cut most of those out. On that note, it will indeed be intriguing to see more of Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter series.

Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell

Originally Played By: Ian Hart

Luke Thallon talks to skull that he's holding while performing as Hamlet onstage. — Luke Thallon talks to skull that he’s holding while performing as Hamlet onstage.

The Defence Against the Dark Arts job is known to be cursed, as each year sees a new professor taking on the subject. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Professor Quirrell, the nervous young man who seems way in over his head, is tasked with teaching the students’ favorite subject.

The first Harry Potter film saw Ian Hart take on the role of the stammering Professor Quirrell. The HBO series cast Luke Thallon as the character who Voldemort uses to collect Nicolas Flamel’s philosopher’s stone. Thallon, whose acting career has mostly been in plays, has had roles in The Favourite and Present Laughter.

Paapa Essiedu as Professor Severus Snape

Originally Played By: Alan Rickman

Paapa Essiedu as standing in the snow as Professor Snape in Harry Potter

Alan Rickman’s depiction of Hogwarts’ potion master, Professor Severus Snape, in the Harry Potter movies, remains, even to this day, one of the best parts of the franchise. With that in mind, finding someone who could come close to matching the kind of energy that Rickman brought to the Harry Potter character was, of course, a Herculean task. Rumors about Paapa Essiedu playing the renowned professor began in December 2024, and HBO finally confirmed that he would indeed be Professor Snape in the Harry Potter reboot in April 2025.

When Essiedu was cast as Professor Snape, controversy followed this decision, with some expressing that he didn’t look like the character in the book series. The actor, who has had roles in movies and TV shows such as Black Mirror, Outrun, and I May Destroy You faced backlash for being cast in the series. However, Essiedu persisted and resolved to put his own spin on Professor Snape.

Janet McTeer as Professor Minerva McGonagall

Originally Played By: Maggie Smith

Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter

Professor McGonagall, one of the first teachers that the first year Hogwarts’ students are introduced to, is famous for her strictness and love of proper conduct. In the HBO series, the role of the fan-favorite Transfiguration professor will be taken on by the award-winning actor, Janet McTeer. McTeer, who came on the acting scene in 1984, has amassed an impressive resume since then. The actor has appeared in Kaos, Albert Nobbs, The Woman in the Cabin, and Me Before You.

Maggie Smith was, of course, incredible as Professor McGonagall, and filling those shoes could be daunting, even for a seasoned actor such as McTeer. While McTeer felt a lot of steeping into Smith’s role, she has since gotten more comfortable in her role as Professor McGonagall.

John Lithgow as Professor Albus Dumbledore

Originally Played By: Richard Harris And Michael Gambon

John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts’ headmaster, is one of the most significant characters in the Harry Potter franchise. Both Richard Harris and Michael Gambon did a brilliant job of capturing all of Dumbledore’s eccentricities, from his strange speeches to his genius-level intelligence. 15 years after the credits rolled on the last Harry Potter film, John Lithgow has been tapped as the actor who will bring the iconic character to life.

Professor Dumbledore was the Transfiguration teacher before being promoted to headmaster.

Lithgow, known for his roles in 3rd Rock from the Sun, Conclave, The Crown, and The World According to Gap, has expressed excitement at taking on the role of Professor Dumbledore. The actor is set to play Dumbledore for all seven seasons of Harry Potter, a role which he takes seriously because, as he says, it will “Define me for the last chapter of my life, I’m afraid,” via (BBC).