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Tom Felton

Tom Felton has spent much of his screen career working against the easy first impression. Born Thomas Andrew Felton in Epsom on 22 September 1987, he began acting in advertisements before appearing as Peagreen Clock in The Borrowers and Louis T. Leonowens in Anna and the King. Yet it was Draco Malfoy, with his pale hair, sharp sneer and air of inherited superiority, who made Felton familiar to movie audiences. Felton originally read for Harry Potter and Ron Weasley before being cast as Draco in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. He went on to play the character across all eight Harry Potter films, from Philosopher's Stone in 2001 to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011. That long run gave him more to work with than simple schoolyard nastiness. As the series darkened, Draco's smug confidence began to buckle under fear and expectation, particularly in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Felton won consecutive MTV Movie Awards for Best Villain for that film and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. The role also shaped his life away from the camera. His school schedule was arranged around filming the early movies, while his dyed hair and antagonist status led to name-calling from classmates. Felton has credited his maternal grandfather, geophysicist Nigel Anstey, with inspiring Draco's sneer; Anstey also served as his chaperone during the first film. Beyond Hogwarts, Felton's work has moved through science fiction, horror, period drama and television. His screen roles include Dodge Landon in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, James Ashford in Belle, a US Army dog handler in Megan Leavey and Doctor Alchemy in The Flash. He has also worked as a singer and voice actor, made his West End debut in 2:22 A Ghost Story in 2022, and published the memoir Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard. Draco remains the defining role, but Felton's career has never been confined to one corridor of Hogwarts.