Corrie legend floors fans as they realise he starred in Harry Potter
Like many of the soap stars, Corrie's Tony Maudsley has been on our screens for decades, however his appearance in Harry Potter is what's leaving viewers shocked.
Before he was digging graves in Weatherfield, Coronation Street star Tony Maudsley made a memorable appearance in the Harry Potter universe - as a half-giant.
The actor debuted as George Shuttleworth in September 2020, arriving on the ITV soap as the offspring of the deceased undertaker Archie Shuttleworth (Roy Hudd). But long before he was burying Corrie legends, he had a buried cameo of his own in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - which was released 17 years ago today, July 12, 2007.
In the wizarding world, Tony portrayed Grawp the gentle half-brother of beloved Hogwarts gamekeeper Hagrid, played by the late Robbie Coltrane. Grawp, who stood at around 16 feet tall in the books, was brought to life through a mix of CGI and motion capture, with Tony providing the on-set performance that helped animate the character.
In the film, Grawp's kind-hearted nature played a pivotal role in the downfall of Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), the cruel Ministry official who took over as Hogwarts Headmistress. After she threatened Harry with the Cruciatus Curse, Hermione lured her into the Forbidden Forest, where Grawp handed her over to an angry herd of centaurs.
Dolores, held a deep-seated bias against "half-breeds" and seized control as Headmistress after displacing Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon)
She also put Hagrid on probation, prompting him to implore Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) to look after his little brother should anything happen to him.
As Umbridge was about to resort to the Cruciatus curse on Harry, Hermione agreed to reveal Dumbledore's "secret weapon."
Speaking about the role, Tony told Female First: 'I was weighed down with these huge monster feet that were so heavy, that I could never get into the canteen and back in time.'
Tony's career also includes a fan-favourite stint in Benidorm as hairdresser Kenneth, making him a familiar face across British telly. And don't expect his Corrie character to disappear anytime soon either.
He also appeared on The Big Soap Quiz Coronation Street v Emmerdale last year, Tony joked that he's got job security in the bag. When asked how George was getting on in Weatherfield, he said: 'Well, business is booming as always in Weatherfield. The best thing about playing George is, they can't kill me off because there's no one to bury me! So yeah, I'm staying put, me!'
On the quiz show, other Corrie stars Channique Sterling-Brown and Jack P Shepherd appeared, with Stephen Mulhern hosting the battle of the soaps.
From magical forests to funeral homes, Tony Maudsley's career has been anything but ordinary, and that's exactly why fans love him.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
32 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
EastEnders dominates British Soap Awards with eight prizes
The BBC show took home the highly anticipated award for best British soap with the trophy presented by Only Fools and Horses actor Sir David Jason. Anita Dobson, who played Angie Watts in EastEnders, attending the British Soap Awards 2025 (Ian West/PA) Steve McFadden, who plays Phil Mitchell, took home the award for Best Dramatic Performance and EastEnders also claimed the award for Best Single Episode for Phil's Psychosis which saw him hallucinate scenes from the Mitchell family home in 1985. Eastenders won Scene Of The Year for Angie Watts' shock return as a ghost during its 40th anniversary episode. Navin Chowdhry took home the Villain of the Year award for his portrayal of Nish Panesar, the calculating manipulative husband to Suki Panesar, played by Balvinder Sopal, who was killed by his son after being pushed off a balcony. Eastenders' Patsy Palmer, who plays Bianca Jackson, took home Best Comedy performance while Lacey Turner claimed Best Leading Performer for her portrayal of Stacey Slater. Best On-Screen Partnership was won by Rudolph Walker, who plays Patrick Trueman and Angela Wynter, who plays his ex-wife Yolande Trueman. Rudolph Walker and Angela Wynter won Best On-Screen Partnership (Ian West/PA) Hollyoaks took home three awards including Best Newcomer for Isabelle Smith who plays Frankie Osborne, the daughter of Suzanne Ashworth and Darren Osborne and twin sister of JJ Osborne. The Channel 4 soap won Best Storyline for raising the issue of sibling sexual abuse and the Osbornes were named Best Family. ITV's Emmerdale won Best Young Performer for 16-year old Amelia Flanagan who plays April Windsor, the half-sister of Leo Goskirk and daughter of police officer Donna Windsor and chef Marlon Dingle. The Tony Warren Award went to Emmerdale's Mike Plant. Among the stars on the red carpet were Hollyoaks actress Jorgie Porter (left) and Coronation Street actress Tina O'Brien who wore the same dress (Ian West/PA) Coronation Street took home only one prize with an outstanding achievement award for David Neilson, cafe owner Roy Cropper, who joined the show nearly three decades ago. The award was presented by Julie Hesmondhalgh who played Roy's late wife Hayley Cropper. Among the stars on the red carpet on Saturday evening were Hollyoaks actress Jorgi Porter and Coronation Street's Tina O'Brien who had chosen the the same dress. The awards will air at 8pm on Thursday June 5 on ITV1 and ITVX.
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
EastEnders dominates British Soap Awards with eight prizes
The ceremony, hosted at Hackney Empire in London by singer Jane McDonald, saw stars from the biggest soaps in the country go head to head for best scenes, performances and storylines. The BBC show took home the highly anticipated award for best British soap with the trophy presented by Only Fools and Horses actor Sir David Jason. Steve McFadden, who plays Phil Mitchell, took home the award for Best Dramatic Performance and EastEnders also claimed the award for Best Single Episode for Phil's Psychosis which saw him hallucinate scenes from the Mitchell family home in 1985. Eastenders won Scene Of The Year for Angie Watts' shock return as a ghost during its 40th anniversary episode. Navin Chowdhry took home the Villain of the Year award for his portrayal of Nish Panesar, the calculating manipulative husband to Suki Panesar, played by Balvinder Sopal, who was killed by his son after being pushed off a balcony. Eastenders' Patsy Palmer, who plays Bianca Jackson, took home Best Comedy performance while Lacey Turner claimed Best Leading Performer for her portrayal of Stacey Slater. Best On-Screen Partnership was won by Rudolph Walker, who plays Patrick Trueman and Angela Wynter, who plays his ex-wife Yolande Trueman. Hollyoaks took home three awards including Best Newcomer for Isabelle Smith who plays Frankie Osborne, the daughter of Suzanne Ashworth and Darren Osborne and twin sister of JJ Osborne. The Channel 4 soap won Best Storyline for raising the issue of sibling sexual abuse and the Osbornes were named Best Family. ITV's Emmerdale won Best Young Performer for 16-year old Amelia Flanagan who plays April Windsor, the half-sister of Leo Goskirk and daughter of police officer Donna Windsor and chef Marlon Dingle. The Tony Warren Award went to Emmerdale's Mike Plant. Coronation Street took home only one prize with an outstanding achievement award for David Neilson, cafe owner Roy Cropper, who joined the show nearly three decades ago. The award was presented by Julie Hesmondhalgh who played Roy's late wife Hayley Cropper. Among the stars on the red carpet on Saturday evening were Hollyoaks actress Jorgi Porter and Coronation Street's Tina O'Brien who had chosen the the same dress. The awards will air at 8pm on Thursday June 5 on ITV1 and ITVX.
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Billie Piper: From Doctor Who sidekick to Time Lord
The chart topper was followed by another number one single, Girlfriend, and her platinum selling debut album Honey To The B. But she then moved into acting, later saying it was what she wanted to do most, and her breakthrough role came as the companion to Doctor Who in 2005. Piper, from Swindon, played Rose Tyler, the sidekick to the ninth and tenth Doctors, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant. Rose was a feisty shop assistant who developed a strong bond with the Time Lord and kissed him at one stage. Piper won the award for Most Popular Actress at the National Television Awards in 2005 and 2006 for the role. She later starred in the ITV series Secret Diary Of A Call Girl from 2007 to 2011, playing an escort in London. She made her directorial debut in 2019 with Rare Beasts, a dark comedy drama she also wrote and starred in. Last year, she portrayed Newsnight producer Sam McAlister in Netflix's Scoop, which tells the behind-the-scenes story of Emily Maitlis's momentous interview with the Duke of York. Piper's performance earned her a nomination for Best Leading Actress at the 2025 Bafta TV Awards.
