In Harry Potter, we meet characters of varying sizes, from the half-giant Rubeus Hagrid to the half-goblin Filius Flitwick.
Some characters started off on the smaller side, like Harry, before they grew up. Others had heights that never changed throughout the seven books and eight films.
So how tall was each major character in the series? Keep reading to find out.
How Tall is Harry Potter?
In the early Harry Potter books, J.K. Rowling described the Chosen One as being on the shorter side for his age group. However, when Half-Blood Prince rolled around, Harry grew into his frame, and it’s rumored that he stood at 5’11”.
This is a stark contrast to the movies, as Daniel Radcliffe was just 5’5”.
How Tall are Other Harry Potter Characters?
Ron Weasley
From the beginning, we knew Ron Weasley was taller and lankier than Harry, and he always seemed to grow a few inches over the summer holidays. We don’t know how tall Ron is for sure, but most sources point to his height as somewhere between 6’1” and 6’5”.
On the other hand, Rupert Grint, who played Ron in the films, is 5’8”, putting him on the shorter side that J.K. Rowling described the Weasley Twins and Charlie Weasley to be in the books.
Hermione Granger
Hermione Granger is the third and final member of the “Golden Trio,” and she is also the shortest, standing at 5’5”.
Emma Watson portrayed Hermione in all eight Harry Potter movies, and she also stands at 5’5”.
Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy was 6’0” by the end of the series. His actor, Tom Felton, clocks in at 5’9”, a few inches shorter than the character he portrayed.
Unlike a few characters in the series, Draco is only described as “slender,” giving us no real hints regarding the character’s height in the books. However, multiple sources have confirmed Draco is 6’0”.
Albus Dumbledore
Dumbledore was also a taller, lankier character, standing at 6’3”.
Unlike some of the actors and actresses in this article whose heights dramatically differ from the characters they portrayed, the actor who played Dumbledore in six of the eight films, Michael Gambon, is 6’1”.
Lord Voldemort
The first time we met Lord Voldemort, he was living a half-life, attached to Quirinus Quirrell. When we met him again, he was in a shrunken, rudimentary body.
However, when he emerged from the cauldron in Goblet of Fire, Voldemort regained his body and stood at 6’3”. Ralph Fiennes portrayed Voldemort in the films, and he was 5’11”, four inches shorter than the Dark Lord.
Severus Snape
Severus Snape stood at just 5’9”, though his actor, Alan Rickman, was a few inches taller, standing at 6’1”.
While Snape’s height is about average in the Harry Potter universe, he was one of those characters who never needed to use his size to intimidate others. Snape’s presence and serious, deadpan voice would capture anyone’s attention.
Sirius Black
Sirius Black was yet another character who J.K. Rowling revealed as “tall” in the books, but there has been debate regarding his height. He’s often regarded as standing between 5’11” and 6’2”, with most sources pointing to the latter.
Once again, this is a stark contrast from Gary Oldman, who portrayed Sirius. Oldman stood at just 5’9”. So with 6’2” being the accepted number for Sirius, Oldman was five inches shorter than his character.
Remus Lupin
Remus Lupin was a werewolf whose lycanthropy inspired his best friends James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew to become Anamagi.
He is also an example of a character whose actor is the same exact height. Lupin stands at 6’2” when in human form, the same as his actor, David Thewlis.
Filius Flitwick
The Charms Master and Head of Ravenclaw House, Filius Flitwick was one of the shortest characters in the series, standing at just 2’3”.
Flitwick’s goblin heritage is one reason he is so small, but the character is over a foot shorter than the 3’6” Warwick Davis, the actor who portrayed him.
Rubeus Hagrid
In the movies, Hagrid is 8’6”, though in the books, he is roughly 12’0”. His actor, Robbie Coltrane, was just 6’1”, though you would never know it when you watch the films thanks to the way he seemed to tower over everyone.
Through special enhancements, like creating one large and one small version of Hagrid’s hut, close camera positioning, and the use of a 6’10” body double named Martin Bayfield, film producers made Coltrane look taller than his actual listed height.
Fred and George Weasley
Though J.K. Rowling described the Weasley twins as “shorter” in the books, their listed heights are 6’3”.
However, this could just be the case for the films. The twins who portrayed Fred and George, James and Oliver Phelps, stand just a half an inch shorter.
Ginny Weasley
Harry Potter’s eventual love interest, Ginny Weasley stood at 5’6” by the end of the series. This makes her significantly shorter than her older brothers, but taller than her mother, Molly, who is 5’2”. The actor who portrayed Ginny was Bonnie Wright, who was also 5’6”.
Arthur Weasley
Arthur Weasley was 6’1”, slightly shorter than his sons. Mark Williams played Arthur in the films, and he was nearly as tall as the character.
Neville Longbottom
Neville Longbottom was always on the shorter side, and even by the end of the series, he stood at just 5’7″.
In the films, Neville was also initially on the shorter side. But his actor, Matthew Lewis, hit a growth spurt starting in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The trend continued throughout the rest of the series, and Lewis stood at roughly 6’0” when he filmed Deathly Hallows.
Luna Lovegood
Luna Lovegood was one of the shortest characters in the series, standing at just 5’2”. Though you wouldn’t know it when you read the books, given her character’s larger-than-life personality.
Evanna Lynch portrayed Luna in the final four films, and she is another character on this list whose height matches that of her character’s.
Minerva McGonagall
Professor Minerva McGonagall stood at 5’9”. This made her one of the tallest women in the series, sans Madame Maxime and Bellatrix Lestrange. Her actor, Maggie Smith, was a few inches shorter, standing at 5’5”.
Cho Chang
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, we learned that Cho Chang was significantly shorter than Harry. Cho’s movie counterpart, portrayed by Katie Leung, was also short, standing at just 5 feet, 1 inch tall.
Alastor Moody
Alastor Moody was one of the best Aurors of his time, and he was also physically imposing, standing at 6’2”. Like Cho and a few others listed above, Moody’s book and movie counterparts boasted an equal height.
Bellatrix Lestrange
Bellatrix Lestrange might have been the most powerful Death Eater in the series, next to Lord Voldemort. And she was also intimidating, standing at 6’0.
Ironically, however, her movie counterpart, Helena Botham Carter, was just 5’2”, so there was a huge discrepancy between the Bellatrix we saw in the books and the one we saw on the screen.
Conclusion
While some of the characters matched their counterparts in the books and the actors portraying them, it wasn’t the case for everyone. The Weasley twins are a great example of the actors in the movies being taller than they were in the books. Ditto for Neville.
However, many of the characters from the films matched up well with their book counterparts. Hagrid was one example of his character being far shorter in the movies than the books.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.