Tom Riddle / Lord Voldemort | |
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Harry Potter character | |
First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Last appearance | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows |
Created by | J. K. Rowling |
Portrayed by |
Ralph Fiennes, as the Dark Lord finally resurrected from HP4 to the end of the film series in HP7 – Part 2 Frank Dillane, as a fifteen-year-old in HP6 Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, as an eleven-year-old in HP6 Christian Coulson, as a sixteen-year-old in HP2 Ian Hart voice in HP1 Richard Bremmer, non-faced in HP1 Eddie Izzard, The Lego Batman Movie |
House | Slytherin |
Lord Voldemort (/ˈvoʊldəmɔːr/, or /ˈvoʊldəmɔːrt/ in the films) (born Tom Marvolo Riddle) is a fictional character and the central antagonist in J. K. Rowling's series of Harry Potter novels. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997. Voldemort appears either in person or in flashbacks in each book and its film adaptation in the series, except the third, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, where he is only mentioned.
Voldemort is the archenemy of Harry Potter, who according to a prophecy has "the power to vanquish the Dark Lord". Nearly every witch or wizard dares not utter his unmentionable name, and refers to him instead with such expressions as "You-Know-Who", "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" or "the Dark Lord". Voldemort's obsession with blood purity signifies his aim to rid the wizarding world of Muggle (non-magical) heritage and to conquer both worlds, Muggle and wizarding, to achieve pure-blood dominance. Through his mother's family, he is the last descendant of wizard Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is the leader of the Death Eaters, a group of evil wizards and witches dedicated to ridding the Wizarding World of Muggles and establishing Voldemort as its supreme ruler.