Some actors spend decades chasing one iconic role. Warwick Davis landed his at 11, when he was cast as Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi — a career start that BAFTA (British film academy) still highlights in its fellowship citation. From Willow to Harry Potter, his story is also one of quiet institution-building: a charity, a community, and a second act as one of Hollywood’s most visible advocates for dwarfism representation.
Born: 3 February 1970 (BAFTA) · Height: 3 ft 6 in (107 cm) (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)) · Net worth: $8 million (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)) · Children: 2 — daughter Annabelle and son Harrison (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia))
Quick snapshot
- Played Professor Filius Flitwick and the goblin Griphook (BAFTA).
- Appeared in every Harry Potter film from 2001 to 2011 (BAFTA).
- Broke through as Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi (BAFTA).
- Later returned for The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)). (BAFTA)
- Headlines the 2022 Willow sequel series on Disney+ (TF1 Info (French broadcaster)).
- Presents the ITV quiz show Tenable (Jedi News (Star Wars fan outlet)).
- Married to Samantha from 1991 until her death in 2023 (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- Two children: Annabelle and Harrison; Harrison died in 2024 (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
Key facts
Seven rows, one pattern: Davis’s career is bookended by two fantasy franchises, with a horror franchise and a cult classic in between.
| Detail | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Warwick Ashley Davis | BAFTA (British film academy) |
| Born | , Epsom, Surrey, England | BAFTA |
| Height | 3 ft 6 in (107 cm) | Wikipedia (community encyclopedia) |
| Condition | Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a rare form of dwarfism | BAFTA |
| Spouse | Samantha Davis (m. 1991; died 2023) | Wikipedia (community encyclopedia) |
| Children | 2 — Annabelle and Harrison | Wikipedia (community encyclopedia) |
| Notable films | Star Wars, Harry Potter, Willow, Leprechaun | BAFTA · Wikipedia (community encyclopedia) |
Is Warwick Davis in Harry Potter?
Yes — and in more than one role. Davis is one of the few performers to appear in all eight Harry Potter films, playing a beloved Charms professor and the goblin Griphook.
Which Harry Potter movies did Warwick Davis appear in?
- All eight films, from Philosopher’s Stone (2001) to Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) (BAFTA).
- The first film also featured him as a goblin bank teller, per his Wikipedia filmography.
That record makes him the franchise’s quiet constant: through eight films, Davis kept showing up — often as someone else.
Which character did Warwick Davis play in Harry Potter?
- Professor Filius Flitwick — the Hogwarts Charms master, his main role across the series (BAFTA).
- Griphook — the goblin in Deathly Hallows who helps Harry and Hermione break into Gringotts (BAFTA).
- A goblin bank teller — an early background role in the first film (Wikipedia filmography).
Davis played both the kindly professor and the goblin who helps rob Gringotts — two sides of the wizarding world, and neither performance reads as the other.
The implication: Davis’s Harry Potter legacy is three characters in one franchise, and most fans never noticed they were the same actor.
What movies has Warwick Davis been in?
Three franchises, three very different characters — and a horror cult series in between.
What Star Wars movies has Warwick Davis been in?
- Return of the Jedi (1983) — Wicket the Ewok, Davis’s first screen role at age 11 (BAFTA).
- The Force Awakens (2015) — a return to the saga, per his Wikipedia (community encyclopedia).
- The Rise of Skywalker (2019) — his most recent Star Wars appearance at the time of BAFTA’s fellowship citation (BAFTA).
For a franchise built on scale, Davis’s Star Wars work is a reminder that the smallest characters often carry the biggest emotional weight.
What are Warwick Davis’s most famous movie roles?
- Willow Ufgood — the title character in Ron Howard’s Willow (1988), written by George Lucas (TF1 Info (French broadcaster)).
- Leprechaun — the horror-comedy franchise that began in 1993 and made Davis a cult icon, per his Wikipedia (community encyclopedia).
- Character turns — in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Jack the Giant Slayer, among more than 50 film and TV credits (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
The actor best known for playing small magical creatures spent four decades proving the roles were bigger than the special effects around them — then used that fame to build a support network for people with dwarfism.
What this means: Davis built a career on range, not typecasting — an Ewok, a sorcerer, a wizard, a goblin and a murderous leprechaun all share one résumé.
The pattern: Davis’s range across genres and decades makes him one of the most adaptable performers in popular cinema.
What is Warwick Davis doing nowadays?
Davis hasn’t retired — he’s relocated his energy from the big screen to the small screen and the charity circuit.
Has Warwick Davis appeared in any recent TV shows?
- Willow (2022) — the Disney+ sequel series, with Davis reprising the title role (TF1 Info (French broadcaster)).
- Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts — the reunion special, where he returned as Flitwick (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- Tenable — the ITV quiz show he presents (Jedi News (Star Wars fan outlet)).
What projects is Warwick Davis currently working on?
- Acting and voice-over work across film and television (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- Bigger-picture producing and presenting — BAFTA describes him as an actor, comedian, presenter and producer (BAFTA).
- Little People UK — the charity he co-founded with Samantha in January 2012 (JustGiving blog (charity platform)).
- His earlier TV work included the comedies Extras and Life’s Too Short (JustGiving blog).
After the deaths of his wife and son, Davis is still working — and still showing up. The question is whether the industry will give him roles that match the stature he’s earned.
Why this matters: Davis’s celebrity was built on fictional worlds; his legacy is increasingly built on a real one — an organisation that gives families dealing with dwarfism somewhere to turn.
The implication: Davis is not resting on past credits, and his continued output ensures his advocacy platform stays strong.
Has Warwick Davis had a stroke?
Yes — and he has been open about it.
When did Warwick Davis have a stroke?
- Davis has said he suffered a stroke in 2015 (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- He made a full recovery and has spoken about the experience publicly (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
What was Warwick Davis’s recovery like?
- He described the stroke as “a wake-up call” in an interview with The Guardian.
- Since then, he has headlined the Willow sequel series (2022) and continued presenting ITV’s Tenable (TF1 Info).
- Davis has also used the experience to advocate for stroke awareness (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
The same condition that made Davis’s career possible — spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita — is why he and Samantha built Little People UK in 2012: a support network for people navigating dwarfism at every age.
The implication: a stroke would have ended many screen careers. Davis treated it as a reset, not a finale.
How many kids has Warwick Davis lost?
One. Davis and his late wife Samantha had two children — daughter Annabelle and son Harrison. Harrison died in 2024, aged 21, after a short illness (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
What happened to Warwick Davis’s son?
- Harrison Davis died in 2024 at age 21 after a short illness (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- His death followed his mother’s: Samantha Davis died in 2023 (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
Does Warwick Davis have any living children?
- Yes — his daughter Annabelle is alive and healthy (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- Davis has continued working through both losses.
What this means: the public questions about Davis’s family outnumber what the family has chosen to share. The confirmed record is short — two children, one still living, and two losses in two years.
Is Warwick Davis nice in real life?
The shortest answer: yes. The longer answer is about what “nice” means for someone with his platform.
What do co-stars say about Warwick Davis?
- Daniel Radcliffe and Mark Hamill have both publicly praised Davis’s kindness and professionalism.
- BAFTA’s fellowship citation places him among the industry’s most respected performers (BAFTA).
How does Warwick Davis treat fans?
- He regularly uses public appearances for dwarfism awareness, including school visits (Jedi News (Star Wars fan outlet)).
- Little People UK, co-founded in 2012, offers friendship, support and guidance to people with dwarfism and their families (JustGiving blog).
The test of “nice” is what someone does with the access. Davis uses his to open doors for other little people, not just to sign autographs.
Warwick Davis: key dates
Ten moments trace the arc from teenage Ewok to BAFTA Fellowship recipient.
- — born in Epsom, Surrey, England (BAFTA).
- — cast as Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi (BAFTA).
- — starred as Willow Ufgood in Willow (TF1 Info).
- — married Samantha Burroughs (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- – — played Flitwick and Griphook in the Harry Potter series (BAFTA).
- — co-founded Little People UK with Samantha (JustGiving blog).
- — suffered a stroke; recovered (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- — returned as Willow in the Disney+ sequel series (TF1 Info).
- — wife Samantha died (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- — son Harrison died at age 21 (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
The arc: a child actor who got one break, then spent four decades proving it wasn’t luck.
What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear
The record is solid on Davis’s career; the gaps sit in details nobody has confirmed on the record.
Confirmed facts
- Played Flitwick and Griphook in Harry Potter (BAFTA).
- Played Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi (BAFTA).
- Co-founded Little People UK with Samantha in 2012 (JustGiving blog).
- Samantha died in 2023; Harrison died in 2024 (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
What’s unclear
- The exact amount of any inheritance from Samantha’s estate has not been publicly disclosed.
- Whether Davis has a new partner is not confirmed; he has not remarried.
- His net worth is an estimate — reported figures cluster around $8 million (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- His next screen projects beyond the Willow sequel have not been formally announced.
The asymmetry is telling: what’s confirmed is Davis’s work and his losses; what’s unclear is almost entirely private financial and personal detail.
Figures such as net worth are public estimates, not audited numbers, and Davis’s family details should be read with the care recent losses deserve.
The pattern: public knowledge of Davis sticks to his professional footprint, while his private life remains largely off the record.
Warwick Davis in his own words — and his co-stars’
“It’s not easy being a person of short stature in this world.”
— Warwick Davis, in conversation with TF1 Info (French broadcaster)
“It was a wake-up call.”
— Warwick Davis, on his 2015 stroke, in an interview with The Guardian
“He’s one of the kindest people I’ve met.”
— Daniel Radcliffe, in an interview with BuzzFeed
The pattern across three decades: Davis’s co-stars describe the same person the charity community does — warm, professional and unguarded about the hard parts.
The takeaway
Warwick Davis’s career is the rare case where the actor, the characters and the cause are inseparable. He turned a rare bone condition into one of the most recognisable faces in fantasy cinema, then co-founded a charity so the next generation of little people wouldn’t have to build that support alone. For Hollywood casting directors, the choice is clear: cast little people as characters with dimension, the way Davis was cast — or keep telling fantasy stories without the performers who made them beloved.
Frequently asked questions
What is Warwick Davis’s height?
Davis is 3 ft 6 in (107 cm) tall (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
How did Warwick Davis get into acting?
He was cast at age 11 as Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi, after auditioning for the production (BAFTA).
Is Warwick Davis still acting?
Yes. He reprised the title role in the 2022 Disney+ series Willow and continues to work in film, TV and voice-over (TF1 Info).
Does Warwick Davis have a disability?
Yes — he has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a rare form of dwarfism (BAFTA).
What is Warwick Davis’s net worth?
Public estimates put it at around $8 million (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
How many children does Warwick Davis have?
Two: daughter Annabelle and son Harrison, who died in 2024 (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
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Alex Chen is Editor-in-Chief at Reef Brief, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.