Susie Figgis, 'Harry Potter' Casting Director, Dies at 77

Susie Figgis, a British casting director whose career spanned major films from "Gandhi" to "Harry Potter," has died at age 77.

Her longtime agent Paul Lyon-Maris of Independent Talent Group confirmed her death, telling Deadline she "died peacefully" on Dec. 12 with her husband and daughter present.

Figgis was an influential casting director working in the U.K. from the early 1980s through the 2010s. In addition to "Gandhi" and "Harry Potter," her career included landmark films such as "The Killing Fields," "The Mission," "Mona Lisa," "The Crying Game," "The Full Monty," "Interview With the Vampire" and "Bohemian Rhapsody," as well as major franchises including "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Fast X."

Born in Kenya, Figgis was sent to boarding school in Britain at age 10. She later said the experience influenced how she saw people and chose actors.

"I came into films from that po­si­tion. I was never part of the hip Lon­don trendy scene," she once told an interviewer.

"I saw things dif­fer­ently."

Her breakthrough came in the early 1980s with Richard Attenborough's Oscar-winning "Gandhi." That success was followed by a string of prominent films throughout the decade, including "Local Hero," "The Killing Fields" and "Cry Freedom."

While working on "Cry Freedom," which focused on anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, she met her future husband Bill Anderson, who at the time was part of the military wing of the African National Congress.

Over the years, Figgis developed long-term working relationships with a number of filmmakers.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, she worked extensively with producer Stephen Woolley and director Neil Jordan on films including "Interview with the Vampire."

During the 1990s, she also collaborated with director Tim Burton on multiple projects, including "Sleepy Hollow," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," "Alice in Wonderland," and "Dumbo."

One of her most high-profile achievements came with the casting of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

Figgis pushed for Daniel Radcliffe to be cast in the lead role after a search that drew tens of thousands of applicants.

Reflecting on that period, she previously recalled to Deadline receiving an overwhelming number of submissions.

"I had post bags full of letters," she said. "That original world I came from, I would wander through schools and playgrounds and all sorts of interesting places just finding people [to cast]."

In addition to her film work, Figgis cast numerous television productions, including "War & Peace," "Poldark," "The Borgias," "Anne with an E," and "Burton and Taylor."

Her final credited project was the 2024 film "The Return," starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, produced and directed by Uberto Pasolini.

"Susie gave 100% to her movies, and her infectious love and ribald humour added propulsive energy to any film over and above her casting genius," Woolley wrote in a tribute published by The Guardian Tuesday.

"Her presence and inspiration are irreplaceable in the current landscape of timid British cinema," he added.

Producer David Puttnam, who worked with Figgis on "Local Hero" and "The Killing Fields," said, "Susie was a world-class casting director, operating at a time when the British film scene was blessed with a remarkably committed peer group."

"The work she did with me on 'Local Hero' and 'The Killing Fields' stand out, as both films remain in my memory bank as entirely satisfying professional experiences. In that sense, it would be fair to say that Susie was an important part of the happiest filmmaking years of my life," added Puttnam.