Stanley Baxter refused Harry Potter role due to 'spotlight on private life'

Legendary Scottish comedian and actor Stanley Baxter refused a Harry Potter role due to the “spotlight being too big”.

The Glasgow-born star rose to fame in the 1960s and 1970s in sketch shows and attracted huge audiences for his festive specials.

He was also a beloved figure in pantomime and film. Baxter had lived in Denville Hall since late 2023 and was a few months away from celebrating his 100th birthday before his death.

His biographer, Herald journalist Brian Beacom, revealed to STV News that Baxter had the opportunity to join the colossal movie franchise of Harry Potter.

However, the actor rejected the chance due to the scrutiny his personal life may have faced.

Baxter’s close friend explained: “He could have gone into Harry Potter and become a wizard there, but he was a bit afraid of that.

“He was a bit afraid of the publicity that would ensue with something that is just so big. The analysis of him, the spotlight may have been just too big for him to handle.”

Baxter earned multiple BAFTA awards and attracted millions of viewers.

He remained a revered figure in pantomime and British comedy until his retirement in the early 1990s.

Baxter came out as gay at the age of 94 in his 2020 authorised biography, The Real Stanley Baxter. He revealed his marriage was a façade and that he had hidden the truth to avoid arrest in the years before homosexuality was decriminalised.

Mr Beacom says that despite attitudes to sexuality changing, the comedian was still very protective of his private life and believed accepting a role in Harry Potter could result in him becoming a headline.

The biographer told STV News: “Journalists would doorstep him and bang on his door in London to find out about his private life because he was notoriously secretive.

“He knew that all of that would ensue and (he’d) become a News of the World headline at some point. Which is quite sad.”