With an eight film franchise, there were bound to be a few recasts along the way in theHarry Potterseries. Since many of the films came out beforethe book series was finished, someHarry Potter actors were cast when little information was known about their roles and where they'd end up. Even if the character they were playing had a name, if they didn't have any lines or weren't featured, they were just considered background actors and were cast accordingly.

However, seeing asHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first film in the franchise, made almost $1 billion worldwide, Warner Brothers had a lot riding on the continued success of the series. Many seemingly minor characters went on to play larger roles in the later books, and by extension, later films in the franchise. Some actors were replaced because they weren't experienced or talented enough, while others simply became involved in other projects.

Whatever the reason, the films only got better afterHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when David Yates took over as director. Hopefully,with Yates at the helm of theFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise, there will be little need for as much actor turnover as its predecessor experienced (although many fans are already skeptical aboutJohnny Depp's casting as Grindelwald).

Here are 15 Harry Potter Actors Who Were Recast.

15. Richard Fish and Domhnall Gleeson as Bill Weasley

Although he's a Weasley, Bill is only mentioned in passing during the first two books, since he lives on his own in Egypt. When Arthur Weasley winsThe Daily Prophet's Grand Prize Galleon Draw duringHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the whole family is able to finally go visit him. It is there that we first see a glimpse of Bill in a photograph, which appears inThe Daily Prophet. Since he was a new character and didn't have any lines, the casting director for the films was able to bring on a background actor. Richard Fish was hired to portray Bill Weasley in the photograph alongside the other Weasley family members.

Seeing as how Fish had no real professional acting experience to speak of, it was no surprise then that his role was recast and given to Domhnall Gleeson. Not only does Domhnall look more like the description of Bill from the books, but he's also the son ofHarry Potter veteran Brendan Gleeson (who played Mad-Eye Moody). There's actually a passage inHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince where Bill is described as follows, "His scars were as bad as ever; in truth, he now bore a distinct resemblance to Mad-Eye Moody, though thankfully with both eyes and legs still intact." How then, could the producers pass up an opportunity to actually use the actor who played Mad-Eye Moody's son for the part?

14. Elizabeth Spriggs and Dawn French as The Fat Lady

In theHarry Potter books, the Fat Lady is a sassy, benevolent character whose painting guards the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Upon receiving the weekly password, she lets students into their house, although usually somewhat reluctantly. Some fans were taken aback when Elizabeth Spriggs was cast in the Fat Lady role, since she was an older Shakespearean actress that wasn't necessarily known for her comedic chops. Spriggs tended to take more matronly roles, which didn't really fit with the Fat Lady's bubbly, sometimes drunken, and easily irritated, personality.

When Alfonso Cuaron signed on as director forHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, he recast the Fat Lady and gave the part to British television comedian Dawn French. The Fat Lady had a much more active role inPrisoner of Azkaban, since Sirius Black attacks her painting, and French provided some much needed comic relief. Keeping to the whole "when the fat lady sings" expression, she attempts to break a glass with her singing voice while Harry and his fellow Gryffindors impatiently wait to get into their common room. Although it's one of the most memorable scenes in the film, unfortunately, French did not reprise her role in any of the later films --though the Fat Lady is mentioned in subsequent books.

13. Verne Troyer and Warwick Davis as Griphook

Best known for playing Mini-Me in theAustin Powers movies, Verne Troyer also originally played the role of the Gringotts Bank goblin, Griphook, inHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Although Troyer was shown in the film, his voice was dubbed over by another actor with dwarfism, Warwick Davis. You may remember Davis as the Ewok Wicket fromStar Wars: The Return of the Jediand Willow from the film of the same name. It's likely that the combination of Troyer's high-pitched voice and American accent weren't satisfactory for the vision the filmmakers had of Griphook.

When next we saw Griphook, inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Troyer had been replaced by Warwick Davis completely. Up until that point, Davis had actually played another Harry Potter character, Professor Filius Flitwick, the Charms master and head of Ravenclaw house. InHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Davis actually played both roles within the same film, although Professor Flitwick looks significantly younger than he had in the earlier films.

12. Leilah Sutherland and Rochelle Douglas as Alicia Spinnet

Alicia Spinnet is one of those minorHarry Potter characters who often appears in the background, but never actually has any lines. Therefore, she has been played by a number of different actresses, although only two actually received credit for the role. According to IMDB, Leilah Sutherland played Alicia Spinnet inHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, where she is seen with Harry when he plays his first Quidditch match.

Alicia was a chaser for the Gryffindor quidditch team and became a member of Dumbledore's Army in the books, although it's unclear whether or not she's part of the villainous club in the films. Rochelle Douglas took over the role forHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, again showing up during a Quidditch related scene. Neither Sutherland or Douglas have any other acting credits, but Douglas is a former international gymnastics champion and current girl's gymnastics coach for Europa Gym in Crayford, a town about 20 miles east of London.

11. Nina Young and Kelly Macdonald as The Grey Lady/Helena Ravenclaw

Known mostly as The Grey Lady throughout theHarry Potter series, Helena Ravenclaw is the ghost of Ravenclaw house at Hogwarts. InHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, she is played by Nina Young, a British film and television actress known for her bit roles inTomorrow Never Dies andJohnny English. Since the first Harry Potter film came out in 2001, when only four books had been written, it's likely the Grey Lady was considered a minor background character, since she'd had no lines in the series at that time. However, after theHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book came out in 2007, the importance of The Grey Lady's role in the story was revealed, which would explain the need for a recasting.

Kelly Macdonald took over the expanded role forHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, when Harry confronts her about Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem and finds out that the ghost is actually Rowena's daughter. Helena eventually reveals the location of the diadem to Harry after a good amount of back and forth. Although actress Kelly Macdonald had many supporting roles before she appeared in the Harry Potter franchise, since her appearance as Helena Ravenclaw, she's become best known for voicing Merida in Disney'sBrave and as one of the stars of the hit HBO period drama,Boardwalk Empire.

10. Peter Cartwright and David Ryall as Elphias Doge

Though not shown very much in the films, Elphias Doge was one of Albus Dumbledore's best friends, whom he met while at Hogwarts. The two friends were supposed to travel the world together after they graduated, but Dumbledore was unable to do so after the death of his mother. InHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Doge was played by Peter Cartwright, a long time bit part actor who had a few featured roles before his death in 2013. Cartwright had no dialogue in his appearance as Doge, as he merely showed up alongside the other members of the Advanced Guard to accompany Harry Potter to the Order of the Phoenix's headquarters at 12 Grimmauld Place.

Doge shows up again inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 during Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding, this time played by David Ryall. Harry engages Doge in conversation about Dumbledore, since he had written an obituary for him inThe Daily Prophet. Ryall had a fifty-year acting career in both theater and film before appearing in theHarry Potter series, and he did a fine job as Cartwright's replacement.

9. Emily Dale and Georgina Leonidas as Katie Bell

Katie Bell was another minor character who was replaced after she was finally given lines in one of the later films. She's close friends with Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson, and all three are chasers for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Initially, she was played by Emily Dale in the first two films. Dale has had no other film credits since then and it's unknown what her current occupation is.

ComeHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the role of Katie Bell was recast and given to Georgina Leonidas, who played the part for the next two films as well. Although still a minor character, Katie had lines inHalf-Blood Prince, along with a scary scene where she becomes cursed by a necklace intended to assassinate Dumbledore. Leonidas only had a few TV and film credits pre and post-Potter, but has gone on to perform regularly at the Theatre Royal Windsor near Windsor Castle in Berkshire.

8. Danielle Tabor and Tiana Benjamin as Angelina Johnson

Like the other Gryffindor chasers, Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson was recast in the later films. Danielle Tabor played her in the first three films, when she had no lines and only appeared in the background among her fellow Gryffindors. It's unknown why exactly she was recast besides her character having lines inHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but it may have also been because she didn't look the same age as the other actors in her year, especially the Weasley twins.

Tabor was replaced by Tiana Benjamin for Goblet of Fire, when Angelina Johnson goes to the Yule Ball with Fred Weasley. Benjamin was also supposed to reappear in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but had to turn down the role. She was a regular on the long-running British soap opera,EastEnders, and her shooting schedule conflicted with the production ofOrder of the Phoenix. Angelina Johnson was left out of the next few movies, even though she's a part of Dumbledore's Army in the books and participates in the Battle of Hogwarts. However, Danielle Tabor actually reprised her role for the filming of theHarry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride at the Universal Studios theme parks. She's seen with the other Gryffindors waving at riders during the end sequence.

7. Derek Deadman and Jim Tavare as Tom the Innkeeper

InHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Tom the bartender is one of the first people to recognize Harry and treat him like a celebrity. They meet on Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley when Hagrid escorts him to get his things for school. Derek Deadman plays Tom in this instance, portraying the bartender as a kindly old man who takes care of his customers. Deadman had a slew of TV and film credits beforeHarry Potter, but all were minor roles, where he often played criminals, taxi drivers, or an everyday Joe.

Then Alfonso Cuaron came along and made probably the weirdest recasting inHarry Potter history, transforming Tom into a snaggle-toothed hunchback whom he should've just renamed Igor. Jim Tavare played Tom inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, greeting Harry as he arrives at the Leaky Cauldron and taking him to see the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Tavare's performance is comedic gold, but is completely different from the character seen in the books. Harry actually refers to him as toothless and wizened, a far cry from the quirky depiction in the film.

6. Sharon Sandhu and Afshan Azad as Padma Patil

One-half of the Patil sisters, Padma was originally played by Sharon Sandhu inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Sandhu was another young actor who was probably just cast as a student in the background, since she was originally just credited as Girl #2. Even though she was a Ravenclaw in the books, the filmmakers chose to keep her in Gryffindor with her sister Parvati. Padma and Parvati were described by Dean Thomas as the best-looking girls in the school duringHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Padma was likely recast for that film sinceGoblet of Fire is when she went to the Yule Ball with Ron Weasley and had a larger role.

Afshan Azhad took over as Padma and continued to play her for the rest of the films, showing up for Dumbledore's Army meetings with her sister and conversing with other students after the Battle of Hogwarts. Although Azhad has no other film or TV credits listed, she continued to work in Asia as a presenter for the Asian Media Awards and still travels to comic book conventions. She alsomade headlines back in 2011, when her father and brother attacked her for dating a Hindu man, which goes against her family's Muslim tradition.