Chris Rankin

Known to fans the world over as Percy Weasley in the very British "Harry Potter" (2000-2011) series, Chris Rankin was actually born in New Zealand in 1983. His family relocated to England when he was six years old, and by 11, he was performing in school plays. His first professional acting job was the role of Percy in the first "Harry Potter" film, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2000), immediately endearing him to the franchise's massive fanbase. He would reprise the role for several more of the series' films, making his final appearance as Percy in 2011. Meanwhile, Rankin pursued a flourishing theatre career, playing Edgar Linton in a touring production of "Wuthering Heights," and co-founding a U.K. edition of Ireland's Painted Horse theatre company. In 2004, he would direct and star in the troupe's first British production, Henrik Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler." He would also co-star in the mini-series "The Rotters' Club" (BBC, 2005), based on the novel by Jonathan Coe, the following year, and in the documentary "Victoria Cross Heroes" (Five, 2006) the year after that. While he continued to work in theater in addition to performing with the Mid Wales Dance Academy, Rankin also began exploring life behind the camera, working as an assistant production coordinator on "Downton Abbey" (ITV, 2010-15) and "Atlantis" (BBC, 2013-15).