Happy Birthday to James Potter and Adrian Rawlins!

It’s a happy birthday for James Potter and the amazing actor who portrayed him in the Harry Potter series, Adrian Rawlins! Rawlins is not only lucky enough to share his birthday with one of the most fondly-remembered wizards of our time, but he also celebrates the wrap of his directorial debut with The Night Season. 

The Night Season ran through March 25th at the East Riding Theatre in Beverley, showcasing his subtle touch in the “tender revival.” Leaky reported on a recent review, in which The Stage offered critical praise of Rawlins’ effort. It said:

“As a visual introduction to the characters of Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s family drama, the Night Season, it’s spot-on. They’re a bunch of charming misfits, but ones who, under Adrian Rawlins’ direction, avoid straying into sentimentality.”

For those lucky enough to see the play, it was surely a delight! And for fans who missed it, what better way to celebrate a successful career and the birthday of two favorites than to take a sentimental journey through the best wizarding story ever written and adapted (if we do say so) and re-watch Rawlins in front of the camera as James Potter!?

For Potter fans, portraying the witty, charming, and talented father who met a tragic, untimely end which would affect Harry, for good and bad, all his life, is among Rawlins’ most memorable roles. In the short time he appeared onscreen, he managed to exude a warmth and joie de vive that endeared him to us and made Harry’s struggle to cope with his destiny–and his choices–all the more poignant. (Who can forget Harry’s longing as he sat before the Mirror of Erised, lost in the bittersweet throes of what might have been?!)

And who can blame him? He grew up under the shadow of his parents’ sacrifice and legacy–well-deserved, of course, but a heavy burden, all the same. To emerge from that with his own sense of strength and purpose was a beautiful thing to see develop over the course of the books and films.

So when Harry saw his father again in the Forbidden Forest at the close of the story, magically aided by the resurrection stone, we felt as much as saw the pride in his dad’s eyes, and our hearts swelled when Harry was able to embrace his path and let him–all of them–go. The touching moment (was there a dry eye in the theater?) between father and son was incredibly moving, as James gave Harry his blessing to take the sacrificial path he once had and, in so doing, breaking Voldemort’s power over his family and the wizarding world. James encouraged, “You’re nearly there, son,” and promised to stay with him “until the end.” It was a moment Rawlins played perfectly.

Of course, Rawlins’ acting career is not by any means limited to his turn as James Potter, though it ironically began in 1980, the year of Harry’s birth. Since he first appeared in Palm Beach as David Litvinoff, he has worked steadily in the industry, including many television series and mini-series. Most recently, he appears as Stephen Langham in the current season of Death in Paradise in an episode titled “Erupting in Murder.”

We hope all the best for Rawlins, who has already given us so much in bringing James Potter to life, as he continues to make his mark in television, film, and theatre. The Stage suggested that The Night Season was a good indication of things to come–and there’s no better wish we could echo for the coming year!