Actor from Harry Potter Movies Dead: Dave Legeno Found After Hiking In California, Played ‘Fenrir Greyback’ In Hit Franchise

A star of the later Harry Potter movies, Dave Legeno, has been found dead in the California desert. The British actor died while out hiking in Death Valley, west of Zabriskie Point. These reports have been confirmed to the Mirror by his agent.

"Legeno's body was found by a pair of hikers on Sunday in an area so remote... a CHP helicopter had to be called in to remove it," said TMZ.

"It appears Legeno died of heat related issues... and may have been dead for 3-4 days before his body was discovered. Summer temps in Death Valley are known to go over 120 degrees."

The 50-year-old British actor, who also featured in the 2000 film "Snatch" (directed by Guy Ritchie), played the role of villainous werewolf Fenrir Greyback in the Harry Potter movies. The werewolf was a sidekick of Lord Voldemort (as played by Ralph Fiennes) and his malevolent army, and fought against the likes of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint).

Legeno's Fenrir Greyback character incited fear amongst the fictional wizarding community, and was first depicted in JK Rowling's bestselling novel series.

Some Potter fans may be surprised to discover that outside of Harry Potter movies world, Dave Legeno was a mixed martial arts expert. The Mirror wrote that the star was not just involved in acting, but was also talented in the fields of "boxing, wrestling, judo and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu". While he did not embark upon his professional MMA career until the age of 42, Legeno quickly proved his talent and skills, winning his last four matches in the sport. In the MMA community, Dave Legeno went by the nickname of "The Enforcer".

Tributes are flowing fast for Dave Legeno on Twitter, from the acting community, MMA community, and Harry Potter fans alike.