Eldred Worple Character Guide

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Eldred Worple Quick Facts

Full Name	Eldred
Birth Date	Between 1914 and 1970 (estimated)
Birth Place	Unknown
Nick Name	None
Death Date	Unknown
Age When Series Starts	Unknown
Zodiac Sign	Unknown
Siblings	None
Children	None
Partner / Spouse	None
Most Memorable Moment	Studied and lived with vampires and was part of Professor Slughorn’s Slug Club.
Magical Heritage	Unknown
Species	Wizard
Special Abilities	Unknown
Hogwarts House	Unknown (possibly Slytherin, but this is just speculation)
Wand	Unknown
Patronus	Unknown
Actors Who Played	Paul Ritter
Last Updated	July 2022

Eldred Worple Birthplace

We don’t know much about Eldred Worple’s background, including his birthplace. We know he was born somewhere between 1914 and 1977 because that puts him in the timeline to be one of Horace Slughorn’s students when he taught at Hogwarts for the first time. (Slughorn taught between 1931 and 1981 during his first teaching stint).

His nationality isn’t mentioned. We can presume he is British because he attended Hogwarts.

Eldred Worple Parents

We don’t see much of Worple in the books, so we know nothing about his parents.

It’s possible that Worple’s parents were important in some way, as he will later go on to be part of Slughorn’s ‘Slug Club’, a collection of talented or well-connected students. We see Slughorn trying to get to know students with famous parents in Harry’s time at Hogwarts, so he may have been doing the same thing back when Worple was at school.

Eldred Worple Physical Traits

Eldred Worple is described as being ‘small, stout, and bespectacled’ (1). In the movies, he is played by Paul Ritter. He doesn’t have glasses, but he does have a beard and a mustache. We see him briefly, which is a shame. I like Paul Ritter as an actor, and it would have been good to see more of him as Worple.

Eldred Worple Early Years

We don’t get to find out anything about Eldred Worple’s early years. He was probably at least a half-blood, as Muggleborns are rare and Slughorn tended to favor well-connected students, but we can’t know that for sure.

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Eldred Worple Hogwarts Years

We know that Worple could have been a gifted student in some way; he had a close connection to Slughorn, who likes to ‘collect’ students that he finds particularly talented or useful in some way. Worple may have shown a special skill or aptitude for something, or he may have had family connections because he ended up being a member of Slughorn’s exclusive ‘Slug Club’.

Worple goes on to study vampires, so there’s a possibility that he became interested in other magical creatures during his time at Hogwarts.

Eldred Worple After Hogwarts

After Hogwarts, Worple went on to live with vampires to study their behavior and learn more about them. He wrote a book, ‘Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires, and became friends with a vampire named Sanguini.

The only time we see Eldred Worple is at Slughorn’s Christmas party. It takes place during the events of Half-Blood Prince. Slughorn introduces Harry to Worple and his vampire friend, Sanguini. He’s keen to write a book about Harry and even asks to interview him.

Ultimately he is distracted when Sanguini shows an interest in the necks of passing students, and Worple distracts the vampire by giving him a pasty. Harry declines the interview, and that’s all we see of Worple. (2)

From the brief interaction between Worple and Harry, it’s safe to presume that Worple wants to interview Harry badly. This could be for a few reasons – curiosity, fame, money – but I can’t help but wonder if he attempted to contact Harry after the Second War to ask him for an interview again. I can imagine many people wanted to interview Harry after the war.

We don’t get to know if Worple participates in the Second War. He shows no affiliation to Voldemort, so he probably just kept out of the way with Sanguini. We don’t find out if Voldemort attempts to get vampires on his side, nor do we know if the vampires would be interested in this. It would have been interesting to find this out in the books, and I wish Rowling would have gone into this in more detail.

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Eldred Worple Family

Given the nature of his job, it’s safe to presume that Worple doesn’t have a partner or children. He lives with vampires, so it’s unlikely he would want to put anyone else in danger. I’m presuming vampires live in relative solitude, making having a family difficult for Worple.

He also doesn’t mention a family during the brief moment we see him in Half-Blood Prince, and Rowling hasn’t expanded on Worple’s life in any of the extra content online.

Eldred Worple Magical Abilities and Special Skills

As far as we know, Eldred Worple doesn’t have any extra magical abilities. We do know that he has an aptitude for working with vampires, and he may have enjoyed working with other types of magical creatures too.

Worple pays close attention to Sanguini at the party; the moment the vampire starts to drift away, Worple pulls him back. This makes Worple a good mediator between wizards and vampires (as long as he doesn’t let the vampires wander off).

Eldred Worple Wand

We also are unaware of what his wand is made of or how long it was; as with most Hogwarts students, I would presume that it was purchased from Ollivanders in Diagon Alley.

Eldred Worple Trivia and Facts

Here are some facts you may not have known about Worple and the actor that plays him in the movie adaption:

Paul Ritter had several stage roles with the National Theater, including ‘The Royal Hunt of the Sun’, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime’, and ‘The Audience’ (in the latter, he played former British Prime Minister John Major). He also had several roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Ritter appeared in several TV shows, including ‘Vera’, ‘The Game’, and most notably ‘Friday Night Dinner’. He also played Antoly Dyatlov in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl. (3)
Ritter sadly passed away in 2021 from a brain tumor, with his wife and sons by his side. (4)
Eldred Worple doesn’t appear in any of the Potter videogames, and he isn’t mentioned in any extra content (for example, on Pottermore).
The name ‘Eldred’ comes from the English surname ‘Ealdraed’, which means ‘Old Advisor’.

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Eldred Worple Appearances in Books

Book 6: Half-Blood Prince

Eldred Worple Appearances in Movies

Movie 6: Half-Blood Prince

Eldred Worple Quotes

Eldred had one scene throughout the whole series of the Harry Potter movies, and this is what his only line was:

‘Harry Potter, I am simply delighted! I was saying to Professor Slughorn only the other day, ‘Where is the biography of Harry Potter for which we all have been waiting?’… But seriously, I would be delighted to write it myself – people are craving to know more about you, dear boy, craving! If you were prepared to grant me a few interviews, say in four- or five-hour sessions, why, we could have the book finished within months … my dear boy, the gold you could make, you have no idea -‘ Eldred Worple, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about Worple:

Question: Where did Worple Find Sanguini?

Answer: We don’t get to find out where Worple found Sanguini. I’d like to know more about his time with the vampires!

Question: Was Worple a Death Eater?

Answer: No, there’s nothing to suggest that Worple was a Death Eater. He doesn’t have a Dark Mark, and he is never mentioned as a Voldemort supporter.

Question: What House was Worple in at Hogwarts?

Answer: We don’t know Worple’s Hogwarts house. We do know that he was favored by Slughorn, the head of Slytherin, so he may have been a Slytherin.

Question: Why Did Eldred Want to Write a Biography on Harry Potter?

Answer: Harry Potter was the most famous boy in the Wizarding World at this time, so people would have paid good money to know more about the boy who lived. Worple was keen to earn “gold” from Harry’s fame.