Richard Griffiths -- the British actor who played Harry Potter's Uncle Vernon in the popular movies -- died Thursday following heart surgery in England. He was 65.

In addition to starring in the Potter films, Griffiths won a Tony for his role in "The History Boys" and starred alongside Daniel Radcliffe in "Equus" in 2007.

Radcliffe released a statement yesterday saying, "Richard was by my side during two of the most important moments of my career ... I was proud to say I knew him."

Griffiths' most recent performance was last year in a West End production of Neil Simon's comedy "The Sunshine Boys" that also starred Danny DeVito.

Griffiths is survived by his wife, Heather Gibson.

Unlike most wizards, "Harry Potter" star Tom Felton -- aks Draco Malfoy -- didn't freeze his wand off New Year's weekend ... hitting up Miami with his hot girlfriend instead.

Fun facts: Tom's GF Jade Olivia worked as a stunt assistant for the Potter flicks ... and even made a cameo as Draco's wife Astoria Greengrass in "Deathly Hallows: Part 2."

The actor who played Crabbe the bully in 6 of the "Harry Potter" movies has been charged with possession of a homemade bomb ... which cops say he intended to detonate during the London riots.

According to U.K. reports, cops believe 22-year-old Jamie Waylett was packing a Molotov cocktail while looting champagne from a drug store during the London riots on August 8th.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Waylett was later identified by video footage after the incident  ... and cops eventually arrested him on Sept. 20.

At some point during the investigation, cops claim they found 15 marijuana plants in Waylett's home.

Cops released a statement saying ... "[Waylett] was charged with violent disorder, having an article with intent to destroy or damage property, receiving stolen goods and also cultivating cannabis plants."

Waylett was eventually released on bail -- he's due back in court on Nov. 11.

Berry -- the dog that played Padfoot in "Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban" -- will remain an orphan for the next few weeks -- because the people who run the rescue shelter where he lives have decided he's too famous to adopt.
 
10-year-old Berry's original owner (a stuntman) put the dog up for adoption because he was too busy to take care of it --  but a rep for the German Shepherd Dog Rescue in the UK tells TMZ, the charity won't let anyone adopt Berry until the publicity surrounding the HP movies has died down.

According to the rep, the rescue is worried someone will adopt Berry just for his star power -- not for his companionship.

In the meantime, the rep says, "We are busy home checking lots of new people ... and then will decide if one of them is good enough."

With Harry and Hermione nowhere in sight, "Harry Potter" star Rupert Grint partied at Chateau Nightclub in Las Vegas last night.

Clearly he's got all the girls under his spell.

Emma Watson was spotted out in Santa Monica yesterday, getting quite cozy with her "Perks of Being a Wallflower" co-star Johnny Simmons.

He's clearly under her spell.

"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling just got iced up with a 40-diamond bracelet -- but perhaps she'd like to hand it over to a someone in need ... like a homeless person ... played by Harvey Levin?



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As if J.K. Rowling wasn't rich enough -- Warner Bros. gave her a token of its appreciation for the latest "Harry Potter" flick -- an insanely expensive piece of jewelry.



Sources close to CEO Barry Meyer tell TMZ ... Rowling scored a white gold, antique 40-diamond bracelet worth millions of dollars -- which he presented to her at the London premiere after-party.

According to sources, Rowling was nervous about donning such a valuable piece of jewelry before she got it insured ... but  she got a more primitive form of insurance -- a bunch of burly security guards at the bash.

Price, of course, is relative -- wordwide, the latest movie has grossed more than half-a-billion bucks.

Emma Watson modeled her little boy haircut during an emergency evacuation at Brown University yesterday morning -- but TMZ has learned ... unlike Hermione's 'do, the scary situation was a false alarm.


According to sources at Brown, the fire alarm at the dorm where she was staying went off around 10am -- and we're told, it all started with a leaky steam pipe ... which triggered the emergency alert system.

No one was injured -- and after about 10 embarrassing minutes outside in their pajamas, the students were allowed to return to their chambers of secrets.

Accio eye shadow!

It's the newest craze sweeping through Hollywood -- celebrities with Swine Flu!!!! And now two new members are on the infectious bandwagon!


CNN's chief medical expert Dr. Sanjay Gupta just got over his bout with the Swine Flu -- and Marilyn Manson just announced that he's got S.F. right now!

"Harry Potter's" Rupert Grint had it ... "The Early Show's" Harry Smith thinks he has it ... and Lisa Rinna claims her entire family got down with the sickness. It's a full blown trend!

According to Manson, he didn't contract it by "f**king a pig" -- we're guessing Gupta didn't either.

The kid who plays Vincent Crabbe in the "Harry Potter" movies could be heading to Azkaban wizard prison soon -- he just pled guilty to growing magical marijuana plants inside his mother's London home.

Jamie Waylett -- who plays the school bully in all six "Potter" flicks -- was popped in April after cops found eight bags of weed in the car in which Jamie was riding. Cops then searched Waylett's mom's place and found 10 pot plants.

Waylett will be sentenced on Tuesday -- he faces up to 14 years in the slammer.