Dave Legeno
A hulking character actor best known for playing the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, whose off-screen life as a bare-knuckle fighter was just as intense.
1963–2014 (age 51)·British mixed martial arts fighter·Birthday: October 12·Baby Boomers
Biography
Dave Legeno played Fenrir Greyback, the savage werewolf in the 'Harry Potter' films. He also appeared in 'Batman Begins' and 'Snatch.' Alongside acting, he competed as a mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer in England and Russia. Legeno trained and fought in organized matches, pursuing combat sports as a parallel life to his film work. He was born in 1963 and died in 2014 while hiking in Death Valley. His death added mystery to his story. Legeno lived intensely, on his own terms.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Dave was born in 1963, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dave Was Born
The biggest hits of 1963
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Best Picture
Tom Jones
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Dave's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1963Born
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1968Started school
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1976Became a teenager
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Could drive
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Could vote
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Turned 21
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1993Turned 30
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 40
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 50
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2014Died at 51
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
Key Achievements
- Portrayed the werewolf Fenrir Greyback in three 'Harry Potter' films: 'Half-Blood Prince' and both 'Deathly Hallows' parts.
- Had notable acting roles in major films like 'Batman Begins' and 'Snow White and the Huntsman'.
- Competed as a professional mixed martial artist, with a recorded fight in the UK-based promotion UCMMA.
- Was known for participating in the underground world of bare-knuckle boxing.
Did You Know?
He held a black belt in Japanese Ju-Jitsu.
He was found deceased in Death Valley, California, in July 2014; the cause was determined to be heat-related.
Before acting, he worked as a bouncer and a bodyguard.
He was a skilled chess player.
“I am the monster they need me to be, on screen and in the cage.”
