Since Joan Rowling published her first book, the wizarding world of Harry Potter and its inhabitants have been carefully studied not only by fans, but also by critics. Fans of the epic were interested in the fate of the main characters and secondary characters who did not particularly affect the plot. Among these persons - the insidious director of Durmstrang - Igor Karkarov. Unfortunately, in the epic biography of this character, very little screen time is given. It is worth fixing this mistake and getting to know the hero better.
The series "Harry Potter": Igor Karkarov (photo and biography)
The first acquaintance with the character among readers takes place in the book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, when he arrives at Hogwarts with his students at the Three Wizards Tournament.
Throughout the novel, Harry and his comrades gradually find out the truth about who Igor Karkarov was before.
About the character’s early years, almost nothing is known: neither when and where he was born, nor why he joined Voldemort. It is only known that he hails from Northern Europe and is a purebred wizard.
During the coming to power of the Dark Lord, Karkarov joined the ranks of his associates, becoming a Death Eater. However, as practice has shown, this was done not for ideological reasons, but because of the desire to save his own skin.
Being in the ranks of the elite of Voldemort, Igor Karkarov participated in the torture and murder of wizards objectionable to his master.
Luck turned away from Karkarov when he was tracked down and captured by the famous obscurantist Alastor Moody. Once in Azkaban, this sorcerer, in exchange for freedom, betrayed all the Dark Lord's associates that he knew about. Although some of the dark wizards named by him have long been arrested, thanks to Karkarov, he managed to expose one of the most dexterous spies in the Ministry of Magic - Augustus Rukwood.
Soon after his release, Igor Karkarov received the post of director at the Durmstang school of magic. Rowling's books do not give clear explanations of how a former prisoner was able to get such an important post. However, from reviews of this educational institution this becomes clear by itself. The Durmstrang school has always been notorious because of its teachers' love of dark magic. In addition, the northern lands where it was located had a very harsh climate, and the school had very poor funding, so most Durmstrang students studied in terrible conditions. Among other things, Durmstrang had very strict rules for students, and the main method of education was intimidation. With this characteristic of the educational institution, it becomes clear that not every wizard wanted to teach here, especially since in the magical environment the profession of a teacher was not very popular. It should be noted that Karkarov was afraid of the revenge of other Death Eaters for his betrayal, and Durmstrang was in a secret place, which was not known to many - therefore, he became an ideal refuge for the hiding magician.
Having become a director, Igor Karkarov only aggravated Durmstrang's grim reputation. Under him, the cruelty of teachers reached its zenith.
Tournament of the Three Wizards and the return of the Dark Lord
During the Tournament, the director of Durmstrang tried his best to achieve the victory of Victor Krum. To do this, he cheated with grades, overestimating the points of his champion and underestimating them to the rest of the participants. In addition, he bypassed the rules trying to find out the details of the tasks.
Staying at Hogwarts for Karkarov was overshadowed by the presence of Moody, who had once taken him to Azkaban. In addition, the professor was unpleasant to communicate with Severus Snape. At the same time, everyone, sensing that the mark of the Devourer on his arm started to burn, Igor turned to Severus for advice, trying to understand what was happening, but he scornfully dismissed him.
After the Dark Lord was able to regain his physical shell and again began to assemble an army of associates, Karkarov realized that he was doomed. Therefore, he hid in an unknown direction and successfully hid during the year. However, in the summer of 1996, the Death Eaters were able to find him and kill him.
The character of Karkarov
This character is one of the most disgusting in the book.
He is completely devoid of the concept of honor. His main principle is to survive. Obeying him, the director of Durmstrang is ready to lie, betray, kill and create, anything.
Being a far-sighted and very dodgy person, only in moments of weakness Karkarov is able to show his true essence - a flattering scoundrel, accustomed to curry favor with the strong and trample the weak in the mud.
Another striking feature of this hero was a tendency to sadism. He loved to torment others. As a Death Eater, he helped torture the enemies of the Dark Lord, and, becoming a director, oppressed his students. By the way, during his stay in Durmstrang they stopped accepting Muggle-born wizards.
Igor Karkarov - actor Predrag Belac
On the screen of this unpleasant character was played by the Serbian actor Predrag Bjelac.
Having started his career back in the mid-eighties, this artist was able to break into American cinema only in the first decade of the two thousandths.
His first major achievement was his participation in the television series Children of the Dune, after which he played an Italian tourist in the film Eurotour.
In 2005, Predrag Belac appeared on the screen as a character named Igor Karkarov. The actor (his biography before this role was of little interest to anyone) instantly became famous throughout the world. This was followed by roles in Omen and The Chronicles of Narnia. After this, Belac’s career began to decline. Today he is removed, but not so often in not very well-known projects.
Entertaining facts
- The book does not say exactly about director Durmstrang’s nationality, however, many consider him a Russian because of the name Igor and the suffix “ov”, characteristic of surnames of Slavic origin.
- By the way, another theory of the origin of the name of this hero is also possible. Since the creator of Harry Potter is very respectful of the work of Tolkien, many believe that she named Karkarov in honor of the werewolf from the Silmarillion.
- In the movie, Igor Karkarov is a brown-eyed brunette, who often uses dark colors in clothes. But in the book he has blue eyes and he dresses in bright colors, prefers white and silver.
- The film shows only one court session at which the director of Durmstrang issued Barty Crouch Jr. In the original work, this character was present at 3 trials, at one of which he testified against Belatrix Lestrange and her brothers.
Despite the fact that Igor Karkarov arouses contempt among readers, it is worth noting that Joan Rowling in his person managed to demonstrate his ability to create a variety of characters. So, Karkarov is not like anyone else from the world of Harry Potter, being unique and proving once again that in the Rowling books each character and his character are carefully thought out.