Some sad news from London over the weekend: Rob Knox, an 18-year-old actor who has a small role in this fall's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was stabbed to death during a brawl outside a bar late Friday night. According to London's Telegraph, Knox was defending his younger brother from the attacker, who had two knives and stabbed three other people besides Knox. The attacker, a 21-year-old man, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. His other three victims, all young men around the same age, had injuries that were not life-threatening, according to BBC News.
Knox (pictured here with his mother) plays Marcus Belby in Half-Blood Prince, which finished principal photography a week ago. Marcus is a minor character in the book, a seventh-year Ravenclaw student who tries unsuccessfully to join the "Slug Club," the potions professor's group of favorite students. The Times says Knox, who will make his big-screen debut in Half-Blood Prince, had signed to potentially play the role in the seventh film, too.
Harry Potter distributor Warner Bros. issued a statement of sympathy for Knox's family. Various British news sources have noted that Knox was the 14th teenager murdered in London so far this year, and that 11 of those deaths were stabbings.
