"Can you possibly imagine a better way to serve detention, than by helping me answer my fan mail?"

This great picture of the vain Gilderoy Lockhart has been signed by Kenneth Branagh - the great British actor who played him in The Chamber of Secrets. The picture would be perfect for any young wizarding fan's bedroom - why not check out our other Hogwarts pictures and displays and decorate the whole room!

Kenneth Charles Branagh was born on December 10, 1960 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK to parents William Branagh, a carpenter born in 1930, and Frances Branagh, also born in 1930. Having graduated from RADA, at 23  Kenneth joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he took on starring roles in Henry V and Romeo and Juliet. He soon formed his own company, the Renaissance Theatre Company, which now counts Prince Charles as one of its royal patrons. At 29, he directed and starred in the film Henry V (1989), which costarred his then-wife, Emma Thompson. The film brought him Best Actor and Best Director Oscar nominations. In 1993, he brought Shakespeare to mainstream audiences again with his hit adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing (1993), which featured an all-star cast that included Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves. At 30, he published his autobiography and at 34 he directed and starred as Victor Frankenstein in the big-budget adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) with Robert De Niro as the monster himself. In 1996, Branagh wrote, directed and starred in a lavish adaptation of Hamlet (1996). Branagh’s performances in Shakespeare’s classic saw critics hailing him as "the new Olivier". In recent years he starred in a series of non-Bard-related roles in Celebrity (1998), Wild Wild West (1999), and as a voice in _Road to El Dorado, The (2000).

Blonde, handsome, and owner of a dashing smile and roguish wink, Gilderoy Lockhart is a celebrity for reasons that are entirely undeserved. Gilderoy came to Hogwarts during Harry Potter's second year as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher (why Dumbledore hired him is one of the books greatest mysteries). He wears outrageously colourful robes to match his outrageously egocentric personality, and is never without a stack of signed photographs and a bit of "advice" for the young celebrity Harry. Over the course of the school year he proved himself completely incompetent in matters of teaching, duelling, remedies (he once managed to remove every bone in one of Harry's arms), and practically everything else. Of course it came as no surprise that Lockhart is not at all to credit for his alleged exploits; it turned out that the only thing he's any good at are memory charms, so he can erase the memories of his victims, steal their triumphs and publish them to boost his own fame!

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The Harry Potter books, written by the talented J K Rowling, have given rise to a literary and cinematic sensation.  The mad scramble for the Order of the Phoenix ably demonstrated that the tales of Harry and his pals are a worldwide phenomenon. This is your opportunity to get closer to the world of Diagon Alley, The Burrow, Platform 9 3/4 and of course Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy and let the magic come alive in your own home! As a muggle this is probably as close as you will ever get to the action - so don't miss out!

Dear Mr. Potter, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Soon, you and your schoolmates will join us here, and your education in the magical arts will begin.