Lord Voldemort
![](/Images/godic/202502/20/Lordvoldemort2318.jpg")
![Voldemort on the back of Professor Quirrell's head in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone](/Images/godic/202502/20/Voldemort_in_Movie_12318.jpg")
![Young Tom in his fifth year at Hogwarts as played by Christian Coulson in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.](/Images/godic/202502/20/Riddleinhogwarts2318.jpg")
![Ralph Fiennes portrays Voldemort from Goblet of Fire to Deathly Hallows Part 2.](/Images/godic/202502/20/Ralph_Fiennes_cropped2318.jpg")
- "You Know Who" and "He Who Must Not Be Named" redirect here. For a definition of the popular expression, see you know who.
Lord Voldemort (/ˈvoʊldəmɔːr/, or /ˈvoʊldəmɔːrt/ in the films) (born Tom Marvolo Riddle) is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's series of Harry Potter novels. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997. Voldemort appears either in person or in flashbacks in each book and its film adaptation in the series, except the third, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, where he is only mentioned.