British actor Dave Legeno, who played villain werewolf Fenrir Greyback in Harry Potter, was found dead in California, US authorities have confirmed.

The 50-year-old mixed martial arts fighter had been hiking in Death Valley. According to the Inyo County Sheriff's Department, he was found by two hikers in an isolated area near Zabriskie Point.

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Officials have reported that Legeno died due to heat-related issues with no indications of foul play. An autopsy will be performed by the said department to verify the main cause of the actor's death.  

Before taking up acting, Legeno had been a bouncer and gained experience in boxing and wrestling. He engaged in professional mixed-martial arts when he was 42 and became known as The Enforcer.

Since then, Legeno had gotten into acting and pulled off roles as hard-hitting guys such as in Snatch (2000), Batman Begins (2005), Centurion (2010), and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012).

He also landed his famous Harry Potter role, which extended into the final three movies of the franchise.

As a brutal Voldemort supporter, werewolf Fenrir Greyback first appeared in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2009. Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom had defeated him in the final battle of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Legeno had been set to play a role in Vertigo Films' upcoming movie, Sword of Vengeance.

He had also landed roles on the television series Borgia and the mini-series Titanic.

Tom Felton, fellow Harry Potter star, has expressed his tribute to Legeno by referring to him as a "true big, friendly gentleman" on Twitter.

Felton also posted a photo on Instagram of the two of them together on a Harry Potter poster, stating Legeno's positive attitude towards acting and working with them on set.

Legeno had been residing in England and has left behind a daughter, Wendy Legeno. 

TagsDave Legeno, Harry Potter, Fenrir Greyback