Meet Sirine Saba: The Lebanese-Palestinian Actress Joining Hogwarts as Professor Sprout in HBO's Harry Potter

Lebanese-Palestinian actress Sirine Saba is joining the faculty at Hogwarts as Professor Pomona Sprout in HBO’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Premiering on OSN+ in the Middle East this Christmas, the series is set to release its first full trailer today, as announced during Tuesday's Back to Hogwarts Showcase in London. Saba will play the Herbology teacher and head of Hufflepuff House in the series. Miriam Margolyes previously portrayed the character in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.

Saba's casting follows nearly three decades of work in British theatre, alongside roles in television, film and radio. Born in Beirut in 1975, Saba lived there until she was eight before moving to Cyprus, where she grew up describing herself as half Palestinian and half Lebanese. While living in Cyprus, her father sometimes brought her family to London to see West End productions, sparking an ambition for acting that she pursued from childhood. Saba trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1998, and later secured a contract with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Her extensive stage career with the Royal Shakespeare Company includes performances in The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale, Pericles, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Tales from Ovid, and Midnight’s Children. She also performed in numerous productions at the National Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe, and appeared in contemporary plays such as Some Demon at the Arcola Theatre and Letters from Max at Hampstead Theatre.

On screen, Saba has maintained a steady presence in British television with credits including Beyond Paradise, Midsomer Murders, Doctor Who, Cleaning Up, EastEnders, Unforgotten, Silent Witness, and the BBC medical drama Holby City. Her film work includes Maestro, Exhibition, Death of the Revolution, and Ruth Platt’s 2019 feature The Black Forest. Furthermore, she has contributed to audio dramas for BBC Radio and Audible.

Alongside her mainstream work, Saba has frequently appeared in productions exploring stories from Lebanon, Palestine, and the wider Arab world, such as Baghdad Wedding, The Keepers of Infinite Space, and Fireworks. Recently, she took part in Voices from Lebanon, a London performance organised by theatre charity Seenaryo, reflecting on her childhood and the realities of conflict and displacement.

The upcoming series features Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. Season one will debut at Christmas 2026, while season two reportedly began filming last month.