‘Harry Potter’ Star Faces Dire Prognosis After Being Rushed To Hospital

"Harry Potter" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" actor Nick Moran is on the mend after undergoing emergency spinal surgery for a serious and potentially life-threatening injury.

The 55-year-old actor was rushed to the hospital after what was initially dismissed as routine neck pain turned out to be a spinal cord injury that affected critical bodily functions.

According to longtime friend Terry Stone, Nick Moran’s condition was far more dire than he realized.

“I spoke to one of his family members and he damaged his neck somehow, and it’s affecting his spinal cord and some of the things that operate your speech and your legs,” Stone told Daily Mail. “Nick’s girlfriend was saying ‘You’ve got to get it checked out,’ but as a bloke he said, ‘No I’ll put some deep heat on it.’”

After finally visiting a doctor, Moran was sent to A&E, where he was told, “‘We need to take you in for an emergency operation because this is life-threatening.’”

The operation itself was intensive. Doctors removed four bones from Moran’s neck and replaced them with artificial ones to relieve the damage. “It was microsurgery and because there’s so many nerves around the neck and spine this made the operation tricky with those awful chances of not being able to speak or walk again,” Stone said.

While the actor’s condition was initially critical, he is now in recovery. Stone shared that doctors had warned Moran of the traumatic possibility that “he might never walk or talk again.”

“He’s not in the best of health, but when he came out of the operation I was like ‘thank God’ because I think he’d decided he’d rather not walk or talk than die,” Stone added.

Fortunately, there are already signs of improvement. “He’s speaking now, which is a good sign, but he’s shuffling around like a 100-year-old and has a neck brace on and taking it easy,” Stone said, noting that the road to recovery will be long but hopeful.

A rep for Moran confirmed the news of his surgery, telling Daily Mail, “Nick had urgent spinal surgery over a week ago, which carries the usual risks of such procedures. All went well. He is now back home on his way to a full recovery after a short stay in the hospital.”

PEOPLE Magazine also obtained a statement, which gave more detail as to when the incident happened.

"Nick had surgery a little over a week and a half ago and is home walking, talking and making a full recovery," the rep told the outlet. "Nick will be back working on his next film shortly and is looking forward to being back at the studio, tending to his busy schedule."

They added, "Nick would like to thank all of the well-wishers and assure them that he is well and appreciative of their support."

In addition to portraying Scabior in the "Harry Potter" franchise, Moran is widely known for his breakout role in the 1998 cult classic "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."

Moran’s versatile film career has included standout roles in "The Musketeer," where he took on the role of Aramis, and "New Blood," in which he starred opposite the legendary John Hurt. On the small screen, he’s made memorable appearances in popular series like "CSI: Miami," "Mr. Selfridge," and "The Wrong Mans."

But Moran’s talents extend well beyond acting. He has also made a mark behind the camera as both a writer and director.

He co-wrote and directed "Telstar: The Joe Meek Story," a biopic chronicling the life of the trailblazing British record producer, with a cast led by Con O’Neill and Kevin Spacey. In 2010, he stepped behind the lens again to direct "The Kid," based on Kevin Lewis’s harrowing memoir, starring Rupert Friend and Ioan Gruffudd.

His work hasn’t gone unnoticed as Moran has earned nominations from the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), including honors for Telstar, and has also been recognized by the British Horror Film Festival for his creative contributions to cinema.