Harry Potter Actor Nick Moran Told He ‘Might Never Walk or Talk Again’ After ‘Life-Threatening’ Diagnosis

Moran, 55, played snatcher Scabior in the ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ films

Nick Moran has been dealing with a serious health concern.

The 55-year-old actor — best known for his role as the head snatcher Scabior in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows films — recently underwent emergency spinal surgery after discovering that the pain he had been experiencing in his neck was actually being caused by damage to his spinal cord, his representative tells PEOPLE.

“Nick had surgery a little over a week and a half ago and is home walking, talking and making a full recovery,” the rep says.

“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 continue, adding, “Nick would like to thank all of the well-wishers and assure them that he is well and appreciative of their support.”

Moran’s friend Terry Stone, host of The Criminal Connection podcast, told The Daily Mail that Moran was content to ignore his neck pain until his girlfriend insisted he see a doctor.

Upon being examined, Moran was told he needed an “emergency operation because this is life-threatening,” Stone said.

“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 added.

According to the podcaster, Moran was advised that he could be left unable to walk or talk unless he had the surgery. The procedure involved an incision in the actor’s spine and the removal of four bones from his neck, which were replaced by artificial bone.

“He’s recovering, but [doctors] basically said [ahead of the surgery] that he might never walk or talk again, which was traumatic,” Stone said. “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 shared that the actor now has a long recovery ahead.

‘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,” he said.

In addition to his role in the Harry Potter franchise, Moran also starred in the 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels as Eddy.