Robbie Coltrane, the actor who played Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter franchise has died at the age of 72.
Coltrane died in a hospital close to Falkirk in Scotland, according to his agent. In addition to playing Hagrid, the beloved mentor of Harry Potter, Coltrane was also famous for roles in the James Bond films and the detective drama TV show Cracker.
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“For me personally I shall remember him as an abidingly loyal client. As well as being a wonderful actor, he was forensically intelligent, brilliantly witty, and after 40 years of being proud to be called his agent, I shall miss him,” his agent, Belinda Wright, said in a statement, per the BBC.
The Scottish actor was born on March 30, 1950, in Glasgow, Scotland. He was born with the name Anthony Robert McMillan but later changed it to Robbie Coltrane in a nod to saxophonist John Coltrane. During his early career, he struggled to gain footing as an actor and worked in comedy clubs.
Eventually, he scored roles in Keep It in the Family, Flash Gordon, and Blackadder. Then his breakout came when he played a psychologist by the name of Dr. Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald in the Cracker series during the 1990s.
From there, he played Russian mafia head Valentin Zukovsky in the James Bond flicks GoldenEye and The World Is Not Enough. He became most famous for his role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001. Hagrid was a warm and boisterous character who served as a strong ally to Harry Potter throughout the series.
Coltrane reprised his role as Hagrid most recently in 2019 for the short film, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Notably, when Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling became embroiled in controversy for her opinions on transgenderism, Coltrane was one of the few actors in the franchise who defended her.
“I don’t know why, but there’s a whole Twitter generation of people who hang around waiting to be offended. They wouldn’t have won the war, would they?” he said, the Evening Standard reported.
Tributes for Coltrane began to pour in as news of his death spread.
“Such depth, power & talent: funny enough to cause helpless hiccups & honking as we made our first TV show, ‘Alfresco.’ Farewell, old fellow. You’ll be so dreadfully missed,” actor Stephen Fry tweeted.
I first met Robbie Coltrane almost exactly 40 years ago. I was awe/terror/love struck all at the same time. Such depth, power & talent: funny enough to cause helpless hiccups & honking as we made our first TV show, “Alfresco”. Farewell, old fellow. You’ll be so dreadfully missed
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) October 14, 2022
“Now I’m in shock at the death of my dear pal Robbie Coltrane,” actor Robert Lindsay tweeted. “We shared a Hollywood journey that will live with me forever. Another great star to light the heavens.”
Now I’m in shock at the death of my dear pal Robbie Coltrane
We shared a Hollywood journey that will live with me forever ❤️Another great star to light the heavens— Robert Lindsay (@RobertLindsay) October 14, 2022
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Coltrane is survived by his children Spencer and Alice, as well as their mother, Rhona Gemmell, according to his agent.
“Please respect Robbie’s family’s privacy at this distressing time,” his agent added.
