Robbie Coltrane, with whom the loveable character of Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies became lively, breathed his last at 72. Scottish-born Robbie was not only limited to the character of the gamekeeper of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter franchise but his versatility as a veteran actor was seen in Bond films and the British series Cracker based on crime.
Robbie Coltrane Death
Robbie died on Friday, October 14, in the Forth Valley Royal Hospital of Larbert in Scotland, where he was being treated for medical issues. Robbie’s family, however, didn’t provide further details on the actor’s physical condition and the cause of death. His agent Belinda Wright informed that the family had thanked the hospital staff for the care and support.
What the Agent said about Robbie Coltrane
Wright described Robbie as someone of incredible talent. She added that she would never know someone more closely than the Scottish actor and comedian, and he would always make her laugh, which she would miss. Wright paid her condolences to the actor’s family, especially his children, after mentioning that she was proud of being called Robbie’s agent.
Robbie’s Family
The actor is survived by his children Alice and Spenser, their mother Rhona Gemmell, and sister Annie Rae.
Robbie Coltrane Movies
The real name of Coltrane was Anthony Robert McMillan. He was born in 1950 in Glasgow. He opted for stand-up comedy when he started, and then he took the name, Robbie Coltrane, to honor John Coltrane, the jazz legend.
Before receiving international acclaim, Robbie started getting appreciation for his skills as a comedian on the stage.
Coltrane appeared in TV series like Flash Gordon, Keep It in the family, and some eminent comedy series including Alfresco, The Comic Strip, and A Kick Up the Eighties.
The short sketch series Alfresco was his first break in the 80s, where he appeared alongside Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, and Stephen Fry. After that, he got appreciation worldwide for his character of a criminal psychologist, which had negative shades, in the series Cracker, between 1993 and 2006.
On the other side was the character of Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts groundskeeper.
Sharing his memories with Robbie, his co-star in the drama series Tutti Frutti later, Fry took to his Twitter and wrote that he met Robbie forty years ago and got overwhelmed. He described the Hagrid actor as a compelling, talented, and fun-loving person.
Robbie was seen in a couple of James Bond movies too.
Hagrid Harry Potter Actor
Just as Harry Potter is not only a mere film franchise for its fans but emotion and nostalgia, so are its characters, and Hagrid actor is no less.
Robbie described once in an interview that the character was quite natural for him as he was fond of diversity. The character of Hagrid, who was a half-giant, was brought to life by the Hagrid Harry Potter actor. Robbie turned Hagrid into a gentle human, even though he was a half-human only.
According to the actor, Hagrid was a good guy anybody would want to have by his side, just like the superheroes, vast and good at heart.
Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson’s Reactions
Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter in the series expressed his grief over Robbie’s death, saying the Hagrid actor will be in his memory as the funniest person who always kept people laughing. Radcliffe remembered one of the stories during their shooting of Prisoner of Azkaban when the crew was stuck in the rain, and the Hagrid actor kept cracking jokes and telling stories to boost everyone up. He added that he was lucky to meet such a nice person.
Emma Watson, another Harry Potter star who played Hermoine in the series, said that no one would play the character of Hagrid better than Robbie Coltrane, and he even made her character better and easy.
Many other co-stars of Robbie Coltrane also expressed their condolences toward Robbie’s Family and prayed for his soul to rest in peace.
