Harry Potter’s Hagrid, Robbie Coltrane, dies aged 72
Robbie Coltrane, who played the half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in Harry Potter films, died on Friday. He was 72.
JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, mourned the Scottish actor’s passing by tweeting: “I’ll never know anyone remotely like Robbie again.
“He was an incredible talent, a complete one off, and I was beyond fortunate to know him, work with him and laugh my head off with him. I send my love and deepest condolences to his family, above all his children.”
Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter, said Coltrane was “one of the funniest people I’ve met.
"I've especially fond memories of him keeping our spirits up on 'Prisoner of Azkaban', when we were all hiding from the torrential rain for hours in Hagrid's hut and he was telling stories and cracking jokes to keep morale up," he said.
Coltrane’s agent Belinda Wright said: "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.
“Robbie Coltrane, Scottish entertainment legend – you will be hugely missed," she wrote.
Apart from Harry Potter, Coltrane’s four-decade-long career also spanned roles in James Bond hits like "GoldenEye" and "The World Is Not Enough", as well as in the 1990s British TV series "Cracker", in which he played the part of criminal psychologist Dr Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald.
Born on March 30, 1950, in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Anthony Robert McMillan changed his professional name as a homage to celebrated jazz musician John Coltrane.
He died in hospital near Falkirk in Scotland and is survived by his sister Annie Rai, children Spencer and Alice and their mother Rhona Gemmell, Wright said.
