Robbie Coltrane, a veteran Scottish actor who played half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies and starred in the cult British crime series Crackers, died Friday in Larbert, Scotland. he was 72 years old.
His death at the hospital was confirmed by British agent Belinda Wright. Coltrane’s family did not disclose the cause, but Wright said he had been “unwell for some time.” Stated.
During his 40-year career in film and television, Mr. Coltrane veered from the comics to the gritty, serving as an anti-hero detective in “Crackers” (1993-96) and turning from KGB agent to He sided with James Bond and turned gangster in disguise. himself as a nun after betraying her fellow criminals in “Nuns on the Run” (1990).
But those roles will see Coltrane playing Hagrid, a fan-favorite of the “Harry Potter” books whose move to the big screen will face the very high expectations of millions of young readers. It was of little use in preparation.
Mr. Coltrane has successfully embodied an 8-foot-6 half-giant. He appeared in all eight of his ‘Harry Potter’ films, imbuing the franchise with warmth while towering over the young witches and wizards at the center of the series as they battle evil. .
The first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was released in November 2001 and grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, building on the passionate global fanbase of JK Rowling’s book series .
Wright, who represented Coltrane for 40 years, said the role was why Coltrane received “a stream of fan letters every week for over 20 years.”
Coltrane, who is a strict privacy guard, rarely gave interviews and could be harsh with reporters. But he said he had to put that sullenness aside when he was accepted into legions of young “Harry Potter” fans.
“Kids came up to you and said, ‘Can you sign my book?’ With those big bitch eyes.” he told The Guardian in 2012“And that’s a serious responsibility.”
Coltrane was born Anthony Robert Macmillan on March 30, 1950 in Rutherglen, Scotland, a suburb of Glasgow. His father, Ian Baxter McMillan, was a doctor. His mother, Jean Ross Howie, was a teacher.
He grew up outside Glasgow and enrolled in the Glasgow School of Art, where he studied drawing and painting, but struggled to translate his ideas onto canvas.
“I wanted to paint like a painter who really moves me and makes me cry about humanity.” he told the Herald, Scottish Newspaper, 2014. Rembrandt. But when I saw my diploma and realized that everything that was in my head was not on the canvas, I felt a terrible disappointment. “
When his future prospects as a painter dimmed, he was encouraged by his drama teacher, who told him he had acting talent, after appearing on stage in Harold Pinter’s one-act play “The Dumb Waiter,” reported The Herald.
After adopting his stage name as a tribute to the great jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, Mr. Coltrane found a more stable footing when he moved to London. He worked as a stand-up comedian and actor, performing theater roles and minor roles in television and film productions.
Dr. Edward Fitzgerald, better known as Dr. Edward Fitzgerald, is a chain smoking criminal psychologist on the hit series The Cracker. His alcoholism mirrored Mr. Coltrane’s own drinking problem. This role earned him BAFTA Awards for Best Television Actor in 1994, 1995 and 1996.
His turn as former KGB agent-turned-Russian mafia kingpin Valentin Zhukovsky in the James Bond films GoldenEye (1995) and The World Is Not Enough (1999) , exposed Mr. Coltrane to a wider audience, especially in the United States. state.
But nothing matched the worldwide fame he found after being cast as Rubeus Hagrid in the “Harry Potter” series. You brought the characters to life.
Young actors who grew up on the sets of the Harry Potter films fondly remembered Mr. Coltrane as a go-to person who lifted his spirits with jokes and words of encouragement.
Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter, said on Friday that Coltrane “always made us laugh as a kid.”
In a statement, Mr Radcliffe said: “I was especially reminded of him for cheering us up on Prisoner of Azkaban. I make jokes to keep morale up.”
James Phelps, who played Fred Weasley in the series, wrote on twitter When he was 14 and nervous on his first day on set, Mr. Coltrane came up and said, “Have fun. You’ll be great.”
Coltrane has two children, Spencer and Alice, and a sister, Annie Ray.
In the HBO Max retrospective Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Returning to Hogwarts, which premiered January 1, Mr. Coltrane reflected on the role that introduced him to a new generation of fans.
“The legacy of cinema is what my children’s generation will show their children.” He said“So it’s easy to see 50 years from now. Sadly, I’m not here, but Hagrid will.”