Actor Robbie Coltrane, known for playing the role of Rubeus Hagrid in the “Harry Potter” series, has died at a hospital near his residence in Larbert, Scotland. He was 72.
Reports by BBC, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline confirmed his death. While the cause of death is unknown, the late actor had health struggles for the last two years.
The Scottish star was also famous for his role as Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky in two “James Bond” films — “GoldenEye” and “The World Is Not Enough,” according to The Wrap.
Who was Robbie Coltrane?
He was born Anthony Robert McMillan but he took on the name Coltrane after the recognized jazz musician John Coltrane.
His stage debut came when he was 12 years old and delivered rants from “Henry V.” According to The Guardian, he went on to attend the Glasgow Art School but switched to live performing.
As for Coltrane’s first television debut, he was a border guard in “The Lost Tribe” (1980), a BBC miniseries.
He subsequently appeared in “Death Watch” as a limousine driver, and in “Subway Riders” as Detective Fritz Langley, the leading role, while frequently starring in “The Comic Strip” series, which features performers from a comedy club in London, per IMDb.
Around that time, Coltrane struggled with alcohol abuse and his marital life, with Robin Paine, his partner of 15 years, was on the rocks.
After his separation in 1987, he met Rhona Gemmell. They married and had two children — Spencer and Alice. The two later divorced in 2003.
What was Robbie Coltrane most known for?
With many roles under his belt, success finally graced him. Per The Connecticut Post, he got the lead role of Dr. Eddie “Fitz” Fitzgerald, a forensic psychologist, in “Cracker” (1993), followed by the “James Bond” movies and the lucrative “Harry Potter” franchise.
In his recent performance from 2019, he reprises his role as Hagrid in “Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.” In the franchise's 20th anniversary reunion special, which is streaming on HBO Max, the actor reflected on his time playing the character since 2001.
“I just think it’s an end of an era. It’s 10 years of my life, my children have grown up during it,” he said emotionally, per People. “The legacy of the movies is that my children’s generation will show them to their children, so you could be watching it in 50 years’ time, easy.”
“I’ll not be here sadly, but Hagrid will. Yes,” Coltrane added.
Some of Coltrane’s other big movies include “Message in a Bottle,” “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Alice in Wonderland.”