Robbie Coltrane, ‘Harry Potter’s Hagrid, Has Died at the Age of 72
The actor and comedian had a wide-ranging career in the UK and appeared in everything from Bond movies to ‘Flash Gordon’.
Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid in 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.'
Robbie Coltrane, a beloved actor and comedian who became world famous for his portrayal of half-giant/half-wizard Hagrid in the ‘Harry Potter’ movie franchise, has died. He was 72.
Coltrane’s career was full of an eclectic batch of roles, spanning comedy and drama, and he earned many fans for some very different characters.
Born Anthony Robert McMillan on March 30, 1950, in Glasgow, Scotland the son of a doctor and teacher, he initially pursued art as a potential career. After graduating from Glasgow Art School, he continued his studies in art at Moray House College of Education in Edinburgh.
But when his efforts to become an artist didn’t work out, Coltrane switched to stand-up comedy in Edinburgh clubs. As part of the new path, changed his last name in honor of the jazz legend John Coltrane and began looking for work as an actor in London.
Early appearances included tiny roles in movies such as ‘Flash Gordon’ and ‘Death Watch’, ‘Krull’ and ‘National Lampoon’s European Vacation’. More memorable movie parts include ‘Nuns on the Run’, ‘Absolute Beginners’, ‘From Hell’, ‘Ocean’s Twelve’ and Pixar’s ‘Brave’.
Before his movie career truly got going however, Coltrane paid his dues on British TV, making guest appearances in shows such as ‘The Young Ones' and ‘Minder’ before his first breakout in 1987 miniseries ‘Tutti Frutti’.
Robbie Coltrane as Paul Finchley in the British TV series 'National Treasure.'
He became known as a man who could switch seamlessly between comedy and drama, working on series including ‘Blackadder’, ‘A Kick Up the Eighties’, ‘The Comic Strip’ and ‘Alfresco’.
Perhaps his biggest role on television was that of Dr. Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald, a hard-drinking, cynical, smart (and smart-mouthed) psychologist who consulted with the police and had a gift for solving crimes in ‘Cracker’. Jimmy McGovern’s series ran for 25 episodes between 1993 and 2006.
That performance (for which the actor won a BAFTA) helped boost his profile once more, and he played Russian mobster Valentin Zukovsky in two Bond movies, ‘GoldenEye’ and ‘The World Is Not Enough’.
And then there was Hagrid. Cast by director Chris Columbus and the team for the adaptation of ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ as the hulking half-wizard, half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, he became a firm fan favorite, and recalled the job as one that will stand the test of time.
“The legacy of the movies is that my children’s generation will show them to their children,” he said during the 20th anniversary special on HBO Max this year. “So you could be watching it in 50 years’ time, easy. I’ll not be here, sadly, but Hagrid will, yes.”
Coltrane, who received an OBE in 2006, had been ill for the last couple of years and died at a hospital near his home in Larbert, Scotland. He’s survived by two children and will be sadly missed.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
