Source: Edinburgh International Film Festival, Flickr.
Robbie Coltrane, most notably known for his role as beloved Harry Potter character Rubeus Hagrid has died aged 72.
The cause of death has not been revealed but his agent Belinda Wright confirmed that he died in a Scottish hospital last Friday.
“For me personally I shall remember him as an abidingly loyal client. 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,” she said.
While Coltrane had a prolific film and television career that spanned more than four decades, he will no doubt be most remembered for his role as Hagrid in the Harry Potter film franchise.
His co-stars have paid tribute to him with Daniel Radcliffe revealing how “Robbie was one of the funniest people” he’d ever 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.
“I feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet and work with him and very sad that he’s passed. He was an incredible actor and a lovely man.”
Also sharing memories of their time with Robbie was Emma Watson who said “Robbie, if I ever get to be so kind as you were to me on a film set, I promise I’ll do it in your name and memory”.
She added “I’ll really miss your sweetness, your nicknames, your warmth, your laughs and your hugs”.
Harry Potter author J.K Rowling tweeted that Robbie was one of a kind.
“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.”
Besides the Harry Potter films, Coltrane appeared in films such as Ocean’s Twelve, The Brothers Bloom and the animated film Brave.
Earlier this year, he appeared in a TV special entitled Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts in which he spoke of the impact his character and the film franchise has had on society.
“The legacy of the movies is that my children’s generation will show them to their children,” he said.
“You can be watching it in 50 years’ time, easy. I’ll not be here, sadly. But Hagrid will. Yes.”
Robbie Coltrane is survived by his two children, Spencer and Alice, his sister Annie and his ex-wife Rhona Gemmell.
