Tears in Hogwarts – Hagrid is dead
Robbie Coltrane, probably best known for his role as Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, has died aged 72.
Born Anthony Robert McMillan in Glasgow, Coltrane went to Glasgow School of Art until he had second thoughts about talent, and switched to acting in and doing standup, taking his name from jazz musician John Coltrane.
Coltrane started out with small parts in films and TV shows, including Flash Gordon, and Are You Being Served? His unique appearance ensured he stood out from the crowd. In the early 1980s, TV sketch shows such as A Kick Up the Eighties placed him in an alternative comedy camp alongside Ben Elton and Rik Mayall with regular appearances in Comic Strip Presents films including Five Go Mad in Dorset and The Bullshitters.
As Coltrane’s abilities as an actor grew, he found himself sought after for better roles in bigger projects, including Falstaff in Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V. But it was two religious-themed comedy films – Nuns on the Run, and The Pope Must Die – that propelled Coltrane to leading-man status, and put him on the map in the US.
Coltrane’s status was confirmed when he played the criminal psychologist “Fitz” Fitzgerald in Cracker. A completely non-comic role, Coltrane won the best TV actors Bafta in 1994, 1995 and 1996 for the role.
Coltrane admitted to being a heavy drinker in the 1980s, and remained famously combative, once threatening to beat up Piers Morgan in a London restaurant. He was then cast as KGB agent Valentin Domitrovich Zukovsky in two Bond films, Golden Eye, and The World Is Not Enough. His performance as a TV star accused of sexual abuse in the 2016 Channel 4 show National Treasure was greeted with widespread acclaim.
Stratospheric fame and status as a national treasure came when he was cast as Hogwarts’ school caretaker Rubeus Hagrid in the film adaptations of the Harry Potter series – a role he took only with his children’s persuasion.
Tributes began pouring in on social media.
Stephen Fry said…
“I first met Robbie Coltrane almost exactly 40 years ago. I was in awe, terror, and love-struck all at the same time. Such depth, power and talent: funny enough to cause helpless hiccups & honking as we made our first TV show, ‘Alfresco.’ Farewell, old fellow. You’ll be so dreadfully missed.”
JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, paid tribute to “an incredible talent.” She said…
“I’ll never know anyone remotely like Robbie again. He was a complete one-off, and I was beyond fortunate to know him, work with him and laugh my head off with him.”
Daniel Radcliffe, who starred in the films, said…
“Robbie was one of the funniest people I’ve met and used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set. 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.
“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.”
Coltrane married the sculptor Rhona Gemmell in 1999, but they separated in 2003. They had two children. The actor was made an OBE in the 2006 New Year’s honours list for his services to drama and was awarded the Bafta Scotland Award for outstanding contribution to film in 2011.
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