Actor Daniel Radcliffe, 33, released a statement mourning the loss of his costar Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid in the Harry Potter films. The two starred together in all titles in the franchise created by JK Rowling.
“Robbie was one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. He always made us laugh on set as kids,” says Radcliffe.
“I have particularly fond memories of him keeping our spirits up in ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’ when we all hid for hours at Hagrid’s cabin from the torrential rain and he told stories and cracked jokes to keep our spirits up. I feel incredibly lucky to have met and worked with him and so sad that he passed away. He was a great actor and a lovely man.”
The author of the books that inspired the saga in theaters, JK Rowling also spoke about Coltrane’s death. She posted a tribute to the actor on her social media.
“I will never meet someone remotely like Robbie again. He was an incredible talent, complete, and I was lucky enough to meet him, work with him and laugh with him. Sending my love and deepest condolences to his family and especially to your children,” Rowling wrote on Twitter.
I will never know anyone like Robbie again. He was an incredible talent, one of a kind, and I was incredibly fortunate to know him, work with him, and laugh my ass off with him. I send my love and deepest condolences to his family, especially his children. pic.twitter.com/tzpln8hD9z
JK Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 14, 2022
Grief
Robbie Coltrane, best known as Hagrid in the Harry Potter saga, has died in a Scottish hospital at the age of 72. The cause of death was not disclosed.
The information was confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by the company that managed his career. In addition to Harry Potter, he also starred in two films in the James Bond saga and in Flash Gordon (1980).
Anthony Robert McMillan was born on March 30, 1950 in Glasgow, Scotland and studied fine arts. However, he was unable to work locally and continued to perform as a standup comedian in Edinburgh.
When he began investing in an acting career, he adopted the stage name Robbie Coltrane in honor of saxophonist John Coltrane. Some of his first works in this field were the film Flash Gordon (1980) and the series Keep It in the Family (1980) and Blackadder (1983).
Back then, Coltrane admitted to having problems with alcoholism and even threatened to punch journalist Piers Morgan in a bar.
In the 1990s he landed his first starring roles in Nuns on the Run (1990) and They Want to Kill the Pope (1991). There he began gaining visibility in the United States, which landed him roles as KGB agent Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky in 007 vs. GoldenEye (1995) and 007: The World Is Not Enough (1999).
In 2001 he made his debut as Rubeus Hagrid in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The character made Coltrane win the sympathy of a younger audience, and since the end of the saga, the actor has focused on British television.
He was married to sculptor Rhona Gemmell between 1999 and 2003 and they had two children.