Robbie Coltrane, the larger-than-life Scottish actor who played the beloved half-giant Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, died on Friday at the age of 72.
Coltrane’s more than four-decade-long career ranged from roles in the James Bond films “Golden Eye” and “The World Is Not Enough” to the lead in the 1990s British TV series “Cracker”, as criminal psychologist Dr. Edward ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling led the tributes on Twitter, writing: “I’ll never know anyone remotely like Robbie again.
“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.”
I'll never know anyone remotely like Robbie again. 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. pic.twitter.com/tzpln8hD9z
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 14, 2022
In a statement, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, 33, called Coltrane “one of the funniest people I’ve 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 of the film released in 2004.
Rubeus Hagrid is the Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts, the primary setting for the first Harry Potter novels.
Coltrane’s agent Belinda Wright called Coltrane a “unique talent” and said he had brought joy to children across the world playing the boy wizard’s monster-loving friend.
“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 in a statement.
