Robbie Coltrane, who played the endearing half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in the “Harry Potter” series, died on Friday, his agency WME confirmed to Variety. He was 72.
Robbie Coltrane, the actor who played the lovable gamekeeper Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series, died on Friday, according to his agent, Scott Henderson. He was 72.
Other credits for the Scottish-born actor include the British television series “Cracker” and the James Bond films “GoldenEye” and “The World Is Not Enough.”
There were no immediate details on the cause of death.
Coltrane honed his comedic skills on the stage before becoming internationally famous as the bearded Hagrid.
In the 1980s, he co-starred in the sketch series “Alfresco” with Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, and Emma Thompson.
“I met Robbie Coltrane for the first time almost exactly 40 years ago. I was struck by awe, terror, and love all at the same time. Such depth, power, and talent: funny enough to cause helpless hiccups and honking while we were filming our first TV show, ‘Alfresco,'” he wrote. “Goodbye, old man.
Coltrane worked again with Thompson on the six-part drama series “Tutti Frutti,” for which he received his first British Academy Television Award nomination for best actor.
In the 1990s, he won for the television series “Cracker.” That crime drama aired for three seasons from 1993 to 1995, with two subsequent specials.
Coltrane was a natural fit for the role of Hagrid, a half-giant, half-human character. He was familiar with and adored the books because he read them to his children.
Coltrane spoke about his time on the films and Hagrid’s influence in the HBO Max special “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.”
“Simply put, everyone in the world wants a really big, huge, strong, and good man on their side. That is the allure of Superman and these things “He stated. “Hagrid was clearly the good guy, wasn’t he?”