Coltrane, Hagrid of ‘Potter,’ dead at 72

Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane, best known for his role as Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter film franchise, died Friday at 72, according to his agency WME.

After starting out in theater and comedy, Coltrane made the transition to television and film. He played Falstaff in 1989’s “Henry V,” and appeared in the James Bond films “GoldenEye” and “The World Is Not Enough,” released in 1995 and 1999. His role as a criminal psychologist in the British drama series “Cracker,” which aired for three seasons in the mid-1990s, won him three consecutive BAFTA awards.

Born Anthony Robert McMillan in a town outside Glasgow, Coltrane took on his stage name as a nod to jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. Coltrane’s role in all eight Harry Potter films as Hagrid, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s half-human, half-giant groundskeeper, won him the affection of the popular fantasy series’ loyal fans. In the reunion special released this year on HBO Max, Coltrane said “the legacy of the movies is that my children’s generation will show them to their children, so you could be watching it in 50 years’ time, easy. I’ll not be here, sadly. But Hagrid will.”

Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter, described Coltrane as “one of the funniest people I’ve met” and looked back on their time together on 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,” Radcliffe wrote of the third film.

Matthew Lewis, who played Hogwarts student Neville Longbottom, tweeted, “Robbie. Bobser. He called me Space Boy. We shared a love of the final frontier. … A giant, in more ways than one.”

The Harry Potter reunion special was narrated by British comedian Stephen Fry, who appeared with Coltrane — and other notable actors, such as Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson — in the 1980s sketch comedy series “Alfresco.” After learning of Coltrane’s death, Fry tweeted that he had been in “awe/terror/lovestruck all at the same time” upon initially meeting Coltrane.

“Such depth, power & talent: funny enough to cause helpless hiccups & honking,” Fry wrote of their time on the show, adding: “Farewell, old fellow. You’ll be so dreadfully missed.”

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon lamented the loss of a “Scottish entertainment legend.”

“Very sad news,” she said on Twitter. “He had such range and depth as an actor, from brilliant comedy to hard-edged drama. I think my favourite of all his roles was Fitz in Cracker.”

Richard Coles, an English media personality and Church of England priest, recalled the time he shared a dressing room with Coltrane, who had “the biggest pants I have ever seen, which he wore with tremendous flair. We were friends from then on.” Actor Robert Lindsay, who starred with Coltrane in the 1989 musical film “Bert Rigby, You’re a Fool,” tweeted that he was in “shock” at the death of a friend with whom he “shared a Hollywood journey that will live with me forever.”

The Twitter account for the Harry Potter films wrote that the team was “hugely saddened to hear of the passing of the magnificent Robbie Coltrane who played Hagrid with such kindness, heart and humour … He was a wonderful actor, a friend to all and he will be deeply missed.”

Coltrane