HUGH LAURIE ON ROBBIE I’d roll cigs while he drove.. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much
COMIC Hugh Laurie was among a host of celebrities paying tribute to Robbie Coltrane yesterday – praising his sense of humour.
Hugh recalled car rides with his Blackadder and Alfresco co-star, saying: “I’d roll him cigarettes. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed or learned so much in my life.”
And Robbie’s Harry Potter co-star Rupert Grint said he was “heartbroken” at the death of the 72-year-old actor on Friday. He added: “Just as Hagrid was in the books and films, Robbie was in life – warm, compassionate and hilarious. A giant-hearted man who was still looking out for us even decades later.”
James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli said the death of Robbie, who starred in two 007 flicks, was a “tragic loss”.
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BAFTA said it was “devastated” by the loss of the man who won five of its gongs. Fellow actors including Mark Ruffalo, Tom Felton, Warwick Davies, Lenny Henry and Miriam Margoyles paid their respects, following warm words from JK Rowling, Emma Watson, Stephen Fry and Daniel Radcliffe.
Robbie died in hospital near his home in Killearn, Scotland. He had become a virtual recluse in recent years due to osteoarthritis. It left him wheelchairbound and, in one of his last interviews in 2020, he said: “I’m in pain all day.” Robbie was last seen on screen in January on HBO Max’s Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts in which he played iconic friendly giant Rubeus Hagrid. Reflecting on his role at the time, he said: “The legacy of the movies is that my children’s generation will show them to their children. So you could be watch
ing it in 50 years time, easily. I’ll not be here, sadly, but Hagrid will.”
He found fame in 1980s comedy shows Alfresco on ITV, The Comic Strip Presents on Channel 4 and the BBC’S The Young Ones and Blackadder before starring in 90s ITV crime smash Cracker.
Robbie wed sculptor Rhona Gemmell in 1999 but they separated in 2003. They had two children, Spencer, 30, and Alice, 24. Alice posted a photo of herself kissing her dad on the head with a heart emoji.
Robbie had a passion for classic cars, which he spent a fortune on restoring.
Recently he raised £75,000 towards the restoration of historic Clyde steamship TS Queen Mary, explaining: “I want to raise the money for her new engines – but only if I get to switch them on.”