The Scottish-born star was best known for his role in the Harry Potter movie franchise
© AFP / Carl Court
Veteran actor Robbie Coltrane has died at the age of 72, his management agency confirmed to multiple media outlets on Friday. The star passed away at a hospital near his home in Larbert, Scotland.
The cause of Coltrane’s death was not immediately known, but entertainment outlet Deadline reported that he “had been in ill health for the past two years.”
Born Anthony Robert McMillan in Glasgow in 1950, the Scottish actor had originally attended Glasgow Art School, but he later began stand-up comedy and eventually moved to London to pursue acting.
He was best-known and beloved for his role as Hogwarts gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter series.
Coltrane’s screen career began in 1979 when he appeared in the Play for Today TV series and later rose to prominence in the A Kick Up the Eighties BBC comedy series.
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Later, his BAFTA-winning performance playing antisocial criminal psychologist Dr. Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald in the series Cracker led Coltrane on to roles in the James Bond movies GoldenEye and The World Is Not Enough.
In a statement to British media outlets, Coltrane’s agent Belinda Wright described the actor as “an abidingly loyal client” and a “unique talent.”
“Robbie will probably be best remembered for decades to come as Hagrid … a role which brought joy to children and adults alike, prompting a stream of fan letters every week for over 20 years,” Wright said.
Tributes immediately poured in for Coltrane on social media. Harry Potter author JK Rowling sent her condolences to the actor’s family and said she will “never know anyone” like him 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,” Rowling wrote on Twitter.
Coltrane was made an OBE by Queen Elizabeth in 2006. He also penned an autobiography called Coltrane in a Cadillac. The actor is survived by his two children.
