Scottish actor, comedian and writer Robbie Coltrane, who played the character of Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter franchise, passed away on Friday night at a hospital in Scotland at the age of 72, according to reports. His agent Belinda Wright confirmed the news but the cause of his death was not mentioned.
“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 (sic),” Belinda was quoted as saying.
According to sources, the actor is survived by his ex-wife Rhona Gemmell and his children Spencer and Alice, and his sister Annie Rae. The actor rose to fame with his portrayal of the detective Cracker in the 1990s TV series, Cracker. He won the British Academy Television Awards for best actor for the role for three consecutive years.
Robbie also featured in every Harry Potter movie, from Sorcerer's Stone in 2001 to the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in 2011 as Hagrid, and was much beloved for bringing the character from JK Rowling's book series to life.
Actors from the Harry Potter series, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Tom Felton paid tribute to the late actor. Daniel called the actor “a lovely man and an incredible actor.” He told media sources, “(He) used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the 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. He was telling stories and cracking jokes to keep morale up. I feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet and work with him and very sad that he's passed.”
Actress Emma Watson who played the role of Harmonie in the film took to her Instagram stories to pay tribute to the late actor. She wrote, “Robbie if I ever get to be so kind as you were to me on a film set I promise I'll do it in your name and memory. Know how much I adore and admire you. I'll miss your sweetness, your nicknames, your warmth, your laughs and your hugs. You made us a family. Know you were that to us. There was no better Hagrid. You made it a joy to be Hermione.”
Actor Tom Felton who played the role of Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter films took to his Twitter to post a picture of Robbie. “One of my fondest memories of filming Harry Potter was a night shoot on the first film in the forbidden forest. I was 12. Robbie cared & looked after everyone around of him. Effortlessly. And made them laugh. Effortlessly,” he tweeted.
Author of the Harry Potter books, JK Rowling also took to her official Twitter handle to post a picture of the late actor. She captioned the post, “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.”
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