Chris McLaughlin
masslive.com
Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane, best known for his roles as Hagrid in the “Harry Potter” movie series and for his role as a criminal psychologist on the British TV series “Cracker,” has died at the age of 72, with no cause given.
As news of Coltrane’s death spread on Friday, fans, friends and fellow actors of Coltrane’s paid tribute to him as well as fondly remembered his famous roles.
J.K. Rowling, the author of the “Harry Potter” book series, tweeted out a message of remembrance along with a photo of her with Coltrane saying “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,” Rowling added. “I send my love and deepest condolences to his family, above all his children.
Coltrane’s agent Belinda Wright added in the announcement of his death at a hospital in Scotland, that the actor is survived by his sister Annie Rae, his ex-wife Rhona Gemmell and his two children Spencer and Alice.
English actor Stephen Fry also told of his relationship with Coltrane in a message posted online, saying the pair first met “almost exactly 40 years ago”
“I was awe/terror/love struck all at the same time. Such depth, power & talent: funny enough to cause helpless hiccups & honking as we made our first YV show ‘Aflresco.’ Farewell, old fellow. You’ll be so dreadfully missed,” Fry said.
James Phelps, who along with his twin brother Oliver Phelps played Fred and George Weasley in the “Harry Potter” films respectively, said in a post about Coltrane that “I will miss the random chats about all subjects under the sun.”
“And I’ll never forget in September 2000, Robbie Coltrane came over to a very nervous 14yr old me on my 1st ever day on a movie set and said ‘Enjoy it, you’ll be great.’ Thank you for that,” Phelps added.
Fans also reacted to news of Coltrane’s death, many posting images, videos and stills from interviews and scenes he did — particularly of his role as Hagrid — in remembrance.
One Twitter user said “Robbie Coltrane’s portrayal of Hagrid is, and always will be, one of the most comforting and inspiring roles on screen. May he rest in peace.”
Many also posted a video interview, or stills from the interview with text put over them, from when Coltrane spoke during the “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts” special, which debuted on HBO at the start of 2022.
In that interview Coltrane noted the eight “Harry Potter” movies took up 10 years of his life, saying that “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,” Coltrane added in the special.
Politicians also tweeted out tributes to Coltrane, such as Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, who in retweeting a BBC Breaking News article about the actor’s death said “He had such range and depth as an actor, from brilliant comedy to hard-edged drama.”
Sturgeon noted her favorite of all of his roles was as the character of Fitz in “Cracker,” while also calling him a “Scottish entertainment legend” who will be “hugely missed.”
Several notable entertainment platforms and groups also remembered Coltrane upon news of his death, such as the movie review platform Letterboxd tweeting a photo in memory of the actor, along with IMDb doing the same.
BAFTA, or the British Academy Film Awards, also put out a statement online with an image of Coltrane saying “We’re devastated to hear of the death of Robbie Coltrane, an actor of outstanding talents who won two BAFTA Scotland Awards for achievement in film and three consecutive BAFTAs for his performances in ‘Cracker.’”
“Our thoughts are with his family,” BAFTA added.
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