A Tribute To Robbie Coltrane

The Harry Potter film franchise has touched millions of people all around the world since its debut in 2001. One of the standout characters of the film series is Hagrid, the lovable groundskeeper at Hogwarts. The astounding late Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane, who sadly passed away on October 14 at age 72, brought the giant to life with such kindness, vigor, and depth. According to the author, Coltrane had been on the top of her list to play Hagrid. As Harry Potter himself once said, “There’s no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid.”

Anthony Robert McMillan was born March 30, 1950, in Rutherglen, Scotland, just outside of Glasgow. His father was a doctor and his mother was a teacher. He eventually went to the Glasgow School of Art where he studied painting and drawing. After university, he struggled with putting his ideas to the canvas. With his painting prospects diminishing, he was encouraged by a drama teacher who told him he had skill after his performance in the one-act play The Dumb Waiter. Adopting a stage name in honor of the saxophonist John Coltrane, he moved to London to pursue acting. He worked as a stand-up comic and began acting in small parts on television and film while also getting stage roles.

Robbie gained critical acclaim on the series “Cracker”, where he played Dr. Edward Fitzgerald, an alcoholic criminal psychologist. He earned a BAFTA for this role in 1994, 1995, and 1996. He played a KGB agent-turned-mafia kingpin in the two James Bond films Goldeneye (1995) and The World is Not Enough (1999). But none of these roles could compete with being cast as Rubeus Hagrid in the global phenomenon Harry Potter series. 

In a statement, Daniel Radcliffe said, “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.” 

During the "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts" special on HBO, which aired at the beginning of this year, 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, yes.”

Robbie Coltrane is survived by his two children, Spencer and Alice. We'll miss you, big guy!