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Robbie Coltrane, the world-famous actor best known for his role as Rubeus Hagrid in the beloved Harry Potter series, has died. He was 72.
Coltrane’s agent confirmed the news on Friday (October 14), according to The Guardian.
Coltrane — born Anthony Robert McMillan — was born on March 30, 1950 in Rutherglen, a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, UK, to parents Jean Ross and Ian Baxter McMillan. He made his acting debut during a stage performance at Glenalmond College, with rants from Henry V, before attending Glasgow Art School and Edinburgh's Moray House College of Education, according to his bio on IMDb. Most recently, he lived in a converted farmhouse in Stirlingshire, Scotland, UK.
TMZ reports that the actor, comedian and writer died in a hospital near his home, though his illness remains unclear as of publication time. The entertainment news hub also notes that Coltrane had a knee replacement and battled osteoarthritis, saying in 2020 that at times, he was in “constant pain.”
In addition to his role as Hagrid, Coltrane was known for playing Dr. Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald” in Cracker, a TV crime drama that ran from 1993-1996 and jumpstarted his career. Coltrane’s character was “a criminal psychologist,” and “rather anti-social and obnoxious but he has a gift for solving crimes,” per the show’s synopsis on IMDb. Coltrane also delivered a memorable performance as Valentin Zukovsky in The World Is Not Enough in 1999, starring Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. Coltrane’s first acting credit was in 1979, and his most recent work was in 2020, according to his IMDb profile.
Coltrane was married to Rhona Gemmell from 1999 to 2003. They had two children: son Spencer and daughter Alice.