Ian Gavan
Iconic Scottish actor, Robbie Coltrane, passed away on Friday, 14th of October at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, near Falkirk in Scotland. He was 72 years old.
He prominently played criminal psychologist Dr. Eddie ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald in ITV’s crime drama Cracker, he appeared in multiple James Bond films but his prominent role in mainstream media will always be playing Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper at the grounds of Hogwarts in the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Coltrane played Hagrid for 10 consecutive years and was one of the most beloved characters of the franchise. Harry Potter fans around the world are distraught at the news.
Hagrid is the character that literally started off the franchise as in the first movie, he rescues Harry from his life as a mistreated orphan and reveals to him that he is a wizard. Harry’s relationship with Hagrid is one of the primary focuses of the film throughout the 8 installments over the course of 10 years.
Robbie’s agent for 40 years, released a statement in which she said, “My client and friend Robbie Coltrane OBE passed away on Friday October 14. Robbie was a unique talent, sharing the Guinness Book of Records’ Award for winning three consecutive Best Actor Baftas for his portrayal of Fitz in Granada TV’s series Cracker in 1994, 1995 and 1996 with Sir Michael Gambon.”
The statement further went on to say, “He will probably be best remembered for decades to come as Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, a role which brought joy to children and adults alike all over the world, prompting a stream of fan letters every week for over 20 years.”
At this time, many fans are remembering a quote that Robbie Coltrane made on HBO’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts regarding the legacy of Hagrid.
He said, “The legacy of the movies is that my children’s generation will show it to their children, so you could be watching it in 50 years’ time easy. I’ll not be here sadly…but Hagrid will.”
