It’s fair to say that Robbie Coltrane in his role of Hagrid from the Harry Potter movie franchise helped to shape a generation. His performance as Rubeus Hagrid was stellar, enough to gain him worldwide recognition. He embodied the role for roughly ten years and was even at the top of the list of actors to play Hagrid for J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series. It is clear in his astounding work why. If you don’t recognize him from this series, you may also know him as Dr. Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald in the television series Cracker (1993–1996, 2006 as a one-off special), or his work on the James Bond series movies GoldenEye (1995) and The World is Not Enough (1999) as Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky.
The internet is flooding with the loss felt by his passing. ‘Hagrid’ is currently trending at number four on Twitter, and is showcased in many of the top stories on Facebook and news outlets. Several of his former castmates and friends also came to the internet to express their condolences, and to fondly look back upon all of their time spent with this wonderful man. J.K. Rowling shared a Tweet expressing her gratitude for the time she was able to share with him.
“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.”
Bonnie Wright, known for her role in the Harry Potter series as Ginny Weasley, also took to Twitter to share her remembrance.
Heartbroken by the passing of Robbie Coltrane. Hagrid was my favourite character! Robbie portrayed Hagrid’s warmth, sense of home & unconditional love for his students and magical creatures so brilliantly. Thanks for all the laughter. Miss you Robbie. Sending love to your family
The actress that played Hermione Granger, Emma Watson, shared a touching message on her Instagram story in memoriam of the late actor.
It is clear that there is an overwhelming love for this man, by his friends, coworkers, and fans, and the effect he had on all of those he came in contact with will be lifelong and cherished.
Born as Anthony Robert McMillan in Scotland on March 30th, 1950, he began acting in his early twenties and became known professionally as Robbie Coltrane. In 2011, he was honored by the British Academy Scotland Awards for his “outstanding contribution” to film. Later in life, Coltrane began to battle with osteoarthritis that would eventually leave him reliant on a wheelchair between the years of 2016 and 2019. On October 14th, 2022, Coltrane passed away at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, Scotland after struggling with declining health for several years. He is survived by his two children Spencer and Alice.
There’s no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid. Thank you for your beloved years of acting, and all of the memories you will leave with us. We hope that you rest easy.
