Robbie Coltrane, The Comic Performer Who Played Hagrid In ‘Harry Potter’ Movies, Dies At 72

Beloved Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane died today at 72, his agent has confirmed to Deadline.

The Harry Potter, James Bond and Cracker star died at a hospital near his home in Larbert, Scotland. The award-winning actor had been in ill health for the past two years.

Coltrane, the larger-than-life comic star, memorably played Hogwarts gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter series.

He enjoyed huge popularity as Potter‘s half-giant/half-wizard, gaining worldwide fame and acclaim for his heartwarming performances and onscreen relationship with Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry Potter.

In the UK, Coltrane memorably conquered TV screens as forensic psychologist Dr Edward “Fitz” Coltrane in the murder drama series Cracker, for which he won three consecutive BAFTA best actor prizes, an honor only equaled by one other actor, Michael Gambon. He also was BAFTA-nominated for Channel 4 drama National Treasure and BBC Scotland’s Tutti Frutti.

The actor also gave memorable performances in movies including Nuns on the Run, Mona Lisa and Ocean’s 12.

Coltrane was born Anthony Robert McMillan on March 30, 1950, in Rutherglen, Scotland. He took the stage name Coltrane in his early 20s in tribute to jazz saxophonist John Coltrane and broke through in Byrne’s theater production of The Slab Boys. Early film roles included Flash Gordon and Mona Lisa before he appeared on the small screen in Tutti Frutti and then Blackadder the Third. He also memorably played the Pope in 1991 comedy The Pope Must Die.

Cracker brought critical success in the 1990s, and Coltrane made his Harry Potter debut in 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone outside the U.S.). According to reports, J.K Rowling had Coltrane at the top of her list to play Hagrid and, when asked whom she would like to see in the role, responded “Robbie Coltrane for Hagrid” in one quick breath.