‘Harry Potter’ Actor Robbie Coltrane Dead at 72 After 4 Decades As a Hollywood Trailblazer

Robbie Coltrane, the actor who portrayed the beloved Harry Potter character Hagrid, is dead at the age of 72. Coltrane portrayed his well-known role in the wizard franchise for each film from 2001 to 2011.

"We can confirm that Robbie Coltrane has died," his rep confirmed in a statement to Closer. "He passed away at 72 years old on October 14. He is survived by his sister, Annie Rae, his children, Spencer and Alice and their mother Rhona Gemmell.

Aside from his noteworthy magical character, Coltrane appeared in countless films from the 1990s throughout the 2000s, including two James Bond films: 1995’s GoldenEye and 1999’s the World Is Not Enough. 

As for his television work, the comedian was also recognized for his character, psychologist Dr. Eddie “Fitz” Fitzgerald in the British series Cracker, which he played from 1993 to 2006. 

On January 1, 2022, Coltrane was seen participating in HBO Max’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special alongside his former castmates Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton and several more. 

During his confessional, the late writer talked about his character and his experience on the set of the hit movies based on the book series by J. K. Rowling. 

“Hagrid was always a good guy,” he said. “And the way he looked after Harry, and he was the guy who told him he was a wizard at the start. So, it was a lovely part to play for that reason. And we had a lot of fun with it, you know” 

In terms of reuniting with the whole cast for the reunion special, Coltrane noted it was “a family reunion.”

“You’ve got to remember, when they started, they were about eight,” he said, referring to how young Radcliffe, 33, Watson, 32, Grint, 34, and the other young stars were at the time when they all landed their roles for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. “Now, they’re big grown ups with their own lives,” he added. 

Coltrane also reflected on how he felt after having starred in all of the Harry Potter movies, calling it “the end of an era” for him during his reunion special confessional. 

“It’s 10 years of my life, and my children have grown up during it, of course,” he explained. “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.”