The acting community lost another talented figure today with the death of Robbie Coltrane at the age of 72. While Coltrane was known for a variety of film and TV work, including two James Bond movies and the show Cracker, he was arguably best known for playing Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, a character so popular that he scored his own attraction at Universal Orlando. Following Coltrane’s passing, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and more actors from the Wizarding World’s original film series have paid tribute to their late co-star.
Daniel Radcliffe, a.k.a. Harry Potter himself, released a statement to The New York Post about the fond memories he had working with Robbie Coltrane. We’d previously heard about a “special” early scene on set between these two during the making of The Sorcerer’s Stone, but this time, Radcliffe recalled how Coltrane made working on 2004’s The Prisoner of Azkaban more enjoyable for him and some of his fellow younger co-stars:
Robbie was one of the funniest people I’ve met and used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set. I’ve especially fond memories of him keeping our spirits up on Prisoner of Azkaban, when we were all hiding from the torrential rain for hours in Hagrid’s hut, and he was telling stories and cracking jokes to keep morale up.
Emma Watson, who starred in all the Harry Potter movies as Hermione Granger, echoed the same kind of sentiments in the statement she shared on her Instagram Stories, sharing how she had a wonderful time working with Robbie Coltrane and made it clear that she deeply appreciated the man and will continue to do so.
Robbie was like the most fun uncle I’ve ever had, but most of all, he was deeply caring and compassionate towards me as a child and an adult. His talent was so immense that it made sense he played a giant — he could fill ANY space with his brilliance. Robbie, if I ever get to be so kind as you were to me on a film set I promise I’ll do it in your name and memory. Know how much I adore and admire you. I’ll really miss your sweetness, your nicknames, your warmth, your laughs, and your hugs. You made us a family. Know you were that to us. There was no better Hagrid. You made it a joy to be Hermione.
Over on Twitter, Matthew Lewis, who played Harry and Hermione’s fellow Gryffindor member Neville Longbottom, shared the nickname that Robbie Coltrane called him and praised the actor for brightening up his days.
Robbie. Bobser. He called me Space Boy. We shared a love of the final frontier. He didn’t give a fuck and it always made you smile. A giant, in more ways than one. We had some times xOctober 14, 2022
Bonnie Wright, who starred as Ron Weasley’s sister Ginny Weasley, said on Twitter that because Hagrid was her favorite Harry Potter character, she was all the more pleased that Robbie Coltrane played him so well, not to mention was a great man in real life.
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 pic.twitter.com/Gbl3NCsrlAOctober 14, 2022
While Draco Malfoy surely wasn’t the biggest fan of Hagrid during his time at Hogwarts, Draco’s actor, Tom Felton, had nothing but nice words for Robbie Coltrane on Instagram. Like Daniel Radcliffe, he shared a specific memory he had involving Coltrane.
Finally, David Thewlis, who appeared in five of the Harry Potter movies as Remus Lupin, also took to Instagram to confirm just how much Robbie Coltrane was able to make the people on set laugh during the Harry Potter years.
These are just some of the notable celebrities, both Harry Potter-related and otherwise, who have shared tributes to Robbie Coltrane, so feel free to look around the internet, be it on social media platforms or statements released to the press, to see what others said about him. While Coltrane’s cause of death has not been disclosed, he’d been in poor health for several years and died at a hospital close to his home in Scotland. One of Coltrane’s final public appearances was in HBO Max’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special, where he reflected on Hagrid’s legacy in an emotional way.
We here at CinemaBlend continue to pass along our condolences to Robbie Coltrane’s family and friends during this difficult time. There’s no doubt that he will be missed by many, whether they chiefly enjoyed him from the Harry Potter movies or were more enamored with other projects of his.