Robbie Coltrane, Harry Potter's Hagrid, dies at 72

Robbie Coltrane, the actor best known for his role as Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, has died. He was 72.

Coltrane's death was confirmed Friday by his agent to multiple outlets, including BBC News. The agent said he died in a hospital near Falkirk in Scotland, but a cause of death was not provided. According to Deadline, he had "been in ill health for the past two years."

Coltrane played the lovable half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in all eight Harry Potter films from 2001 through 2011. He also starred in two James Bond movies, GoldenEye and The World Is Not Enough, as well as the British crime drama Cracker, which earned him multiple British Academy Television awards. Outside of film and TV, he performed stand-up comedy and theater.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The actor's agent in a statement to BBC described him as a "unique talent," who was not only a "wonderful actor" but was also "forensically intelligent" and "brilliantly witty."

Coltrane participated in the Harry Potter reunion that aired on HBO Max earlier this year, during which he choked up while reflecting on the legacy of the films.

"My children's generation will show them to their children, so you can be watching in 50 years' time, easy," he said. "I'll not be here, sadly. But Hagrid will."

Stephen Fry, who worked with Coltrane on the British comedy Alfresco, paid tribute to his former co-star, noting he met him 40 years ago and was "awe/terror/love struck all at the same time."

"Such depth, power, and talent," Fry tweeted, adding, "Farewell, old fellow. You'll be so dreadfully missed."