COLTRANE. Actor Robbie Coltrane, unforgettable interpreter of Hagrid in Harry Potter, died on October 14, 2022 at the age of 72. The causes of his death have been revealed.
[Mis à jour le 24 octobre 2022 à 15h58] The unexpected death of Robbie Coltrane remained mysterious since October 14, 2022. His agent had indeed announced on this date the death of the unforgettable interpreter of Hagrid in the saga Harry Potter. Anthony Robert McMillan was 72 years old. TMZ revealed this Sunday, October 23, new information on the causes of the death of the British comedian. According to the American tabloid, Robbie Coltrane suffered from various health problems.
Referring to his death certificate, TMZ adds that the one who played the guardian of Hogwarts died of generalized failure of several of his organs. He also suffered from sepsis, a respiratory tract infection and various heart problems. He also suffered from type 2 diabetes and severe arthritis, forcing him to use a wheelchair. Le site i24News already claimed that the actor had been battling an illness for two years. In 2021, the actor appeared on the reunion show for the twenty years of the films Harry Potter, during which he had mentioned his disappearance. “The generation of my children will show the films to their children. We will still be watching these films in fifty years. I will no longer be here, unfortunately. But Hagrid will be there,” he said.
Robbie Coltrane therefore died on Friday October 14, 2022. It was his agent, Belinda Wright, who announced the news in a press release relayed by the British media. In her statement, she does not give the causes of death of the septuagenarian who was also known to have taken on the role of the criminal psychologist, Dr Eddie ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald, in the series Cracker, but also that of Valentin Zukovsky in James Bond. The actor died in a hospital near Falkirk, Scotland. According to TMZ, he suffered from several health concerns and died of generalized failure of several of his organs.
Robbie Coltrane leaves behind “his sister Annie Rae, his children Spencer and Alice and their mother Rhona Gemmell”, indicated in his press release Belinda Wright, whose BBC echoes. And to add: “They would like to thank the medical staff of the Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert [en Écosse ndlr.] for his care and his diplomacy.” Robbie Coltrane’s agent also called on everyone to “respect the privacy of Robbie’s family at this difficult time”.
Since the announcement of the death of Robbie Coltrane, several personalities have reacted, starting with the author of the saga Harry Potter, JK Rowling, who called the actor “incredibly talented”. The Scottish Prime Minister also did not fail to pay tribute to Robbie Coltrane. “Very sad news. He had such a range and depth as an actor, from brilliant comedy to tough drama. I think my favorite of all his roles was Fitz in Cracker. Robbie Coltrane, Scottish entertainment legend – You will be sorely missed. RIP,” Nicola Sturgeon tweeted.
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. pic.twitter.com/tzpln8hD9z
—JK Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 14, 2022
Emma Watsonwho plays Hermione Granger in the saga Harry Potter, paid tribute to him on Instagram. “He was deeply caring and compassionate towards me, child and adult. His talent was so immense that it only made sense for him to play a giant,” she wrote. The actress thanks Robbie Coltrane for her kindness: “Know how much I adore and admire you. I will truly miss your sweetness, your nicknames, your warmth, your laughter and your hugs.” She concludes her tribute by assuring: “There was no better Hagrid. Thanks to you, it was a joy to be Hermione.”
In a press release, Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter, expresses his sadness: “Robbie was one of the funniest people, he constantly made us laugh when we were children”. He remembers having shared good times with the actor. “I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to meet him and to have worked with him,” he says. For his part, Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, also paid tribute to Robbie Coltrane on Instagram. “No one else on this planet could play Hagrid, only Robbie. Just like Hagrid in the books and movies, Robbie was in life – warm, compassionate and hilarious,” writes the actor, who says he has “the heart broken” by this disappearance.
Born on March 30, 1950 in Rutherglen, a town located in western Scotland, Anthony Robert McMillan, his real name, will remain for many the immense Rubeus Hagrid, in Harry Potter. However, the actor was far from being a giant, actually measuring 1.85 m. To embody this role of “size”, Robbie Coltrane especially benefited from the effects of camera, doubles and other special effects of which the seventh art has the secret, thus becoming by a trick of the hand the half-giant that we know good.
The filmography of Robbie Coltrane, if it was of course marked by the success ofHarry Potter, does not boil down to the saga, far from it. Robbie Coltrane made his first appearance in 1980. And cocorico, his first film is none other than death live by French director Bertrand Tavernier. In this film, in which Romy Schneider plays Katherine Mortenhoe, Robbie Coltrane plays the limousine driver. After this first role, the actor who left us on October 14 did not hesitate to show a certain eclecticism.
The one who starred in two James Bonds – GoldenEyein 1995, and The world is not enoughin 1999 – has lent his features as much to historical film characters (Henry V, in 1989) as to musical comedy heroes, with in particular Absolute Beginnersin 1986, passing through the fantastic (Flash Gordonin 1980) or the war movie (Revolution, in 1985).
On the private side, he shared the life of the sculptor Rhona Gemmell, before divorcing in 2003. Together, they had two children: Spencer McMillan, born in 1992, and Alice McMillan, born in 1998.