Hagrid has died: Robbie Coltrane (1950-2022)
Vintage postcard. Photo: Warner Bros. Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, Robbie Coltrane and Emma Watson in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Chris Columbus, 2001).
Today, 14 October 2022, British actor and comedian Robbie Coltrane (1950) has died at the age of 72. The actor with his massive frame starred in several films and television series from the late 1970s but was best known for his role as half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series. He also played in two James Bond films. Coltrane died in a hospital in Scotland, where he lived.
Robbie Coltrane was born Anthony Robert McMillan in Rutherglen, a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland in 1950. His mother, Jean Ross (Howie), was a teacher and pianist. His father, Ian Baxter McMillan, was a general surgeon who also worked for police pathology. Coltrane attended the Scottish boarding school Glenalmond College as a child, At age 12 he made his acting debut on stage at the College, delivering rants from 'Henry V'. At that time he was fascinated with Marlon Brando and Orson Welles. Later he took several subjects at the Glasgow School of Art. He took the surname of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane out of admiration for him. After graduation, he took up acting. Among others, he performed with the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, starred in The Comic Strip and dabbled in stand-up comedy. His breakthrough as a stage actor came in 1978 with the play 'The Slab Boys' by Scottish playwright John Byrne at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. In 1980, he made his first television appearance in as Border Guard in the BBC mini-series The Lost Tribe (Tom Cotter, 1980). In 1981 he appeared in his first leading role as Detective Fritz Langley in Subway Riders (Amos Poe, 1981), Two years later, he created a furore with the TV series Alfresco (1983), with Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson. The series consisted of a variety of comic skits and had a total of 13 episodes. With Thompson, he also starred in the series Tutti Frutti (1987), about Scottish rock 'n' roll band The Majestics. He also played Samuel Johnson in the third season of Blackadder (1987-1988) starring Rowan Atkinson. At that time Coltrane had a drinking problem, downing as much as a bottle of whiskey a day. In 1986 he flew to a clinic in Mexico and was treated for obesity. In 1987 his partner for 15 years, Robin Paine, left him for good, leaving her portrait in Coltrane's barn. In 1988 Coltrane met the then-18-year-old Rhona Gemmell in a pub. They married and had a son, Spencer, and a daughter, Alice.
Robbie Coltrane had a small comic role in National Lampoon's European Vacation (Amy Heckerling, 1985) with Chevy Chase. The following year, he appeared in the British film Mona Lisa (Neil Jordan, 1986) with Bob Hoskins and Cathy Tyson. He gained fame for his role in the Nuns on the Run (Jonathan Lynn, 1990), opposite Eric Idle and as the Pope, in the satirical film, The Pope Must Die (Peter Richardson, 1991). In early 1990s Coltrane wrote an autobiography, 'Coltrane in a Cadillac', and also starred in the eponymous TV series, Coltrane in a Cadillac (1993), in which he indulges his passion for vintage cars and tells with great humour about his 4000-mile journey across America from Los Angeles to New York. He won the BAFTA award for Best Actor in both 1994, 1995 and 1996 for his role in the popular British detective series Cracker (1993-1996), in which he played a forensic psychologist, Dr. Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald. Coltrane starred in two James Bond films, GoldenEye (Martin Campbell, 1995) and The World is Not Enough (Michael Apted, 1997). Opposite Pierce Brosnan as 007, he took on the role of former KGB agent Valentin Zukovsky turned St. Petersburg mafia lord. In 2001, he had a major role in the film From Hell (Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes, 2001) starring Johnny Depp. That year, he also got the major role of half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Chris Columbus, 2001). He was Harry Potter author Joanne K. Rowling's choice for the role. For his contribution to this film, he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for best male supporting actor in 2002. From 2001 to 2011, he appeared as Hagrid in eight Harry Potter films. During this time, he appeared as a supporting actor in Hollywood films such Van Helsing (Stephen Sommers, 2004) and Ocean's 12 (Steven Soderbergh, 2004). Coltrane was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2006. Despite various film and television offers, Coltrane also returned to the stage again and again. Due to osteoarthritis, Coltrane was temporarily confined to a wheelchair in the 2010s and had to reduce his acting activities. In 2016, he played the tragicomic role of a washed-up comedian in the miniseries End of a Legend, and in 2019 and 2020 he played Orson Welles in the series Urban Myths. Robbie Coltrane was married to sculptor Rhona Gemmell. They lived separately since 2003 and later divorced. They had two children. Robbie Coltrane died on 14 October 2022 at the age of 72 in a hospital in Falkirk, Scotland.
Sources: Steve Shelokhonov (IMDb), NOS.nl, Wikipedia (Dutch and German), and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Hagrid has died: Robbie Coltrane (1950-2022)
Vintage postcard. Photo: Warner Bros. Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, Robbie Coltrane and Emma Watson in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Chris Columbus, 2001).
Today, 14 October 2022, British actor and comedian Robbie Coltrane (1950) has died at the age of 72. The actor with his massive frame starred in several films and television series from the late 1970s but was best known for his role as half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series. He also played in two James Bond films. Coltrane died in a hospital in Scotland, where he lived.
Robbie Coltrane was born Anthony Robert McMillan in Rutherglen, a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland in 1950. His mother, Jean Ross (Howie), was a teacher and pianist. His father, Ian Baxter McMillan, was a general surgeon who also worked for police pathology. Coltrane attended the Scottish boarding school Glenalmond College as a child, At age 12 he made his acting debut on stage at the College, delivering rants from 'Henry V'. At that time he was fascinated with Marlon Brando and Orson Welles. Later he took several subjects at the Glasgow School of Art. He took the surname of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane out of admiration for him. After graduation, he took up acting. Among others, he performed with the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, starred in The Comic Strip and dabbled in stand-up comedy. His breakthrough as a stage actor came in 1978 with the play 'The Slab Boys' by Scottish playwright John Byrne at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. In 1980, he made his first television appearance in as Border Guard in the BBC mini-series The Lost Tribe (Tom Cotter, 1980). In 1981 he appeared in his first leading role as Detective Fritz Langley in Subway Riders (Amos Poe, 1981), Two years later, he created a furore with the TV series Alfresco (1983), with Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson. The series consisted of a variety of comic skits and had a total of 13 episodes. With Thompson, he also starred in the series Tutti Frutti (1987), about Scottish rock 'n' roll band The Majestics. He also played Samuel Johnson in the third season of Blackadder (1987-1988) starring Rowan Atkinson. At that time Coltrane had a drinking problem, downing as much as a bottle of whiskey a day. In 1986 he flew to a clinic in Mexico and was treated for obesity. In 1987 his partner for 15 years, Robin Paine, left him for good, leaving her portrait in Coltrane's barn. In 1988 Coltrane met the then-18-year-old Rhona Gemmell in a pub. They married and had a son, Spencer, and a daughter, Alice.
Robbie Coltrane had a small comic role in National Lampoon's European Vacation (Amy Heckerling, 1985) with Chevy Chase. The following year, he appeared in the British film Mona Lisa (Neil Jordan, 1986) with Bob Hoskins and Cathy Tyson. He gained fame for his role in the Nuns on the Run (Jonathan Lynn, 1990), opposite Eric Idle and as the Pope, in the satirical film, The Pope Must Die (Peter Richardson, 1991). In early 1990s Coltrane wrote an autobiography, 'Coltrane in a Cadillac', and also starred in the eponymous TV series, Coltrane in a Cadillac (1993), in which he indulges his passion for vintage cars and tells with great humour about his 4000-mile journey across America from Los Angeles to New York. He won the BAFTA award for Best Actor in both 1994, 1995 and 1996 for his role in the popular British detective series Cracker (1993-1996), in which he played a forensic psychologist, Dr. Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald. Coltrane starred in two James Bond films, GoldenEye (Martin Campbell, 1995) and The World is Not Enough (Michael Apted, 1997). Opposite Pierce Brosnan as 007, he took on the role of former KGB agent Valentin Zukovsky turned St. Petersburg mafia lord. In 2001, he had a major role in the film From Hell (Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes, 2001) starring Johnny Depp. That year, he also got the major role of half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Chris Columbus, 2001). He was Harry Potter author Joanne K. Rowling's choice for the role. For his contribution to this film, he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for best male supporting actor in 2002. From 2001 to 2011, he appeared as Hagrid in eight Harry Potter films. During this time, he appeared as a supporting actor in Hollywood films such Van Helsing (Stephen Sommers, 2004) and Ocean's 12 (Steven Soderbergh, 2004). Coltrane was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2006. Despite various film and television offers, Coltrane also returned to the stage again and again. Due to osteoarthritis, Coltrane was temporarily confined to a wheelchair in the 2010s and had to reduce his acting activities. In 2016, he played the tragicomic role of a washed-up comedian in the miniseries End of a Legend, and in 2019 and 2020 he played Orson Welles in the series Urban Myths. Robbie Coltrane was married to sculptor Rhona Gemmell. They lived separately since 2003 and later divorced. They had two children. Robbie Coltrane died on 14 October 2022 at the age of 72 in a hospital in Falkirk, Scotland.
Sources: Steve Shelokhonov (IMDb), NOS.nl, Wikipedia (Dutch and German), and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.