Robbie Coltrane, comedian and Harry Potter, James Bond actor, dies at 72

Veteran Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane, known for his roles in the Harry Potter and James Bond film franchises, has died. He was 72.

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Coltrane’s agent confirmed to Deadline that the actor died at a hospital near his home in Larbert, Scotland, after dealing with health issues for the last two years. His agency, WME, also confirmed his death to The Hollywood Reporter.

For a decade beginning in 2001, Coltrane portrayed lovable Hogwarts gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series, gaining him worldwide recognition.

“He will probably be best remembered for decades to come as Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, a role which brought joy to children and adults alike all over the world, prompting a stream of fan letters every week for over 20 years,” Coltrane’s agent, Belinda Wright, said in a statement obtained by Sky News. She remembered Coltrane as a “wonderful actor” who was “forensically intelligent” and “brilliantly witty,” according to BBC News.

J.K. Rowling, who penned the Harry Potter books that inspired the film franchise, told The Telegraph in 2001 that Coltrane had been at the very top of her “dream cast” list for the film.

“Robbie is just perfect for Hagrid because Hagrid is a very loveable character, quite likeable, quite comic ... but he had to have — you really do have to sense — a certain toughness underneath ... and I think Robbie does that perfectly,” she said, according to the newspaper.

Coltrane gained recognition as a comedian in the 1980s, The Guardian reported, and he appeared in dozens of films and television shows over the course of his career. He earned several British Academy Television Awards, including honors for his roles in the British TV series “Cracker” and “National Treasure.” He portrayed Russian crime boss Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky in the 1995 James Bond film “GoldenEye” and 1999′s “The World Is Not Enough.”

Friends and fans took to social media to remember Coltrane:

Coltrane is survived by his sister, Annie Rae; his children, Spencer and Alice; and the mother of his children, Rhona Gemmell, according to BBC News.

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Through the years Actor Robbie Coltrane at his home in Kilburn with his Dodge car, London, 1980. (Photo by David Corio/Redferns) (David Corio/Redferns)

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