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'Harry Potter' actor Robbie Coltrane passes away at 72

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Posted at 11:22 AM, Oct 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-10-14 13:58:11-04

Robbie Coltrane, an actor, best known for playing Hagrid in the "Harry Potter" films and starring in the British crime series "Cracker," has died.

He was 72.

His agent confirmed his death to Bloomberg, The Hollywood Reporter, and Deadline.

According to Bloomberg and Deadline, the Scottish-born star had been ill for some time and died Friday in a hospital in Larbert, Scotland.

Coltrane, born Anthony Robert McMillan in 1950, changed his stage name to Coltrane in honor of jazz legend John Coltrane, the news outlets reported.

He began his career by starring in "Flash Gordon," "Blackadder" and "Keep It in the Family" before finding stardom when he played Dr. Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald in the "Cracker" series, which earned him three-straight BAFTA best actor awards, THR reported.

This led to him starring in two James Bond films, “GoldenEye” and “The World Is Not Enough,” as Valentin Zukovsky, the media outlets reported.

In 2001, he made his "Harry Potter" debut, where he played Hogwarts gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid, a mentor to the boy wizard, in all eight films.

According to the media outlets, he is survived by his sister Annie Rae, his ex-wife Rhona Gemmell and his children Spencer and Alice.