Born on March 30, 1950, in Rutherglen, Scotland, UK, Robbie Coltrane breathed his last on Friday, October 14, 2022. Famous worldwide as Hagrid from JK Rowling's Harry Potter series, the Scottish actor and comedian is survived by his sister Annie Rae, his former wife Rhona Gemmell and his children Spencer and Alice.
Born Anthony Robert McMillan, in his early 20s, he changed his name to Coltrane as a tribute to jazz saxophonist, John Coltrane. With this, he broke through in Byrne’s theatre production, The Slab Boys. But how did he rise in his acting career? #WhatTheFAQ is here to spill the beans on this and more.
What caused the death?
Even though the exact reason is unknown, reports online state that the actor's health has not been good for the past two years, therefore, he died due to ill health.
It was Coltrane's agent Belinda Wright who shared the news of his death. In her statement, she stated, “...as well as being a wonderful actor, he was forensically intelligent, brilliantly witty and after 40 years of being proud to be called his agent, I shall miss him.”
What are his works at the initial stage?
1980: Debut on television as Border Guard in BBC's mini series The Lost Tribe and debut on big screens as a limousine driver in Death Watch
1981: First lead role as Detective Fritz Langley in Subway Riders
1983: The comic strip series, Alfresco (1983) and comic strip movies, The Supergrass
1991: He played the memorable character of The Pope in the comedy The Pope Must Die
Besides these, other memorable performances by Robbie include:
Nuns on the Run, Ocean's 12, James Bond films like GoldenEye (1995) and The World Is Not Enough (1999) where he is seen playing Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky, a former KGB operative-turned-ally of Agent 007. Additionally, his film roles include Flash Gordon and Mona Lisa. His small screen work includes Tutti Frutti and the Blackadder the Third.
When did his 'overnight star' moment arrive?
As Hagrid, his character in the Harry Potter series, once said, "What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does" — seems like the quote is symbolic of Coltrane's success. It was in the 1990s that Coltrane received huge success with Cracker (1993) as a hard-bitten detective. Adding to this success, his work in Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001 as Hagrid was the cherry on top of the cake.
Also, a few reports stated that Coltrane was the first name JK Rowling picked for Hagrid's role. In the Harry Potter films, which were released between 2001 and 2011, he was seen playing the gentle half-giant who mentors and acts as a friend to the boy wizard.
What are the awards won by Coltrane?
1993: Royal Television Society Award for Performance Award Male for Cracker
1995: Broadcasting Press Guild Award in Best Actor Category for Cracker
1994-96: British Academy Television Award in Best Actor Category for Cracker
He was nominated for Saturn Award in 2001, the British Academy Film Award in 2002 and the Phoenix Film Critics Society Award in 2002 for the Best Supporting Role in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. In 2017, he was nominated for the British Academy Television Award in the Best Actor Category for National Treasure.
Any honorary awards?
Yes, of course! Here are the ones:
1) For his services to drama, in 2006, he was awarded OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year Honours
2) In 2011, he was honoured for his "outstanding contribution" to film at the British Academy Scotland Awards
Who was Coltrane apart from being an actor?
Robbie Coltrane's off-screen hobbies include: Reading books and rebuilding and collecting vintage cars.
