LONDON (AP) 鈥� Robbie Coltrane, the baby-faced comedian and character actor whose hundreds of roles included a crime-solving psychologist on the TV series 鈥淐racker鈥� and the gentle half-giant Hagrid in the 鈥淗arry Potter鈥� movies, has died. He was 72.
Coltrane鈥檚 agent Belinda Wright said he died Friday at a hospital in his native Scotland, and did not immediately offer other details. She called him "forensically intelligent" and 鈥渂rilliantly witty鈥� in just one of many tributes made to him.
鈥淗arry Potter鈥� author J.K. Rowling, who decades ago had said Coltrane was her first choice to play Hagrid, tweeted Friday that he was 鈥渁n incredible talent, a complete one off.鈥�
鈥淚 was beyond fortunate to know him, work with him and laugh my head off with him,鈥� she wrote.
Born Anthony Robert McMillan in Rutherglen, Scotland, Coltrane was in his early 20s when he began pursuing an acting career and renamed himself in honor of jazz musician John Coltrane.
He already had a notable screen career, with credits including 鈥淢ona Lisa,鈥� 鈥淣uns on the Run鈥� and Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of 鈥淗enry V鈥� when he broke through on his own as a hard-bitten detective in 鈥淐racker,鈥� the 1990s TV series for which he won best actor at the British Academy Television Awards three years running.
He went on to appear in all eight 鈥淗arry Potter鈥� movie as the young wizard's mentor and had a wide variety of other parts, including a Russian crime boss in the James Bond thrillers 鈥淕oldenEye鈥� and 鈥淭he World is Not Enough" and Pip's guardian Mr. Jaggers in a 2012 adaptation of Dickens' 鈥淕reat Expectations.鈥� More recently, he received rave reviews for playing a beloved TV star who may harbor a dark secret in the 2016 miniseries 鈥淣ational Treasure.鈥�
On Friday, his 鈥淣uns on the Run鈥� co-star Eric Idle tweeted that he had been talking about Coltrane, 鈥渨ondering where he was,鈥� when he learned of his death.
鈥淪uch a bright and brilliant man. A consummate actor, an extraordinarily funny comedian and an amazing actor. He was also a very good friend,鈥� Idle wrote.
Wright said Coltrane is survived by his sister Annie Rae, his ex-wife Rhona Gemmell and his children Spencer and Alice.
The Associated Press
