Robbie Coltrane, the actor who played Rubeus Hagrid in the Warner Bros film adaptations of the Harry Potter series of books, passed away at the age of 72 on 14 October. Over the weekend, tributes have poured out from co-stars and actors as well as fans who hold his portrayal of the kindly character in high regard.
As the Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts, Hagrid has an affinity for the magical creatures of the universe of Harry Potter, and his hut was a safe space for Harry, Ron and Hermione, away from the prying eyes of the rest of the school. Coltrane's performance as the character was a dream come true for author J. K. Rowling who had always hoped the actor would step into Hagrid's shoes in the adaptation.
"I'll never know anyone remotely like Robbie again. He was an incredible talent, a complete one off, and I was beyond fortunate to know him," said Rowling, sharing a photo of the two to Twitter.
"Robbie was one of the funniest people I've met and used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set," added Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter, in a post to Instagram. "I've especially fond memories of him keeping our spirits up on Prisoner of Azkaban, when we were all hiding from the torrential rain for hours in Hagrid's hut and he was telling stories and cracking jokes to keep morale up."
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Indeed, his humour and cheeriness were echoed in tributes from Emma Watson, Tom Felton, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Bonnie Wright and Matthew Lewis, thanking Coltrane for his optimism and knowledge to share when they were young children on their first film set. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also paid her respects to the actor, calling him a "Scottish entertainment legend" and adding that he will be "hugely missed."
Featured Image Credit: Warner BrosTopics: Harry Potter, TV And Film, no article matching