Daniel Radcliffe has issued a statement following the death of Harry Potter star Robbie Coltrane, who died on Oct. 14 at the age of 72. “Robbie was one of the funniest people I’ve met and used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set,” the 33-year-old actor said in a statement obtained by HollywoodLife. “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. I feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet and work with him and very sad that he’s passed. He was an incredible actor and a lovely man.”
Robbie played Hogwarts’ gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid through all eight Harry Potter films and had a great deal of screentime with Daniel, who played the titular character of Harry. His character acted as a bit of a mentor to Harry through his turbulent time at Hogwarts. Arguably his most memorable line came in 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when he informed an 11-year-old Harry that he is a wizard. “Yer a wizard, Harry,” he bluntly stated.
The controversial writer behind the Harry Potter novels, J.K. Rowling, 57, also remembered the late actor fondly. “I’ll never know anyone remotely like Robbie again,” she tweeted. “He was an incredible talent, a complete one off, and I was beyond fortunate to know him, work with him and laugh my head off with him. I send my love and deepest condolences to his family, above all his children.”
Several other tributes to the Ocean’s Twelve actor followed suit. “Robbie. Bobser. He called me Space Boy. We shared a love of the final frontier. He didn’t give a fuck and it always made you smile. A giant, in more ways than one. We had some times x,” Matthew Lewis, 33, who played Neville Longbottom in the films, tweeted upon learning of Robbie’s death.
Tom Felton, 35, who played Draco Malfoy, shared a throwback photo with Robbie, Emma Watson, 32, and Rupert Grint, 34, to remember him. “One of my fondest memories of filming Harry Potter was a night shoot on the first film in the forbidden forest. I was 12,” he recalled. “Robbie cared & looked after everyone around of him. Effortlessly. And made them laugh. Effortlessly. He was a big friendly giant on screen but even more so In real life. Love you mate – thank you for everything xx”.
Robbie was best known for bringing the loving giant Hagrid to life, but also appeared in several other notable projects. He was in two James Bond films: 1995’s GoldenEye and 1999’s The World Is Not Enough, playing Russian gangster Valentin Zukovsky. He also starred as criminal psychologist Dr. Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald in the 1990s television series Cracker.
During the 2021 Harry Potter’s 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts anniversary special, Robbie said that while he will not live forever, his special character in Harry Potter will. “The legacy of these movies is that my children’s generation will show them to their children. So, you could be watching them in 50 years’ time, easy.” he noted. “I’ll not be here sadly… but Hagrid will.”
Robbie is the eighth notable character from the original Harry Potter films to pass, joining Richard Harris, who played the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, in the first two movies, Roger Lloyd Pack, who portrayed Ministry of Magic member Barty Crouch, Sr., Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape throughout the series, and more. Helen McCrory, who played Draco Malfoy’s mom, Narcissa Malfoy, was the last star to die before Robbie. She passed in 2021 due to cancer complications.