Daniel Radcliffe and Robbie Coltrane Shutterstock (2)
His Hagrid. Daniel Radcliffe paid tribute to Robbie Coltrane, his late Harry Potter costar who died on Tuesday, October 14, at age 72.
“Robbie was one of the funniest people I’ve met and used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set,” the Weird: The Al Yankovic Story actor, 33, shared in a statement that same day. “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.”
J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, also honored the Scottish actor via social media on Tuesday.
“I’ll never know anyone remotely like Robbie again,” she shared via Twitter, alongside a photo of her holding the late star’s hand. “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.”
Coltrane’s rep confirmed his passing in a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday. “We can confirm that Robbie Coltrane has died,” the rep said. “He is survived by his sister Annie Rae, his children Spencer and Alice and their mother Rhona Gemmell.”
The Cracker star, who portrayed the beloved Hagrid in all eight Harry Potter films, recently remarked on the character’s legacy — and how it will live on even after his passing.
“I just think it’s the end of an era,” he said in the January Return to Hogwarts special about the films, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the first movie. “My children had grown up during it, of course. The legacy of the movies is that my children’s generation will show them to their children, so you could be watching them in 50 years’ time, easy. I’ll not be here, sadly, but Hagrid will.”
Radcliffe, for his part, got emotional during the reunion special.
“The crew on these films were unbelievable. There are people on these films that are foundational to who I am,” the Woman in Black star shared at the time, getting misty-eyed. “As a person and an actor, I feel so lucky to be where I am and to have the life that I have and to be able to work with the people I work with now, but none of it is possible without this.”
