Larger than life Harry Potter actor Robbie Coltrane dies aged 72

Robbie Coltrane, the larger-than-life Scottish-born actor who played Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, has died at the age of 72, his agent said on Friday.His agent Belinda Wright said that he had died in hospital near Falkirk in Scotland, Britain’s PA Media reported.Coltrane’s more than four-decade-long acting career ranged from playing James Bond film roles to the lead in the 1990s British TV series Cracker, as criminal psychologist Dr Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald.However, he will best be remembered globally as Rubeus Hagrid, the half-giant half-human gamekeeper and Keeper of the Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts school in the film franchise of JK Rowling’s best-selling Harry Potter books.The role “brought joy to children and adults alike all over the world, prompting a stream of fan letters every week for over 20 years”, said Wright.Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, led the tributes on Twitter: “Very sad news. He had such range and depth as an actor, from brilliant comedy to hard-edged drama.“I think my favourite of all his roles was Fitz in Cracker. Robbie Coltrane, Scottish entertainment legend – you will be hugely missed. RIP”Coltrane is survived by his sister Annie Rae, his children Spencer and Alice and their mother Rhona Gemmell. – Reuters/AFP