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Anthony Robin McMillan, known professionally as Robbie Coltrane (31 March 1950 – 14 October 2022), was a Scottish actor whose range ran from broad comic character parts to dark, psychologically acute drama. Trained in art at the Glasgow School of Art, he turned to theatre and then television, emerging in the early 1980s as part of the alternative-comedy scene in shows such as Alfresco and the Comic Strip strand. Coltrane won national recognition for his portrayal of criminal psychologist Dr Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald in the ITV series Cracker, a role that earned him three consecutive BAFTA TV Awards for Best Actor. Internationally he is best known for playing Rubeus Hagrid across the eight main Harry Potter films (2001–2011), and for recurring turns in the James Bond films GoldenEye (1995) and The World Is Not Enough (1999) as Valentin Zukovsky. He also presented several travel-and-transportation documentaries and voiced characters in animated features.

... Born Anthony Robin McMillan in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Coltrane adopted his stage name in tribute to the jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. After studying painting at the Glasgow School of Art he moved into stage work (including the original production of John Byrne's The Slab Boys) and became a fixture of British television comedy in the 1980s, appearing in Alfresco, The Comic Strip and the BBC miniseries Tutti Frutti. His breakthrough dramatic role came in the 1990s as Dr Eddie “Fitz” Fitzgerald in Cracker, which won him three consecutive BAFTA TV Awards for Best Actor. Coltrane balanced television with a varied film career, taking character and supporting roles in films such as Mona Lisa, From Hell and the two Bond films in which he played Zukovsky. From 2001 he reached global audiences as Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter franchise. He also fronted factual series about motoring and transport—Coltrane in a Cadillac, Coltrane’s Planes and Automobiles and B-Road Britain—and later returned to acclaimed character work in the drama National Treasure. He was appointed OBE in 2006 and remained an influential figure in British screen acting until his death in 2022. Then & Now The 1980s Robbie Coltrane emerged in the early 1980s from the Glasgow School of Art into the alternative-comedy boom, becoming a fixture on television shows such as Alfresco, The Comic Strip and the BBC miniseries Tutti Frutti. His broad, physical comic character work and willingness to push into surreal and anarchic territory helped define a new strand of British television comedy. Those years established him as a versatile performer who could anchor both broad humour and more demanding stage pieces, setting the stage for his later dramatic breakthroughs. Now (2026) Robbie Coltrane died in October 2022; by 2026 his legacy is measured by a rare combination of national acclaim and international recognition. He is remembered for three consecutive BAFTA TV Awards for his portrayal of Dr Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald in Cracker, his beloved embodiment of Rubeus Hagrid across the eight main Harry Potter films, and memorable supporting turns in the James Bond films, alongside documentary presenting and voice work. Coltrane’s influence endures in the way he expanded the range of British character acting—bringing emotional depth and humanity to roles that might otherwise have been purely comic. Career timeline 1950 Born Anthony Robin McMillan in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland (31 March 1950). 1978 Appeared in the original stage production of John Byrne's The Slab Boys at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. 1983–1984 Featured in the BBC sketch series Alfresco and worked with the Comic Strip group on alternative-comedy television. 1987 Starred in the BBC miniseries Tutti Frutti, gaining wider critical attention. 1993–1996 Starred as Dr Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald in ITV's crime drama Cracker, winning BAFTA TV Awards for Best Actor in 1994, 1995 and 1996. 1995 Appeared in the James Bond film GoldenEye as Valentin Zukovsky, marking a high-profile move into mainstream international cinema. 2001 Portrayed Rubeus Hagrid in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first of his performances in the franchise (2001–2011). 2006 Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2006 New Year Honours for services to drama. 2016 Starred in the Channel 4 drama National Treasure, receiving a BAFTA Television Award nomination for Best Actor. 2022 Died on 14 October 2022, aged 72; remembered for a long, varied career across comedy, drama and film. Memorable screen quotes “You're a wizard, Harry.”Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) Public reference sources Public biography and credit reference.Robbie Coltrane biography and filmography overview (public source) Public biography and credit reference.Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) – cast Biographical and credit details were checked against Robbie Coltrane biography and filmography overview (public source), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) – cast.