Harry Potter actor Robbie Coltrane dies age 72

Robbie Coltrane has died at the age of 72, his agent confirmed Friday. The Scottish actor achieved global fame playing the character Hagrid in all eight films of the "Harry Potter" series. 

Coltrane's agent, Belinda Wright, said Coltrane died in a Scottish hospital Friday, but did not give the cause of death.

In a statement, she said, "as well as being a wonderful actor, he was forensically intelligent, brilliantly witty and after 40 years of being proud to be called his agent, I shall miss him."

Longtime friend and colleague Stephen Fry wrote of Coltrane's passing: "I was awe/terror/love struck all at the same time. Such depth, power & talent: funny enough to cause helpless hiccups & honking as we made our first TV show, 'Alfresco.' Farewell, old fellow. You'll be so dreadfully missed."

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon writing on Twitter said: "Very sad news. He had such range and depth as an actor, from brilliant comedy to hard-edged drama (….) Robbie Coltrane, Scottish entertainment legend — you will be hugely missed. RIP."

A long career on stage and screen

Born Anthony Robert McMillan on March 30, 1950, the actor, comedian and writer also starred as Bond villain Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky in the films "Golden Eye" (1995) and "The World is Not Enough" (1999).

Coltrane was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006.

Coltrane began his career on stage while in his early twenties and later became known to UK television audiences starring alongside Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson in the comedy sketch series "Alfresco" in the early 1980s.

His reknown grew when he starred with Thompson in the BBC miniseries "Tutti Frutti," for which he won his first British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. 

Coltrane went on to win the award three years running for his role as criminal psychologist Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald in the 1990s crime series "Cracker." 

He also achieved critical acclaim for his role as beloved television star that seemed to be harboring some dark secret in the 2016 miniseries "National Treasure."

Over the course of his career, Coltrane received numerous awards, including the Evening Standard British Film Award — Peter Sellers Award for Comedy in 1990, and The British Academy Scotland Award for Outstanding Contribution in 2011.

Coltrane was active in Amnesty International (AI), Greenpeace and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. 

A supporter of the Labour Party, Coltrane supported Scottish independence under one condition during the 2014 referendum, saying, "I'd eventually like to see independence, but only an independent Labour Scotland." 

Coltrane is survived by his sister Annie Rae, as well as his ex-wife Rhona Gemmel and children Spencer and Alice.

js/rt (AFP, Reuters)