Robbie Coltrane – Harry Potter, Cracker and Bond star – dies, aged 72

Across a long and varied career, Coltrane was perhaps best known for his role as Hogwarts gamekeeper Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series and for playing forensic psychologist Dr Eddie 'Fitz' Fitzgerald in ITV crime drama Cracker, for which he won three BAFTAs.

Born Anthony Robert McMillan on 30th March 1950, Coltrane began acting in his early twenties, taking his stage name from jazz saxophonist John Coltrane.

Early screen roles included appearances in Channel 4 comedy series The Comic Strip Presents (beginning in 1982) and the ITV sketch show Alfresco (1983–1984), in which he appeared alongside Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Siobhan Redmond and Emma Thompson.

Throughout the 1980s, he would go on to appear in The Young Ones (1982-1984), the six-part BBC drama Tutti Frutti (for which he received his first BAFTA nomination for Best Actor), and Blackadder The Third (1987).

His most famous TV role came in 1993 with Cracker, with Coltrane playing the lead in Jimmy McGovern's acclaimed thriller from 1993-1996, returning in 2006 for a one-off special.

Following the show's success, larger film roles followed, including the memorable part of James Bond's nemesis-turned-ally Valentin Zukovsky in 1995's GoldenEye and 1999's The World Is Not Enough.

Between 2001-2011, he appeared in all eight Harry Potter films as Rubeus Hagrid, earning a new legion of fans.

More recently, Coltrane again won plaudits for his turn as a comedian accused of sexual assault in Channel 4's acclaimed drama National Treasure (2016). His final acting credit was in 2020, playing Orson Welles in the Sky series Urban Myths.

In a statement, his agent Belinda Wright confirmed the actor died in hospital near Falkirk in Scotland.

She described Coltrane as a "unique talent", adding his role as Hagrid "brought joy to children and adults alike all over the world".

He is survived by his sister Annie Rae, his children Spencer and Alice and their mother Rhona Gemmell.