Robbie Coltrane

Anthony Robin A decade later, he received critical acclaim and a fourth BAFTA Television Award for Best Actor nomination for his performance as a disgraced comedian in the four-part Channel 4 series National Treasure.

From 2001 to 2011, Coltrane portrayed Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series, which brought him worldwide fame. In addition to Harry Potter, in film he is known for playing Russian gangster Valentin Zukovsky in the James Bond films GoldenEye (1995) and The World Is Not Enough (1999). He also appeared in: Caravaggio (1986), Mona Lisa (1986), Danny, the Champion of the World (1989), From Hell (2001), Ocean's Twelve (2004) and The Brothers Bloom (2008). Occasionally, he lent his voice to roles in animated films, including The Gruffalo (2009), Arthur Christmas (2011) and the Pixar film Brave (2012).

For his services to drama, Coltrane was appointed an OBE in the 2006 New Year Honours by Queen Elizabeth II, and in 2011, he was honoured for his "outstanding contribution" to film by BAFTA Scotland.

Early life and education Coltrane was born Anthony Robin McMillan on 31 March 1950 in Rutherglen, Scotland, the son of Jean Ross Howie, a teacher and pianist, and Ian Baxter McMillan, a GP who also served as a forensic police surgeon. He had an older sister, Annie, and a younger sister, Jane. Coltrane was the great-grandson of Scottish businessman Thomas W. Howie and the nephew of businessman Forbes Howie.

He started his education at Belmont House School in Newton Mearns before boarding at Glenalmond College, a private school in Perthshire. Though he later described his experiences there as deeply unhappy, he played for the first XV rugby, was head of the school's debating society, and won prizes for his art. He studied painting at the Glasgow School of Art.

Coltrane later called for private schools to be banned and used to be known as "Red Robbie", rebelling against his conservative upbringing through involvement with Amnesty International, Greenpeace, the Labour Party, and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Career Coltrane moved into acting in his early twenties, adopting the stage name Coltrane (in tribute to jazz saxophonist John Coltrane) and working in theatre and comedy. He appeared in the first stage production of John Byrne's The Slab Boys, at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh (1978). His comedic abilities brought him roles in The Comic Strip Presents (1982–2012) series as well as the comedy sketch show Alfresco (1983–1984). In 1984 he appeared in A Kick Up the Eighties (Series 2) and Laugh??? I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee, and is credited as a writer for both. thumb Coltrane in costume in the 1980sColtrane moved into roles in films such as Flash Gordon (1980), Death Watch (1980), Balham, Gateway to the South (1981), Scrubbers (1983), Krull (1983), The Supergrass (1985), Defence of the Realm (1985), Absolute Beginners (1986), Mona Lisa (1986), and appeared as "Annabelle" in The Fruit Machine (1988). (a role he later reprised in the more serious Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Islands (1993)), LWT's The Robbie Coltrane Special (1989, which he also co-wrote),

He co-starred with Eric Idle in Nuns on the Run (1990) and played the Pope in The Pope Must Die (1991). His roles continued in the 1990s with the TV series Cracker (1993–1996, returning in 2006 for a one-off special), in which he starred as forensic psychologist Dr. Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald. The role won him three BAFTA awards.

Coltrane also presented a number of documentary programmes for the British ITV network based around his twin passions for travel and transportation. Coltrane in a Cadillac (1993) saw him cross North America from Los Angeles to New York City behind the wheel of a 1951 Cadillac Series 62 coupe convertible, a journey of , which he completed in 32 days.

In 1997, Coltrane appeared in a series of six programmes under the title Coltrane's Planes and Automobiles, in which he extolled the virtues of the steam engine, the diesel engine, the supercharger, the V8 engine, the two-stroke engine, and the jet engine. In these programmes he dismantled and rebuilt several engines. He also single-handedly removed the engine from a Trabant car in 23 minutes.

In September 2006, Coltrane was voted No. 11 in ITV's TV's 50 Greatest Stars and sixth in a poll of 2000 adults across the UK to find the 'most famous Scot', behind the Loch Ness Monster, Robert Burns, Sean Connery, Robert the Bruce, and William Wallace.

Coltrane voiced characters in several animated films, including The Tale of Despereaux (2008) and Pixar's Brave (2012), as well as the title roles of Gooby and The Gruffalo (both 2009).

In 2016, Coltrane starred in National Treasure, a four-part drama in which he played a former comedian accused of historic sexual offences. He was nominated for Best Actor at the 2017 British Academy Television Awards, and won in the category at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards.

Personal life Coltrane met Rhona Gemmell, then a student at Glasgow School of Art, in the late 1980s. The couple had two children. Coltrane and Gemmell married in 1999, but separated in 2003 and later divorced, although they remained close.

In February 2005, Coltrane appeared at a Scottish Labour event, in which he said on the question of Scottish independence: "It's a very complicated issue. I would think, probably, eventually I would like to see independence but only an independent Labour Scotland", while adding, "It would have to be terribly carefully considered. There are all sorts of advantages to being part of the United Kingdom and it would be foolish to throw it away immediately" and "I have no time for the nationalists – all they can do is split the vote for home rule and let the Tories in".

Coltrane expressed support for J. K. Rowling over critics' accusations of transphobia. In a Radio Times interview, he said that he felt that she had not said anything offensive, but rather that there was "a whole Twitter generation of people who hang around waiting to be offended." He declined to elaborate, saying that he "[didn't] want to get involved in all of that because of all the hate mail and all that shit, which [he didn't] need at [his] time of life."

Health and death Coltrane suffered from osteoarthritis in later life. He said he was in "constant pain all day" in 2016, and, from 2019 onwards, he used a wheelchair.

Coltrane died at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, on 14 October 2022, at the age of 72. He had been ill for two years prior to his death. His death was registered by his ex-wife Rhona Gemmell;

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1980 Flash Gordon Man at airfield Mona Lisa Thomas Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Rubeus Hagrid 1980 The Lost Tribe Border Post Guard Episode: "Keep Us Alive" 1981 Metal Mickey Jason Episode: "Mickey the Demon Barber" 1982–2012 The Comic Strip Presents... Various roles Series 1–5; Special: "Five Go Mad in Dorset" Director & co-writerEpisode: "Jealousy" (1993) Alfresco Various roles 13 episodes Blackadder's Christmas Carol The Spirit of Christmas Christmas special 1991 Screen One Psychiatrist Liam Kane Episode: "Alive and Kicking" 1993 The Legend of Lochnagar The old man Television film, voice role 1997 Coltrane's Planes and Automobiles Himself 6-part documentary 1999 Alice in Wonderland Ned TweedledumTelevision movie 2004 Pride JamesTelevision film, voice 2005 Still Game Davie Series 4, episode 3: "Dial-A-Bus" 2007 Robbie ColtraneB Road Britain Himself TV documentary The Gruffalo Gruffalo Short film; voice role 2011 The Gruffalo's Child Lead Balloon Donald Series 4, episode 4: "Off" Series 4, episode 5: "Blade" 50 Greatest Harry Potter Moments Himself Narrator 2013 The Many Faces of Robbie Coltrane TV documentary 2016 National Treasure Paul Finchley 4-part TV drama At least two seasons have been released as DVD sets by BeyondHE. 2020 Urban Myths Orson Welles 1 episode 2022 Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts Himself HBO Max special, final television appearance

Video games

Theatre + Year Title Role Notes1978 The Slab Boys Jack Hogg Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh 1980 Threads Performer Hampstead Theatre, London

Music video + Year Title Role Notes2011 Deeper Understanding Computer Junkie from Kate Bush album Director's Cut

Theme park attractions +YearTitleRoleNotes 2010 Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey Rubeus Hagrid Flight of the Hippogriff Voice role 2014 Hogwarts Express Cameo appearance 2019 Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Final performance as Hagrid before his death in 2022

Awards, honours and legacy YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult 1988 British Academy Television Award Best Actor Tutti Frutti 1994 Cracker 1995 1996 1993 Royal Television Society Award Performance AwardMale 1995 Broadcasting Press Guild Award Best Actor 2002 British Academy Film Award Best Actor in a Supporting Role Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 2001 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actor 2017 British Academy Television Award Best Actor National Treasure Broadcasting Press Guild Award Royal Television Society Award Best ActorMale Monte-Carlo Television Festival Long Fiction Program. Outstanding Actor Honorary awards' Coltrane won the Evening Standard British Film AwardPeter Sellers Award for Comedy 1990. He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2006 New Year Honours for his services to drama.

Legacy On 26 December 2022, BBC Four broadcast the tribute programme Robbie Coltrane at the BBC narrated by friend and fellow actor Celia Imrie. This was followed by the documentary Richard Wilson Remembers... Tutti Frutti and the first two episodes of Tutti Frutti. The remaining four episodes were broadcast again over the subsequent two nights.

Publications Coltrane, Robbie; Stuart, Graham (May 1993). Coltrane in a Cadillac. HarperCollins. . Coltrane, Robbie (October 1997). Coltrane's Planes & Automobiles. Simon & Schuster. . Coltrane, Robbie (June 2008). Robbie Coltrane's B-Road Britain''. Transworld. .