The cast of ‘Harry Potter’ pays emotional tribute to Robbie Coltrane

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are among the Harry Potter cast members to have paid tribute to the late Robbie Coltrane.

Best known for his role in the franchise as groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid, Coltrane passed away at the age of 72.

Daniel Radcliffe, who starred as Harry Potter, said: ‘Robbie was one of the funniest people I’ve met and used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set.

‘I’ve especially fond memories of him keeping our spirits up on Prisoner of Azkaban, when we were all hiding from the torrential rain for hours in Hagrid’s hut and he was telling stories and cracking jokes to keep morale up.’

Rupert Grint, who starred as Ron Weasley, shared an image of Coltrane sitting outside Hagrid’s hut. Grunt said he will ‘never forget the smell of cigars and beard glue’, adding: ‘Just as Hagrid was in the books and films, Robbie was in life – warm, compassionate and hilarious. A giant-hearted man who was still looking out for us even decades later.’

Emma Watson, aka Hermione Granger, shared an image of herself and Coltrane on her Instagram stories.

‘Robbie was like the most fun uncle I’ve ever had but most of all he was deeply caring, and compassionate towards me as a child and an adult,’ Watson said. ‘His talent was so immense it made sense he played a giant – he could fill any space with his brilliance.’

Tom Felton took to Twitter to talk about his experiences with Coltrane while filming scenes as Draco Malfoy for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Felton said Coltrane was ‘a big friendly giant on screen but even more so in real life’. 

Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley, posted her own tribute to Coltrane. She writes: ‘Robbie portrayed Hagrid’s warmth, sense of home and unconditional love for his students and magical creatures so brilliantly.’

Professor Flitwick actor Warwick Davis said he was ‘saddened’ by the news, adding: ‘Always jovial, he brought warmth, light and laughter to any set he walked on to.’

Aside from his role in the Harry Potter movies, Coltrane also won acclaim for his appearances in Cracker, Nuns on the Run, and James Bond adventure GoldenEye.

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