RIP Robbie Coltrane

Goodbye To A True Film And TV Original

The incredibly sad news reached us yesterday that actor and comedy actor Robbie Coltrane has just died at the age of 72…
Coltrane first came to prominence in 1980s sketch show Alfresco alongside future superstars Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson. In 1987, he appeared in the BBC’s acclaimed drama Tutti Frutti for which he got his first BAFTA for Best Actor. Coltrane also had a cameo in Ben Elton and Richard Curtis’ Blackadder comedy series for the BBC. It was his role as psychologically damaged criminal psychologist Dr Eddie “Fitz” Fitzgerald in the series Cracker for ITV which ran from 1993 and 2006 which really cemented his reputation as one of the finest TV actors of his generation. Thanks to Cracker, he won the  British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for three consecutive years (1994 to 1996).

Coltrane also had a parallel career in film which includes parts in big screen productions like Neal Jordan’s gangster movie Mona Lisa (1986) and Nuns On The Run (1990) with Eric Idle. He also appeared in films like Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V, Pierce Brosnan’s debut James Bond Goldeneye (1995), lent his voice to Pixar animation’s Brave (2012) and appeared in Oceans Twelve (2004). Thanks to his recurring role as Hagrid in Warner Bros.’ successful Harry Potter films, he was brought to a whole new audience.

In recent years, his health prevented him from acting much although he returned to drama with ITV’s National Treasure in 2016.

Coltrane was a larger than life figure who possessed a rare warmth and range as an actor and he will be missed. Everyone here at Tripwire offer his friends and family our condolences.