(Photo: Getty Images)
Tributes are being paid to Robbie Coltrane, the BAFTA award-winning actor known for Cracker and Harry Potter, following his death at age 72. 
Coltrane's agent of 40 years, Belinda Wright, confirmed on Friday (October 14) that her client died at a hospital near Falkirk in Scotland. "He is survived by his sister Annie Rae, his children Spencer and Alice, and their mother Rhona Gemmell," Wright said. "They would like to thank the medical staff at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert for their care and diplomacy."
Coltrane was probably best known for playing Hagrid, the half-human and half-giant groundskeeper of Hogwarts, in the Harry Potter movies. In a statement shared with Variety, co-star Daniel Radcliffe described him as "one of the funniest people I've ever met," saying: "He was an incredible actor and a lovely man."
Emma Watson also shared fond memories of working with Coltrane on Harry Potter, saying: "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. His talent was so immense that it made sense he played a giant – he could fill ANY space with his brilliance."
Coltrane's breakthrough came in the 1980s sketch show Alfresco, in which he starred opposite Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, and Hugh Laurie. On Twitter, Fry hailed him as a man of "such depth, power, and talent."

(Photo: Twitter / @stephenfry)
Meanwhile, Laurie shared recollections of his 1980s road trips with Coltrane. "I hope it’s OK to spout memories: I used to ride with Robbie Coltrane between Manchester and London in his sort-of-restored MGA," he tweeted. "I'd roll him cigarettes while he discoursed on the ways of the world, and I don't think I've ever laughed or learned so much in my life."
In 1988, Coltrane earned his first BAFTA nomination for his performance opposite Thompson in Tutti Frutti, a BBC drama series about a fictional Scottish rock band. From 1994 to 1996, he won three BAFTAs in succession for his starring role in the crime drama series Cracker, in which he played a brilliant but troubled criminal psychologist. Below, you can check out a Comic Relief sketch blending Cracker with Helen Mirren's 1990s crime series Prime Suspect. 

Coltrane was also known for playing the Russian mafia boss Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky in two Bond films: 1995's GoldenEye and 1999's The World Is Not Enough. In 2017, he earned another BAFTA nomination – his fifth – for his portrayal of a fictional British comedian accused of sexual assault in the Channel 4 miniseries National Treasure.
On Twitter, its writer Jack Thorne called Coltrane "a kind and generous man," adding: "He never played on his status, he’d delight in talking to anyone. When my parents went to the set of National Treasure, a bit awestruck by it all, Robbie practically gave them a tour. He was beautiful."
Rest in Peace, Robbie Coltrane, and thank you for your contribution.