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Upon hearing the sad news that Robbie Coltrane passed away, many actors who have worked closely with him have reached out to give their condolences and tell stories about the beloved actor. Now, House star Hugh Laurie has shared a super sweet story about spending time with the late actor.
While Robbie Coltrane is best known for his role as Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies and his time as Valentin Zukovsky in the James Bond movies, he also starred in a lot of other smaller movies and shows. In two of these cases, he worked with his pal Hugh Laurie. The two starred together in the late 1980s show Blackadder and they were both on the sketch show Alfresco in the early ‘80s. All these years later Laurie posted about his fond memories with Coltrane by way of this sweet story on Twitter:
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. 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.October 14, 2022
The two actors were 9 years a part in age, and it makes sense that Laurie had such a blast listening to the actor explain the “ways of the world.” Stories like these show just how loved Coltrane was by his fellow actors.
Many have spoken about their love for Coltrane following the news of his death. Including a lot of the Harry Potter cast. Daniel Radcliffe paid tribute to his co-star saying he was “one of the funniest people [he’s] met.” Much like Laurie, the actor behind the titular wizard noted that he was constantly laughing on set, and he has “fond memories” of the Hagrid actor keeping morale up on set. Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger, echoed Radcliffe’s sentiments, saying Coltrane “could fill ANY space with his brilliance.”
Earlier this year when the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter was celebrated Coltrane said:
I’ll not be here sadly but Hagrid will. Yes.
Hagrid is one of the most beloved characters from the franchise, and he’s lived on for the last 20 years, and as Coltrane said, will likely live on forever. I know I’ll always have fond memories of seeing him say “Yer a wizard, Harry” for the first time, or crying along with him when he’s sad about his creatures being taken. I know the image of Hagrid carrying Harry out of the woods in Deathly Hallows will always stay with me.
Much like Hagrid, Coltrane will remain close to fans’ hearts, mine included. Based on all the love and stories that have surfaced over the last day and throughout his life, it’s clear to me that this gentle giant will always be remembered fondly. It’s stories like Hugh Laurie’s that warm my heart, and even though this is a sad time, it’s lovely to see all this love for Coltrane.
You can watch Laurie in his signature role on House with an Amazon Prime subscription. Also, you can always go back and watch Coltrane as Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, which can currently be watched with a Peacock subscription.