Dearest readers, it is with great sadness I report the death of one of the most legendary actors to come out of my fair country, Scotland. Anthony Robert McMillan OBE, otherwise known by his stage name of Robbie Coltrane, passed away today at 72. Robbie was an actor, comedian and writer and was beloved by adults and children alike. Although he starred in multiple movies and tv shows over his 42-year career, he was perhaps best known for portraying Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter franchise and Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky in the Peirce Brosnan era of James Bond films. In his early career, Coltrane featured in films such as Death Watch (1980) Krull (1983) Mona Lisa (1986) Danny, Champion of the world (1989) and Nuns on the Run in 1990. Still, it was his turn as Dr Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald in the hard-hitting Glasgow-based TV series “Cracker” which ran from 1993 to 1996 that really made me take notice of Robbie as an actor, instead of the comedian he was generally known for being in the 80s and early 90s in the UK. It won him three BAFTA’s for his efforts. Speaking of awards, Mr Coltrane wasn’t short of a few with not only an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) and three BAFTAs under his belt, but numerous wins and nominations from the likes of the British Academy of Television and Film, The Royal Television Society, The Monte Carlo Television Festival and the British Broadcasting Guild to boot. The man even had a Saturn Award for his work on Harry Potter. Coltrane was also an avid writer and published three books about his love of transportation and classic vehicles. Not one to shy away from big movies, as well as Bond and Potter, Robbie starred in the likes of From Hell (2001), Van Helsing (2004), Stormbreaker (2005) Oceans Twelve (2002) and Brave in 2012. Scotland lost one of its favourite sons today, and I know he will be deeply missed, not only by myself but all here at AICN.
