Harry Potter star Tom Felton, known for his role as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series has written an emotional letter in remembrance of his co-star Robbie Coltrane. The Scottish actor died on October 14, 2022, at the age of 72 and March 30, 2023, would have been his 73rd birthday.
However, though not present, his co-stars in the film partly directed by Chris Columbus and David Yates, have remembered him. Tom Felton shared the message with E! News as he marks the celebrated actor’s supposed 73rd birthday.
Tom Felton’s message reads:
“In the early days of Harry Potter, the cast comprised two distinct groups: children and adults. Emma Watson was 9 when we started shooting; Dan Radcliffe was 11; I was 13. Maggie Smith and Richard Harris, by comparison, were in their sixties and seventies. Do the math: You were either one of the kids, or you were one of the grown-ups. Unless that is, you were Robbie Coltrane.”
Somehow, Robbie managed to be an adult and a child at the same time, maintaining a foot in both camps. His knowledge of the world was astounding. He was well-versed in any topic you might care to mention, from engineering to geography, from history to travel—and that meant he had something to contribute to any grown-up conversation that might be happening on set. You could tell that the older actors valued and respected his experience.”
“Robbie knew how important it was to know your lines, to be on your mark, to play to camera. We learned our trade from watching him. He set a great example to us all on how to nail the basic skills of being on set, but never in a boring or patronizing way. Although he routinely had to deal with a crazy amount of hair and make-up and suits and stilts, he still somehow managed to create an environment that allowed us all to be playful.”
And Robbie was endlessly playful. He was constantly cheeky. Most of all he was always kind. He never took himself too seriously—and these characteristics lay at the heart of everything, I think, because if Robbie took himself too seriously, if he forgot what it meant to be kind, there would have been no Hagrid. Without Hagrid, there’s no Hogwarts. And nobody could, would or ever will play that gentle giant half as well as my dearly missed friend Robbie Coltrane.”
Robbie Coltrane suffered from osteoarthritis in the latter part of his life. In 2016, he said he was in constant pain all day and later he started using a wheelchair. He died at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, Scotland at the age of 72 last year. In his death certificate, the causes of death were listed as multiple organ failure complicated by sepsis, a lower respiratory tract infection, and a heart block
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