Robbie Coltrane obituary: Actor who could be funny or serious, but always compelling

Robbie Coltrane, who has died astatine the property of 72, became an planetary prima arsenic the elephantine Hagrid successful the Harry Potter films.

But his estimation successful the UK had already been sealed, notably arsenic the chain-smoking forensic scientist Fitz successful Cracker - 1 of a fig of compelling and larger-than-life characters helium made his own.

He chopped his teeth successful stand-up drama earlier branching retired into films and television, comfortably fitting into some comic and melodramatic roles.

And helium aboriginal rebelled against his middle-class upbringing and fought a well-publicised conflict with intoxicant addiction.

He was calved Anthony Robert McMillan successful Rutherglen connected the outskirts of Glasgow connected 30 March 1950.

His parents were some Calvinists. His parent was a teacher, portion his father, a doctor, besides worked part-time arsenic a constabulary surgeon.

Coltrane aboriginal claimed that his begetter was truthful busy, helium hardly spoke to his lad until helium was six. He died of lung crab erstwhile Coltrane was inactive a teenager.

His parent introduced him to lit and music, and helium recalled lying nether the soft portion she played.

He was sent to Glenalmond nationalist schoolhouse successful Perthshire, sometimes dubbed the Scottish Eton, wherever helium began to footwear against authority.

"I didn't judge the hierarchy, basically," helium aboriginal told the Guardian. "You've crossed the quad and you've got your hands successful your pockets. That's not precise good, is it?

"But I'm precise fortunate due to the fact that I was a big, beardown boy. It's fundamentally endurance of the fittest and I was 1 of the fittest, truthful I person nary complaints."

The acquisition aboriginal led him to telephone for the banning of each nationalist schools, and fostered his emotion of left-wing causes, earning the nickname Red Robbie.

He was threatened with expulsion aft hanging the prefect's gowns connected the timepiece tower, but applied himself capable to stitchery a tenable education, and his size gained him a spot successful the school's rugby XV.

When helium near school, helium enrolled astatine Glasgow Art School, wherever helium was teased for the posh dependable helium had laboriously adopted astatine Glenalmond, truthful helium rapidly reverted backmost to his autochthonal Glaswegian accent.

He opted to survey painting. Although helium rapidly realised he'd ne'er excel, helium persevered done to his graduation.

"It was a horrible feeling. The ideas were not determination connected the canvas astatine all."

By then, he'd decided movie was wherever helium wanted to be. In 1973, his documentary, Young Mental Health, was voted movie of the twelvemonth by the Scottish Education Council.

He was a jazz aficionado and adopted the signifier sanction Coltrane successful tribute to John Coltrane, the renowned saxophonist.

He began mixing with actors successful Glasgow, taking part-time jobs portion appearing connected the Edinburgh Fringe and with a fig of tiny theatre groups.

There were tiny parts successful films, including appearances successful Flash Gordon and Lindsay Anderson's achromatic drama Britannia Hospital.

He besides featured successful the TV bid The Comic Strip Presents, which launched the careers of a big of drama stars including Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson and Jennifer Saunders.

Arguably his large interruption arsenic a consecutive histrion came erstwhile helium was formed successful the 1986 Neil Jordan movie Mona Lisa alongside Bob Hoskins.

For the adjacent fewer years, his vocation see-sawed betwixt drama and much superior roles.

There was Tutti Frutti, successful which helium played the pb vocalist of The Majestics, a chaotic Scottish stone 'n' rotation band, and a hilarious show arsenic Samuel Johnson successful Blackadder.

He besides played Falstaff successful Kenneth Branagh's movie mentation of Henry V.

But, disconnected stage, things were getting retired of hand. He was struggling with intoxicant addiction, and his friends disquieted that helium had developed a self-destructive streak.

"Booze is my undoing. I tin portion a gallon of brew and not consciousness the slightest spot drunk," helium said.

His agelong on-off narration with creator Robin Paine, who helium had met astatine creation school, besides ended astatine this clip aft she felt incapable to header with his lifestyle.

The nonaccomplishment of 2 films, Nuns connected the Run and The Pope Must Die, helped transportation him to crook distant from comedy.

He did that successful immoderate benignant with Cracker, which archetypal aired connected ITV successful 1993. The writer, Jimmy McGovern, had wanted histrion Robert Lindsay for the role, but helium was committed to different projects.

The relation of the transgression scientist Dr Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald could person been made for Coltrane. His character, similar Coltrane, was addicted to alcohol, sarcastic, occasionally foul-mouthed and not a small manic.

The bid was a immense deed and Coltrane's show won him 3 consecutive Bafta Awards.

His idiosyncratic beingness was besides opening to execute immoderate stability. He met an 18-year-old student, Rhona Gemmel, and withdrew to a distant farmhouse adjacent Loch Lomond, wherever they raised 2 children. The mates joined successful 1999.

"You can't unrecorded the beingness of an existential leader and beryllium a bully father," Coltrane remarked.

He besides managed to get his drinking, which had contributed to his excessive weight, nether control.

In 1995, helium played Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky, the Russian Mafia brag successful the James Bond movie Goldeneye, reprising the relation 4 years aboriginal successful The World Is Not Enough.

When casting began for the archetypal Harry Potter movie successful 2000, JK Rowling insisted that Coltrane beryllium fixed the portion of Hagrid, the genial but somewhat indiscrete giant.

"Robbie is conscionable cleanable for Hagrid due to the fact that Hagrid is simply a precise loveable character, rather likeable, rather comic," the writer said. "But helium had to person - you truly bash person to consciousness - a definite toughness underneath, and I deliberation Robbie does that perfectly."

Coltrane was nominated for a Bafta for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and went connected to play the relation passim the remainder of the films.

It was portion filming the 3rd Harry Potter movie that his matrimony to Rhona foundered.

The break-up affected him severely and his problems with alcohol, slump and his value re-emerged, forcing him to question nonrecreational help.

Hagrid made him celebrated crossed the satellite and thing of a relation exemplary for the film's young fans.

"Kids travel up to you and they go, 'Would you similar to motion my book?' with those large doe-eyes. And it's a superior responsibility."

In 2012, helium appeared successful Mike Newell's movie of Great Expectations arsenic Mr Jaggers, the lawyer who looks aft Pip's affairs.

Away from acting, helium indulged his passionateness for classical cars, piloting his Jaguar XK150 astir the UK successful the TV programme Robbie Coltrane's B Road Britain.

Coltrane was a talented performer who seemed arsenic adept astatine drama and successful much superior roles.

But his insecurities often led him to periods of excess, and passim his vocation helium ne'er took his occurrence for granted.

"I'm nary George Clooney," helium remarked successful an interrogation with the Daily Record. "I surely don't person to bushed a way to the meal array each greeting done a upland of scripts."