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Robbie Coltrane, who is best known for his roles in Harry Potter, Cracker and James Bond, died in a hospital near his home in Larbert, Scotland, on Friday his agent, Belinda Wright, confirmed. Vanessa Feltz has penned a heartfelt tribute to the Hagrid star, as the columnist recalled a brief moment with the comedy star.
The 60-year-old said she has “never forgotten” an encounter with Coltrane in the makeup room of a Scottish TV studio.
The This Morning star shared there was a side to the actor that many fans have never got a chance to see – often showcasing his comedic flair and ability to never stop performing.
Vanessa suggested he must have been “exhausted” but with every laugh he received from the makeup artists he continued his “impromptu stand-up act”.
Writing in her column for The Express, she began: “I met Robbie Coltrane once. We sat in adjoining make-up chairs in a Scottish TV studio and I have never forgotten it.
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“He performed an entire impromptu stand-up act for their delectation.
“Each giggle inspired him to flights of fresh fancy. He was superb but must have arrived on set exhausted. I wondered if his need for praise was insatiable? Or was he so hilariously creative he just could not stop the flow?”
Vanessa later read a tribute piece that said it took many years for Robbie to try and be “ordinary” when in private.
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She went on: “Then, while feeling so sad, I read in an obituary that Rik Mayall told Robbie he would be the funniest man around if he could only reproduce on stage the performances he gave in other people’s living rooms.
She continued: “James Bond fans write too to applaud his role in GoldenEye and The World Is Not Enough.
“For me personally I shall remember him as an abidingly loyal client. As well as being a wonderful actor, he was forensically intelligent, brilliantly witty and after 40 years of being proud to be called his agent, I shall miss him.
“He is survived by his sister Annie Rae, his children Spencer and Alice and their mother Rhona Gemmell. They would like to thank the medical staff at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert for their care and diplomacy.
“Please respect Robbie’s family’s privacy at this distressing time.”
Tributes flooded in for the beloved actor including JK Rowling, who described Coltrane as an “incredible talent” and a “complete one off”.
Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, described Coltrane as “like the most fun uncle I’ve ever had”.
Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute to a “Scottish entertainment legend”, praising Coltrane for his “range and depth as an actor, from brilliant comedy to hard-edged drama”.
Coltrane starred as Hagrid in all eight of the Harry Potter films.
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