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British actor Coltrane attends the European Premiere of the film Great Expectations in central London
British actor Robbie Coltrane attends the European Premiere of the film Great Expectations in central London, Oct. 21, 2012. The film closes the 56th London Film Festival. Photo by Toby Melville/REUTERS

Robbie Coltrane, 'Cracker' and 'Harry Potter' actor, dies at 72

LONDON (AP) — Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane, who played a crime-solving psychologist on TV series "Cracker" and the half-giant Hagrid in the "Harry Potter" movies, has died. He was 72.

Coltrane's agent Belinda Wright said he died Friday at a hospital in Scotland. She did not give a cause.

Coltrane came to fame as a hard-bitten detective in the 1990s series "Cracker," for which he won best actor at the British Academy Television Awards three years running.

He played gentle half-giant Hagrid, a mentor to the boy wizard, in all eight Harry Potter films, released between 2001 and 2011.

Other roles include a Russian crime boss in the James Bond thrillers "GoldenEye" and "The World is Not Enough."

Coltrane gained rave reviews for playing a beloved TV star who may harbor a dark secret in the 2016 miniseries "National Treasure."

Wright said that "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."

Wright said Coltrane is survived by his sister Annie Rae, his ex-wife Rhona Gemmell and his children Spencer and Alice.

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