Robbie Coltrane, who died on Friday at the age of 72, is best known for his role as Hagrid in the Harry Potter saga. But the British actor played other important roles in his career. Evidence three.
Robbie Coltrane, who died on Friday aged 72, was best known for his portrayal of Rubeus Hagrid in eight parts of the Harry Potter saga. But behind the half-giant’s imposing stature lay other defining roles in the British actor’s career. Focus on three of them, including two films with James Bond.
ACeLeBRE Shakespeare’s comic character
in the late 80s, Robbie Coltrane Explores the works of William Shakespeare. And not with any role! In the feature film Henry V, directed and carried by Kenneth Branagh, the Brit personifies the down-to-earth. Sir John Falstaff, a buffoonish gentleman who, among other things, is noted for his lechery, his love of women, and his art of lying.
Robbie Coltrane appears briefly in the film, portraying himself during flashback scenes taken from two parts of Shakespeare’s play. Keep in mind that more than twenty years after that role, he finds Kenneth Branagh on screen…Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets! In the second part of the magical saga, Branagh plays the character of Professor Gilderoy Lockhart.
A psychologist who hunts criminals
Prior to the international acclaim of Harry Potter, Robbie Coltrane had great success in the United Kingdom with the detective series Cracker, which aired on ITV from 1993 to 1996. In this show, the actor plays Eddie “Fitz” Fitzgerald, a psychologist of questionable morals who drinks, gambles, or even commits adultery. A man who is not very desirable, but who also has a special assistance to the Manchester Police in solving a criminal investigation!
A cracker of a streak spanning three seasons allowed Robbie Coltrane to achieve great success, both publicly and critically, on his home soil. His role won him three BAFTA Awards for Best Actor, and the series was also crowned twice in the Drama category.
Russian mafia in two James Bonds
Before Harry Potter, Robbie Coltrane starred in another cult saga starring James Bond. Are parts of the spy franchise controversial? GoldenEye and Le Monde Are Not Enough, released in theaters in 1995 and 1999 respectively.
In both feature films, Robbie Coltrane plays the character of Valentin Zukowski. A former KGB agent turned mobster and then not-so-clean businessman, Russ reluctantly teams up with Agent 007, played onscreen by Pierce Brosnan. Zukowski, who has a peculiar limp (the result of Bond being shot in the knee years ago) kills Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) in Le Monde is not enough.
“Golden Eye” trailer:
Source: allocine
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