Rupert Grint has joined the chorus of Harry Potter actors paying tribute to the late Robbie Coltrane, emphasising how ‘warm, compassionate and hilarious’ his former co-star was.

He also shared how Coltrane was ‘still looking out for us even decades later’, having first started playing the role of Rubeus Hagrid when Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson were children.

On Friday October 14, it was announced that Coltrane – best-known for starring in productions including Cracker, Harry Potter and the James Bond film franchise – had died at the age of 72.

Tributes poured in for the celebrated Scottish actor, including from Harry Potter author JK Rowling, Radcliffe – who played the wizard on screen – and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

In a heartfelt post shared on Instagram, Grint – who starred as Ron Weasley opposite Radcliffe’s Harry and Watson’s Hermione Granger – wrote of his ‘heartbreak’ over Coltrane’s death.

Sharing a picture of the late actor in character as Hagrid sitting outside the Hogwarts gamekeeper’s hut on the school grounds, the 34-year-old wrote: ‘Heartbroken to hear that Robbie is gone.

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‘I’ll never forget the smell of cigars and beard glue- a wonderful combination.
No one else on this planet could of played Hagrid, only Robbie.’

He continued: ‘Just as Hagrid was in the books and films Robbie was in life- warm, compassionate and hilarious.

‘A giant hearted man who was still looking out for us even decades later. Sending love to his family. See you on the other side Bobser.’

In a statement, Radcliffe, 33, said that Coltrane was ‘one of the funniest people I’ve met and used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set’.

‘I’ve especially fond memories of him keeping our spirits up on Prisoner of Azkaban, when we were all hiding from the torrential rain for hours in Hagrid’s hut and he was telling stories and cracking jokes to keep morale up,’ he said.

‘I feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet and work with him and very sad that he’s passed. He was an incredible actor and a lovely man.’

Watson, 32, shared a post on her Instagram Story with a picture of her and Coltrane at the Harry Potter reunion to mark 20 years since the release of the first film, The Philosopher’s Stone.

‘Robbie was like the most fun uncle I’ve ever had but most of all he was deeply caring, and compassionate towards me as a child and as an adult,’ she penned.

‘His talent was so immense it made sense he played a giant – he could fill ANY space with his brilliance.’

Addressing the late Coltrane directly, she continued: ‘Robbie, if I ever get to be so kind as you were to me on a film set I promise to do it in your name and memory. Know how much I adore and admire you.

‘I’ll really miss your sweetness, your nicknames, your warmth, your laughs and your hugs. You made us a family. Know you were that to us.’

She concluded by declaring: ‘There was no better Hagrid. You made it a joy to be Hermione.’

JK Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter books, wrote in her tribute to Coltrane that she will ‘never know anyone remotely like Robbie again’ in her tribute, stating: ‘He was an incredible talent, a complete one off, and I was beyond fortunate to know him, work with him and laugh my head off with him.’

‘I send my love and deepest condolences to his family, above all his children,’ she added.

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