Robbie Coltrane 1950

Coltrane was born Anthony Robert McMillan on March 30, 1950, in Rutherglen, a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, UK.

Robbie Coltrane 1950

Biography

Date of Birth     30 March 1950, Rutherglen, Scotland, UK
Birth Name    Anthony Robert McMillan
Height     6' 1" (1.85 m)
Mini Bio (1)

Robbie Coltrane, one of Britain's most popular comedians who was head of debating society at school and won prizes for his art, is now a film star who played in two James Bond films and in the "Harry Potter" franchise.

Coltrane was born Anthony Robert McMillan on March 30, 1950, in Rutherglen, a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. His mother, Jean Ross (Howie), was a teacher and pianist. His father, Ian Baxter McMillan, was a general surgeon who also worked for police pathology. Young Robbie was fond of art, music, films and cars. He was a voracious reader of his dad's books on medicine and crime. At age 12 he made his acting debut on stage at Glenalmond College, delivering rants from "Henry V". At that time he was fascinated with Marlon Brando and Orson Welles.

He attended Glasgow Art School, majoring in drawing, painting and film, then studied art at Edinburgh's Moray House College of Education for a year. In 1973 he made a documentary titled "Young Mental Health", which was voted Film Of The Year by the Scottish Education Council. At that time Robbie took the name Coltrane, due to his love of jazz, and began a career of a stand-up comedian at night clubs, at the Edinburgh Festival, as well as an actor with Edinburgh's renowned Traverse Theatre.

In 1980 Coltrane made his debut on television as "Border Guard" in BBC's mini-series The Lost Tribe (1980), then made his big screen debut as a limousine driver in Death Watch (1980). In 1981 he appeared in his first leading role as Detective Fritz Langley in Subway Riders (1981), by famed underground director Amos Poe.

He became a well-known face through appearances in The Comic Strip series, then in Alfresco (1983) and Comic Strip movies The Supergrass (1985) and The Pope Must Diet (1991), among other films. At that time Coltrane had a drinking problem, downing as much as a bottle of whiskey a day. In 1986 he flew to a clinic in Mexico and was treated for obesity. In 1987 his partner for 15 years, Robin Paine, left him for good, leaving her portrait in Coltrane's barn.

In 1988 Coltrane met then 18-year-old Rhona Gemmell in a pub. They married and had a son, Spencer, and a daughter, Alice. His career took off during the early 1990s with the leading role as Dr. Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald, a forensic psychologist, in the popular TV series Cracker (1993).

He made such a good performance as Valentin Zukovsky, a KGB man turned St. Petersburg mafia lord, in GoldenEye (1995) the producers called him back for the same character in The World Is Not Enough (1999). Then Coltrane hit another lucrative franchise; he was personally selected by J.K. Rowling as her choice to play half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in the 'Harry Potter' films.

In early 1990s Coltrane wrote an autobiography, "Coltrane in a Cadillac", and also starred in the eponymous TV series, Coltrane in a Cadillac (1993), in which he indulges his passion for vintage cars and tells with great humor about his 4000-mile journey across America from Los Angeles to New York. In 2003 he separated from his wife. His interests outside of his acting profession has been reading books, and rebuilding and collecting vintage cars. Robbie Coltrane resides in a converted farmhouse in Stirlingshire, Scotland, UK.

Spouse (1)
Rhona Gemmell     (11 December 1999 - present) (separated) (2 children)
Trivia (11)
Son born c. 1992; daughter born c. 1998
Graduated from the Glasgow School of Art where he majored in drawing, painting and film.
Has two children: Alice and Spencer.
Frequently plays giants and has to wear padding, lifts, and has to be shot from below, in such film as the "Harry Potter" series, where he played "Hagrid", and in Van Helsing (2004), where he was generated into a computer to play a bear-sized "Mr. Hyde".
Has appeared in eight films opposite a former member of Monty Python's Flying Circus. His cast mate in Nuns on the Run (1990) and European Vacation (1985) was Eric Idle. He appeared in The World Is Not Enough (1999), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), all of which also starred John Cleese. He also appeared in Billy Connolly: A BAFTA Tribute (2002), A Night of Comic Relief 2 (1989) and The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball (1989), all of which featured Michael Palin.
Only took the role of Hagrid in the Harry Potter series after his children urged him to do so.
He was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2006 New Year's Honours List for his services to drama.
Attended the world renowned Scottish boarding school, Glenalmond College, in Perthshire, Scotland.
Though he says he took his stage name from musician John Coltrane, his name is actually closer to that of John's son, Ravi Coltrane.
Was the very first person to be cast in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001). In fact, he was selected for the role of Hagrid by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
Was asked to play Takis in Doctor Who: Revelation of The Daleks. Trevor Cooper won the role.
Personal Quotes (26)
In real life, I'm 6' 1" - each way pretty well, north and south and east and west, unfortunately.
Once you've been doing anything for twenty-five years people start to notice you. What was really nice about the OBE is that it's the first award where I didn't have to make a speech and I didn't have to sit there waiting to see if I'd won - I knew I was going to get it.
I think the shocking thing to discover is the owls are not stupid and very feral, very hard to train.
I sometimes worry that all the beautiful things have been made.
I love films where the world seems to be going a bit faster and everything's a bit brighter and more in focus.
I just get the same stuff as I did before, but the price tag is much higher.
Crows are incredibly smart. They can be taught five things on the drop.
Ninety percent of people's nightmares is standing in front of 1,000 people. Did you know that? And having to speak. You would have thought it would have been a madman tying you up and taking your eyes out.
I had a very bad time with acid. I did that classic thing of looking in the mirror by mistake and seeing the devil. But I took it several times, because you always think that next time you might have the wonderful time that everyone else is having.
Believe me, my children have more stamina than a power station.
Is it just me, or is the world full of beautiful women?
The person who comes up to you and makes the most noise and is the most intrusive is invariably the person in the room who has no respect for you at all, and it's really all about them.
It's hell with that big beard and stuff. That's the one bit I don't like. Either you take out at lunch or you don't eat. So I opted not to eat, 'cause having to put it on twice is horrific.
It was quite instant that he wanted Harry's approval. Did you notice that? And the children sort of rescued him this time. It's a great turnabout. That's what happens as your children get older. They do things for you, and it's quite shocking when they do.
I've already felt that I want to direct. Being an executive producer is like the best job in the world because you make all these executive decisions and then you leave the money to other people. You don't have to be on set and counting beans.
I mean, I'm obviously not one of those people who's so beautiful women take their clothes off when I walk into the room. I didn't become a star overnight.
I knew it was going to be enormous because of the number of people who bought the books, but, to be honest, I never thought it would be bigger than Bond. Never in a million years.
Why is it trivia? People call it trivia because they know nothing and they are embarrassed about it.
What you do is get the right director and the right screenwriter and the right cast. It's a fantastic job.
The backgrounds in Lord of the Rings are all explained.
I've signed on for four movies, and I'll do four. That's easy. No complications there.
I've got two young kids. I don't know what the future holds.
When you are new to the business, you think if you give a really bad performance, that's one they will print. You will be judged. You just have to be brave.
That's the trouble with anything which essentially has a lot of bits that are physically impossible: You're left, stuck, in the studio. And that's a shame. You're making a movie. You don't want it to stay put, you want it to be a movie - to move.
See, what you're meant to do when you have a mid-life crisis is buy a fast car, aren't you? Well, I've always had fast cars. It's not that. It's the fear that you're past your best. It's the fear that the stuff you've done in the past is your best work.
My dad? He died when I was 19, which is a bad time for your dad to die, because there's an awful lot of things you have to resolve with your parents past your teens if you've been a difficult teenager.