
Died at 76
male
Anthony Robert McMillan OBE (March 30, 1950 – October 14, 2022), known professionally as Robbie Coltrane, was a Scottish actor and comedian. He gained worldwide recognition as Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series (2001–2011), and as Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky in the James Bond films GoldenEye (1995) and The World Is Not Enough (1999). He was appointed an OBE in the 2006 New Year Honours by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to drama. In 1990, Coltrane received the Evening Standard British Film Award – Peter Sellers Award for Comedy. In 2011, he was honoured for his "outstanding contribution" to film at the British Academy Scotland Awards. Coltrane started his career appearing alongside Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, and Emma Thompson in the sketch series Alfresco (1983–1984). In 1987, he starred in the BBC miniseries Tutti Frutti alongside Thompson, for which he received his first British Academy Television Award for Best Actor nomination. Coltrane then gained national prominence starring as criminal psychologist Dr. Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald in the ITV television series Cracker (1993–2006), a role which saw him receive the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in three consecutive years (1994 to 1996). In 2006, Coltrane came eleventh in ITV's poll of TV's 50 Greatest Stars, voted by the public. In 2016 he starred in the four-part Channel 4 series National Treasure alongside Julie Walters, a role for which he received a British Academy Television Award nomination. Coltrane appeared in two films for George Harrison's Handmade Films: the Neil Jordan neo-noir Mona Lisa (1986) with Bob Hoskins, and Nuns on the Run with Eric Idle. He also appeared in Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare adaptation Henry V (1989), the comedy Let It Ride (1989), Roald Dahl's Danny, the Champion of the World (1989), Steven Soderbergh's crime-comedy thriller Ocean's Twelve (2004), Rian Johnson's caper film The Brothers Bloom (2008), Mike Newell's Dickens film adaptation Great Expectations (2012), and Emma Thompson's biographical film Effie Gray (2014). He was also known for his voice performances in the animated films The Tale of Despereaux (2008), and Pixar's Brave (2012).

Robbie Coltrane

Mansfield Whetstone
for Mansfield Whetstone in The Museum Mysteries
Suggested by devahutiraichaliha

Jim Eldridge’s Museum (Murder) Mysteries is an historical crime-fiction series set in late-Victorian London, featuring Daniel Wilson, a former detective from the Metropolitan Police, and his partner, archaeologist Abigail Fenton. Each novel centres on a murder tied to a famous British museum or institution—such as the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, or the National Gallery—where the pair are called in as private inquiry agents to solve crimes that baffle the authorities. The series blends classic whodunnit structure with richly researched historical settings, highlighting scientific rivalries, class tensions, and the early professionalisation of museum culture. Across the series, the cases often expose the hidden politics of Victorian scholarship, including disputes over archaeological finds, forgeries, colonial acquisitions, and the ambitions of curators eager to protect their reputations. Wilson brings methodical investigative skills and quiet moral conviction, while Fenton offers academic expertise, courage, and a knack for noticing overlooked details—making them equal partners in unpicking the murders. Their developing relationship threads through the books, adding warmth and emotional continuity amid the atmosphere of intrigue.