Coltrane

Plenty of saxophonists learning the game in the 1950s made John Coltrane their lodestar for his famous ferment of spiritual gravitas and storming improv intensity – but his best disciples took that sound as a call to freedom, not idolatry. The modestly masterful Kent-born saxophonist Paul Dunmall reveres Coltrane’s emotional eloquence to this day, but has also been profoundly affected by the very different, ’trane-influenced digressions of his UK sax contemporaries John Surman and Evan Parker: Surman’s lyrical affection…

Never-before-heard live recordings of John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy have been discovered in the New York Public Library and will be released for the first time next month, more than 60 years after they were made.The audio, which dates back to Coltrane’s 1961 residency at New York’s Village Gate, was recorded as part of a test of the club’s new sound system.The recordings came into the possession of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, where it was lost. Though the tapes were briefly rediscovered, they…

Are there any roles you’d specifically like to play or genre of film you’ve not yet done? Buffalo666I’ve always wanted to be a Bond villain or an action hero baddie. Then I got to play Alpha in the Walking Dead, so that box was ticked. I’ve always wished I spoke other languages, like Russian or Polish or French, so that I could be in foreign language cinema. I’m on Duolingo at the moment. Working in a country and a culture that’s unfamiliar would be really educating and amazing.Morton and Tracy Emin, one of her dream…

It’s been just over two weeks since the tragic death of Robbie Coltrane. Though most famous for playing the intimidating-yet-kindly Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, Coltrane had a long and glittering career on stage and screen stretching back to the 1970s. For a generation, though, the actor will always be Hagrid. The star had a huge impact on everyone around him, especially the younger cast members, with Daniel Radcliffe underlining just how much Coltrane meant to them during an interview with Entertainment…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsRobbie Coltrane, who has died aged 72, arrived on television in the 1980s as one of the new breed of “alternative” comedy performers. A decade later, he was making an even greater impact as the flawed criminal psychologist in Cracker. Then, moving into a new century, he was a favourite with younger audiences as Hagrid in the Harry Potter films.He came to the fore in The Comic Strip…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeRobbie Coltrane’s cause of death has been revealed.The Harry Potter, James Bond and Cracker actor died on 14 October, aged 72.His agent of 40 years, Belinda Wright, announced the news, thanking the medical staff at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, near Falkirk in Scotland, for their “care and diplomacy”.According to multiple reports, Coltrane died from multiple organ failure.…

Robbie Coltrane stuck in our hearts because he could play the best of us and the worst. I worked with him on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where he played Hagrid, the clumsy simpleton of a giant who was always concerned for the good of the children and brought his own big buttery optimistic grin to the character.He developed the most extraordinary hairstyle for Jaggers: pomaded, pumped up into a meringue shape and dyed a lustrous blackHe was utterly sweet to the Harry Potter kids, just one of the things that was so…

Last week fans of franchises from Harry Potter to James Bond were hit hard by the news that actor Robbie Coltrane had passed away. While Coltrane played a number of memorable roles in TV and on the big screen, he will forever be known most for his role as Hagrid in the Harry Potter franchise, and co-star Tom Felton is remembering his friend with a quote that is likely to make even the coldest heart feel emotional.Felton shared an image on Instagram with a quote from Coltrane looking back on his time in the Harry Potter…

Jason Isaacs has revealed himself to be a “fanboy” for Robbie Coltrane as he paid tribute to his Harry Potter co-star.The death of the Scottish actor, who played Hagrid in the fantasy franchise, was announced on Friday (14 October). Coltrane was 72.Tributes quickly poured in on social media from Coltrane’s fellow Harry Potter cast members, including Daniel Radcliffe himself.On Monday (17 October) afternoon, Isaacs shared a photo of his two daughters next to a rubber copy of Coltrane’s face as Hagrid from the set of Harry…

The Harry Potter world is in mourning as the actor behind one of the most iconic supporting characters in the franchise is no longer with us. Rubeus Hagrid actor Robbie Coltrane passed away this past Friday at the age of 72. Despite his tenure in the franchise having come to an end over a decade ago, Coltrane's death is being felt by fans all over the world. Universal Studios Orlando attendees who were visiting the park's Wizarding World section were among those reeling from the loss, and they paid tribute to the late…