Harry Potter fans, or Potterheads as they like to call themselves, were recently struck by heartbreak when it was announced that Robbie Coltrane, the actor who plays the half-giant, Hagrid had passed away. He died at the age of 72 on 14^th October 2022 due to undisclosed reasons. He played the role of a mentor to the protagonist Harry Potter, in all eight Harry Potter films, released between 2001 and 2011. 

The talented actor also played the role of a detective in the show, Cracker. Fans were left devastated in the face of such loss. Actors Daniel Craig and Emma Watson who played major roles as Harry Potter and Hermione Granger also paid tribute to the deceased actor. The actor perfectly filled the shoes of the endearing half-giant who was loved by all the fans of the books. 

Unknown Things About Rubeus Hagrid

Harry Potter is one of those series that has an extremely diverse set of supporting characters. These supporting characters bring a whole new layer of joy to the franchise and one of these characters is Hagrid. He is someone that fans all over adore to death. 

After all, they have him to thank for rescuing Harry as well as telling him that he was a wizard. In order to celebrate his legacy, here is a list to remind all dear fans of some little-known facts about their beloved character. 

1. Voldemort And Hagrid Had A Particularly Close Relationship

There are three important figures that are fairly close to Voldemort. Albus Dumbledore, the man actively attempting to erase Tom Riddle’s legacy; Harry Potter, the youngster who lived and actively opposes Voldemort’s takeover of the Wizard World; and Hagrid, the man who embodies Tom Riddle’s descent into darkness.

The two were classmates in the same batch even if they weren’t quite close. However, Tom Riddle was a persistent student who accused Hagrid of killing another student, leading to Hagrid’s expulsion from Hogwarts. Riddle’s influence on Hagrid’s life was irrevocable, just as it was on Riddle’s when he used Hagrid to cover up one of his first sins.

2. His 16-Inch Wand Was Noted As Being Somewhat Flexible

Hagrid is half-giant, after all, so it makes sense that his wand would be enormous as well. The wand was examined as being rather bendy and stood at an impressive 16 inches. It was made of oak for him. Oak makes sense for Hagrid, as Mr. Ollivander himself notes on Wand Woods because wizards who use oak wands frequently have an ‘affinity with the magic of the natural world,’ which Hagrid undoubtedly does.

Unfortunately, he was expelled during his third year after which his wand did go through some irreparable damage. Hagrid’s wand was damaged when he was expelled from Hogwarts in his third year. And we believe he would prefer it if we avoided bringing up his pink umbrella.

3. He Was Abandoned By His Mother

Hagrid briefly gets into certain details about his past background while he was on a romantic walk with Madame Maxine during the Goblet of Fire. He confesses that he could lift his father before the age of three, and then explains plainly how he died while still young. The mother of Hagrid is not mentioned.

But in the novels, it’s different. Hagrid narrates to the three troublemakers, Harry, Ron and Hermione how his mother abandoned him when he was very young to return to her massive colony, which she subsequently gave back to Grawp. The only giantess named in the canon, Fridwulfa was given that name and she was apparently the only giant who officially had a name.

4. He Has A Unique Lego Figure

Any family-friendly brand that becomes successful enough will undoubtedly be picked up by Lego and transformed into one of the magnificent building blocks of our childhood fantasy. Naturally, it didn’t take long for Harry Potter to locate a Lego version but that should go without saying. It fits perfectly because of its imaginative world!

But with so many distinctive personalities and creatures, the good people at Lego had to get a little inventive with their minifigs. Hagrid could not simply be created using the standard model. As a result, Hagrid obtained one of the most distinctive characters in the lineup.

5. He Is One Of The Only Characters To Appear In Every Single Movie

From a literary perspective, it’s common to see dozens and dozens of characters in each and every novel. After all, the storyline is purportedly about Harry’s time at school, and the book’s scope completely outshines the movies’ in terms of specifics. 

The movies can only adjust so much, with certain characters appearing when they are needed. Even in the face of budget cuts, Hagrid is one character who was considered so vital that his appearance could always be warranted, no matter if he did something significant or not. Hagrid is one of the few actors in a large ensemble who is present in each of the eight original films.

6. He Was Taller In The Books Than The Movies

In the literature, Hagrid is taller than 11 feet. While this is appropriate for a fantastic piece of literature, it is simply too cumbersome for a film. An 11-foot-tall Hagrid would be very obtrusive on screen and extremely difficult to film. Such an accomplishment would need either absurdly high levels of CGI or deception shots that only function to harm the movie.

Naturally, the producers had to make Hagrid smaller. Instead of having an 11-foot-tall creature in the movies, the makers decided to bring his size down to an 8-foot-tall giant. His gigantic nature still comes across, so there hasn’t been much of a change, but it did make filming him much less difficult and startling.

7. He Lives At Least To His 90s

Wizards have a lengthy lifespan. Prior to Harry being killed by Snape, Dumbledore himself lives to reach 100 years old. Therefore, it only makes sense that other characters have similarly long lives. While the series has yet to progress far enough in history to reach a potential burial for Hagrid, we have seen him grow old thanks to a specific play that one enjoys. 

Given that Hagrid is still alive, he should make it to his 90s at the latest. Apart from that he appears to be in excellent health during the film’s events, he’ll most likely live even longer. He doesn’t have a significant part or anything, but he’s still alive. Well done, Hagrid!

8. Things Do Not Work Out For Him And Madame Maxine 

The romance between Hagrid and Maxime is something that really does appear out of nowhere, but not in a way that doesn’t make sense. Since they are giants, it goes without saying that they WILL end up together. JK Rowling most likely recognized what she was doing and opted to rob Hagrid of his girlfriend.

Love can be difficult. Isn’t that kind of sad? This is a man who spends the entire franchise alone, and after apparently finding love, his romance falls apart, and Hagrid never finds another romantic connection. The author didn’t specifically say that last statement, but it seems highly improbable that Hagrid would ever attempt romance once more.

Conclusion

Both book and movie fans admire him for his comforting aura. However, even though he was a loved character, there is still a lot that most people would not know about him. Some of them can be seen above.