Robbie Coltrane opens new building at Glasgow School of Art, plans to write autobiography

You may remember that Robbie Coltrane recently gave an interview about his time as a student at the Glasgow School of Art.  He has again returned to his old school to help open its new Reid Building, a £50 million-building named after the school’s first female principal, Dame Seona Reid.

Robbie himself used to have a studio in another building of the school, which he attended from 1968-1972. Unfortunately, he lost dozens of paintings and drawings he’d made there when his own home caught fire in the 1970s.

Everything was destroyed. It was horrible. I wasn’t a great painter, but I was always a good drawer and draughtsman. There [were] about 50 or 60 drawings lost that I would dearly love to get back.

The opening event was attended by over 2,000 invited guests.  In his address to the audience, Robbie admitted his old teachers would be “turning in their graves” if they knew he was there to open the building.  He described his past self with “hair down to my **** and a joint hanging out my mouth,” adding that he was a “cheeky” student.

Robbie also told reporters that he is writing his own biography, having previously turned down offers to have it written for him.

I just think I’ve lived such an interesting life. I’ve written three books, I’ve made more than 700 hours of television, I’ve made 78 movies… I’ve made a lot.

I’ve lived in New York, I was in Britain when alternative comedy happened, I was in Tutti Frutti, I was in Cracker, I’ve been fortunate enough to be connected with a lot of really important moments in drama, and then there is Harry Potter, obviously.

He is even considering publishing the autobiography online.  But Robbie says that he doesn’t want to go into too much detail because it’s still in the early stages, and he’s “a bit superstitious.”

Would you be interested in reading an autobiography of Robbie Coltrane? Let us know in the comments!