Michael Gambon, Veteran Actor Who Played Dumbledore In ‘Harry Potter’ Films, Dies At Age 82

ENGLAND LONDON — Michael Gambon, the Irish-born actor who was knighted for his illustrious career on stage and screen and who won the hearts of a new generation of moviegoers with his portrayal of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight “Harry Potter” films, has passed away. He was 82 years old.

His publicist, Clair Dobbs, announced Thursday that the actor passed away on Wednesday due to “pneumonia.”

“We are devastated to announce Sir Michael Gambon’s passing. Michael, a beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus by his side, according to a statement released by his family.

While the Potter character elevated Gambon’s international profile and garnered him a large audience, he had long been regarded as one of Britain’s most renowned actors. His work encompassed television, theatre, film, and radio, and he starred in dozens of films over several decades, from “Gosford Park” and “The King’s Speech” to the animated family film “Paddington.” 2019, he appeared in the Judy Garland biopic “Judy,” published in 2019.

1998 saw the knighting of Gambon for his contributions to the entertainment industry.

Richard Harris, another Irish-born actor, was the original actor to portray the beloved Professor Dumbledore. Gambon portrayed the role from “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” to “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” after Harris passed away in 2002 after two films in the franchise had already been produced.

He once acknowledged not having read any of J. K Rowling’s best-selling books contended that following the script was safer than being too influenced by the books. That did not stop him from embodying the spirit of the mighty wizard who fought evil to protect his students.

Michael Gambon, Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight “Harry Potter” films, has passed away. He was 82 years old.

Co-stars frequently characterized Gambon as a playful, humorous man who was modest about his talent. Helen Mirren recalled with fondness his “natural Irish sense of humour — naughty but very, very funny.”

Fiona Shaw, who portrayed Petunia Dursley in the “Harry Potter” series, recalled that Michael Gambon told her that acting was fundamental to his life.

“He once told me in a car, ‘I know I talk a lot about this and that, but there is only acting in the end,'” Shaw told the BBC on Thursday. He always acted as if he didn’t take it seriously, but he took it very seriously.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins praised Gambon as “one of the finest actors of his generation” for his “extraordinary talent.”

Born in Dublin on Oct. 19, 1940, Gambon was reared in London and originally trained as an engineer, following in his father’s footsteps. He reportedly began his career in the theatre as a set constructor despite lacking formal training in drama. He made his acting debut in a production of “Othello” in Dublin.

In 1963, he landed his first significant role in “Hamlet,” the inaugural National Theatre Company production directed by the legendary Laurence Olivier.

John Dexter’s “Life of Galileo,” starring Gambon, earned him critical acclaim and propelled him to prominence as a stage actor. He received numerous award nominations, winning the Laurence Olivier Award three times and the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award twice.

Michael Gambon, Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight “Harry Potter” films, has passed away. He was 82 years old.

Gambon, a multi-talented actor, won four prestigious British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards for his television performances.

After starring in Dennis Potter’s 1986 BBC series “The Singing Detective,” considered a classic of British television drama, he became a ubiquitous name in Britain. Gambon was awarded the BAFTA for finest actor for his performance.

As Mr. Woodhouse in a 2010 adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma” and former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson in 2002’s “Path to War,” Gambon was nominated for an Emmy.

As an actor, Gambon was versatile, but he once told the BBC that he preferred to portray “villainous characters.” Gambon portrayed gangster Eddie Temple in the British crime thriller “Layer Cake” (a New York Times review called him “reliable”) and a Satanic crime leader in Peter Greenaway’s “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and His Lover.”

Additionally, he played King George V in the 2010 drama film “The King’s Speech.” In 2015, he returned to J.K. Rowling’s works, starring in the television adaptation of her non-Potter novel “The Casual Vacancy.”

“I absolutely loved working with him,” Rowling wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The first time I saw him was in the 1982 production of ‘King Lear,’ and if you had told me at the time that this brilliant actor would appear in anything I had written, I would have thought you were insane.”

Gambon left the stage in 2015 because he could not recall his lines in front of an audience due to his advanced age. Once, he told the Sunday Times Magazine, “It’s a terrible thing to confess, but I’m unable to. It makes my heart ache.”

Gambon was always guarded regarding his private life. Together, he and Anne Miller had one son, Fergus. He had two children with the set designer Philippa Hart.

SOURCE – (AP)