Actor Michael Gambon Dead at 82

Gambon, who took over the role of Albus Dumbledore in the ‘Potter’ film franchise, enjoyed a long, successful career marked with memorable performances.

(L to R) Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore and Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.' Photo: Warner Bros.

Michael Gambon, a veteran British actor who drew a brand new generation of fans when he stepped into the role of ‘Harry Potter’s wise, mysterious Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, has died. He was 82.

A jovial actor in the classic British style, he once said that he preferred playing villains, and indeed put in some memorable turns as menacing characters, including a Satanic crime boss in Peter Greenaway’s ‘The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover.’

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Michael Gambon: Early life and career

Born in Dublin on October 19th, 1940, Gambon was raised in London and originally trained as an engineer, following in the footsteps of his father. He made his theater debut in a production of ‘Othello’ in Dublin.

In 1963 he got his first big break with a minor role in ‘Hamlet,’ the National Theatre Company’s opening production, under the directorship of the legendary Laurence Olivier.

Gambon soon became a distinguished stage actor and received critical acclaim for his leading performance in ‘Life of Galileo,’ directed by John Dexter. He was frequently nominated for awards and won the Laurence Olivier Award 3 times and the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards twice.

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Michael Gambon: TV work

On the small screen, Gambon played the central role in the BBC’s ‘The Singing Detective’, and also portrayed a sleuth in an early ‘90s adaptation of Georges Simenon’s ‘Maigret’ novels.

He starred as Prior Walter in HBO’s adaptation of ‘Angels in America’, appeared in the miniseries adaptation of ‘Potter’ creator J.K. Rowling’s ‘The Casual Vacancy’, and had a recurring role in psychological horror series ‘Fortitude’. He also, notably, appeared on cult UK car series 'Top Gear,' taking a corner so quickly in the ‘Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car’ segment that it was subsequently named ‘Gambon’ in his honor.

Michael Gambon: film work

(L to R) Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore and Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.' Photo: Warner Bros.

Though he gained worldwide recognition for taking over the role of Dumbledore following the death of Richard Harris (who had played the character in the first two ‘Potter’ outings), he also had a long and successful movie career in a variety of roles.

Through his long stint on the big screen, Gambon worked with several notable directors – starring in Tim Burton’s ‘Sleepy Hollow’ in 1999, Robert Altman’s ‘Gosford Park’, Matthew Vaughn’s ‘Layer Cake’, Wes Anderson’s ‘The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou’ and ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’, Robert De Niro’s ‘The Good Shepherd’, and Tom Hooper’s ‘The King’s Speech’. Recently, he narrated the Coen Brothers’ ‘Hail, Caesar!’, and lent his voice to ‘Paddington’ and ‘Paddington 2’ as the titular bear’s Uncle Pastuzo. One of his final film roles was playing theatre impresario Bernard Delfont in 2019’s Judy Garland biopic ‘Judy’.

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Gambon family statement

Gambon’s wife and son released a statement on his passing via his publicist:
“We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon. Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia. Michael was 82. We ask that you respect our privacy at this painful time and thank you for your messages of support and love.”