Sir Michael Gambon, the actor best known for his role as Professor Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight Harry Potter films, has died. Gambon passed away “peacefully in hospital” surrounded by family after suffering from pneumonia, a statement issued on behalf of Lady Gambon and son Fergus Gambon confirmed. He was 82.
“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,” the statement read, per The Guardian. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this painful time and thank you for your messages of support and love.”
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Born in Dublin and later dubbed “The Great Gambon” by Ralph Richardson, Gambon began his acting career more than 60 years ago. After leaving school at 15, the actor began his career as a set builder before going on to take the stage in parts at the Unity theatre and the Tower theatre in London. He made his acting debut in a production of Othello in Dublin in 1962, later making his film debut in 1965’s Othello, and by the age of 22 made his West End debut as an understudy in The Bed-Sitting Room. He went on to become one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre alongside Laurence Olivier and, later in his career, would win Oliviers, BAFTAs, and Emmys.
His six-decade-spanning career, however, was perhaps best noted in Gambon’s work in the Harry Potter franchise. The actor entered the franchise, based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling novels, in the third film, 2004’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, replacing Richard Harris in the role of Professor Albus Dumbledore after Harris died in 2002 after portraying Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter movies. Gambon, who told the U.K.’s The Independent, per Variety, that he’d “never seen any of the previous films, but working on the series was huge fun – and for lots of dosh,” went on to appear in the franchise’s final five movies – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011).
Throughout his career, Gambon earned more than 140 TV or film credits. He notably played French detective Jules Maigret in ITV series Maigret, and is also well-known known for his role as Philip Marlow in Dennis Potter’s The Singing Detective on the BBC. His other credits include Gosford Park, Luck, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, The Lost Prince, The King’s Speech, and Path to War, among many others. He also voiced The Prophet in the Elder Scrolls video games. He won three Laurence Olivier Awards, was awarded four U.K. television BAFTAs, and was knighted for services to the entertainment industry in 1998.
Gambon’s death follows the October 2022 death of Hagrid actor Robbie Coltrane and the November 2022 passing of Leslie Phillips, who voiced the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films.
