Irish-English Actor Michael Gambon, Who Played Dumbledore In “Harry Potter”, Has Died At Age 82
Gambon, who took over the role of Dumbledore from the late Richard Harris after Harris’ death in 2002, was a prolific actor, with more than 150 film and TV credits since he began acting in the 1960s.
Irish-English actor Sir Michael Gambon, best known for playing Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies, has died. He was 82.
Gambon’s family said in a statement that he died peacefully in the hospital on Wednesday Sep. 29 with his wife and son at his bedside following a bout of pneumonia.
Gambon, who took over the role of Dumbledore from the late Richard Harris after Harris’ death in 2002, was a prolific actor, with more than 150 film and TV credits since he began acting in the 1960s.
Some of his notable films include “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover”, “Sleepy Hollow”, “The Insider”, “Gosford Park” and “The King’s Speech”.
Gambon has won three consecutive BAFTA best actor prizes, a record he shares with the late Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane, his co-star who played Hagrid in the Harry Potter films who died in October 2022.
Gambon was knighted in 1998 by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to drama.
Tributes have started pouring in online, with Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter calling Gambon “one of the most brilliant, effortless actors I’ve ever had the privilege of working with.”
“He was silly, irreverent and hilarious. He loved his job, but never seemed defined by it,” Radcliffe said. “He was an incredible story, and joke teller, and his habit of blurring the lines between fact and fiction when talking to journalists meant that he was also one of the most entertaining people with whom you could ever wish to do a press junket.”
“I’m so sad to hear he has passed, but I am so grateful for the fact that I am one of the lucky people who got to work with him,” he added.
“Thank you for showing us what it looks like to wear greatness lightly. We will miss you,” Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger, shared on Instagram.
“Harry Potter” author J. K. Rowling wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Gambon was “a wonderful man in additional to being an outstanding actor.”
Gambon is survived by his wife and two sons, as well as his ex-wife and another son from a previous marriage.
