British Actor Michael Gambon passed away today at the age of 82 after a bout of pneumonia. Best known to people for playing headmaster Albus Dumbledore in 6 Harry Potter movies, he was actually an accomplished stage, film and TV actor. Gambon was born in Cabra, Dublin Ireland, before moving to London as a child. While apprenticing as a toolmaker, he made his stage debut in Dublin’s The Gate Theater production of Othello in 1962. Gambon caught the eye of actor Laurence Oliver, who invited him to join the National Theater Company. In the 1980’s he played detective Philip Marlow in the Anglo-American miniseries “the singling detective, which made him a household name.
He took over the role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter Franchise of movies in 2002 after the death of Richard Harris.
Tributes poured in from his Harry Potter co-stars:
Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the series, paid tribute to Gambon in a post on Instagram.
“So sad to hear about Michael. He brought so much warmth and mischief to every day on set,” wrote Grint. “He captivated me as a kid and became a personal role model of mine for finding the fun and eccentricities in life.”
James Phelps, who played Ron’s brother Fred Weasley in the “Harry Potter” film franchise, posted a tribute to Gambon on X, formerly known as Twitter, Thursday.
“Very sorry to hear about the passing of Michael Gambon. He was, on and off the camera, a legend,” wrote Phelps.
“He was always very funny and very welcoming to share any knowledge he had,” Phelps added, detailing a fond memory he had working with the veteran actor between takes on the sixth “Harry Potter” movie.
And Fiona Shaw, who played Potter’s aunt Petunia Dursley in the movies, told the BBC that Gambon “varied his career remarkably.”
Shaw also said Gambon was a “gun maker” who always said “he could fool the V&A [museum] into believing that they were 18th century guns.”
“So I will think of him as a trickster, just a brilliant, magnificent trickster, but with text there was nothing like him, he could do anything.”
Helen Mirren also paid tribute to Gambon in an interview with the BBC, recalling his sense of humor.
“Naughty but very, very funny,” she said. “He kept me constantly in laughter.”
Mirren also called Gambon an “instinctive actor” who made an “extraordinary contribution to the British landscape of theater.”
Over the course of his career, Gambon won multiple Best Actor awards at the British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs) and was nominated for two Emmy awards.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/28/entertainment/michael-gambon-death-scli-intl/index.html
RIP to an amazing actor and man…..he will be missed by many, including me.
