British actor Michael Gambon, who played Professor Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films, has died . He was 82 years old. Over his long career, the talented artist performed many striking roles in theater and cinema. Among the cult films with his participation: “Sleepy Hollow”, “The Book of Eli”, “The King’s Speech”, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”. However, throughout the world, Gambon is primarily known for his role as Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Wizardry.

In this article we will tell you how the fate of Michael Gambon turned out, whether he liked playing in “Harry Potter” and how the artist is remembered by his loyal viewers and colleagues.

Biography of Michael Gambon

Youth and theater

Michael Gambon was born on October 19, 1940 in Dublin. In the post-war years, his father, an engineer, got a job in London, and the whole family went to England in search of a better life. Michael was sent to a Catholic college, for some time the young man even served at the temple, and then dropped out of school and got a job at a tool factory to help his parents. It was there, in the troupe of the Unity workers’ theater, that Gambon became interested in art.

Professional stage performances were beyond the means of the Gambon family. And Michael went to college to become an engineer, just like his father had once done. In parallel with his studies, the young man played in the Dublin Theater – there he decided to devote himself entirely to the stage. After graduating from college, Gambon did not work in his profession, but joined an acting troupe.

“At first I played in the crowd”

The turning point in Gambon’s career was 1981. 41-year-old Michael received an invitation to the British National Theater.

“I started playing at the National Theater just four years after it opened. I played as an extra. Sometimes I managed to get a couple of words of text,” Gambon recalled .

Subsequently, they began to trust him with the main roles. Real popularity fell upon him after the production of “Galileo”. Then the artist received invitations from the most famous directors in London. Michael shone on stage in the roles of Othello, Mark Antony and King Lear.

First steps in cinema

Having received recognition in the world of theater, Gambon began to try his hand at cinema. His first films were: “Gangsters”, “Othello”, “The Beast Must Die”. And the film “Sleepy Hollow,” which won an Oscar, brought Michael recognition and love from the audience. However, after such stunning success, the artist’s next projects were less successful.

But the brightest and most fateful role awaited Gambon ahead. At the age of 60, the artist was offered the role of Professor Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films.

“He ’s a good old man”: Gambon on the role of Dumbledore

The offer to play the role of the director of the Hogwarts school of magic came suddenly. In 2002, actor Richard Harris, who played Dumbledore in the first two parts of the saga about the wizard, passed away. Afterwards, the role of the kind elderly professor went to Michael Gambon, and this was a real honor for him.

In one of his interviews, Michael said that he was very worried, because before Dumbledore he was “used to playing swindlers and murderers”

“And Dumbledore is the complete opposite, isn’t he? He’s a good old man,” the British actor noted.

Gambon always spoke about filming Harry Potter with particular warmth. According to him, these times will forever remain one of the happiest for him. At the same time, Michael did not read a single book about the young wizard and did this on purpose – so as not to be upset once again if the script did not coincide with the original text.

Difficult decision to leave the stage

In 2015, Michael Gambon decided to retire from the stage due to memory problems. The British actor told the UK Sunday Times that he cannot remember the words from the plays in which he plays. Colleagues advised Gambon to resort to the help of a prompter.

“I was given an earpiece through which I could hear the girl dictating my lines to me. After an hour of work, I realized that I couldn’t work like that. You can’t perform in the theater, feel free when your partners are running around the stage and screaming, and you you have to listen to the lines that sound in your ear, ” the artist recalled.

Personal life of Michael Gambon

The famous artist was not able to find happiness in family life right away. At the age of 22, Gambon married British actress Anne Miller; their son Fergus was born in 1967. However, despite almost 50 years of marriage, the couple separated.

In 2004, Michael began a relationship with his Gosford Park co-star Philippa Hart, who is 25 years his junior. Three years later, the actress gave Gambon a son – the baby was named after the famous father. And in 2009, the couple had a second son, William.

“Working with him was a creative pleasure”

Michael Gambon passed away on September 28, 2023. The iconic British actor was 82 years old. The artist’s relatives reported that he died after an attack of pneumonia.

“Michael died peacefully in hospital after a bout of pneumonia with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside,” the Daily Mail wrote.