Michael Gambon, British actor who played Dumbledore, dies aged 82
British-Irish actor Michael Gambon, best known to global audiences for playing the wise professor Albus Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" movie franchise and whose career was launched by his mentor Laurence Olivier, died aged 82 on Thursday.
He died peacefully in the hospital, PA Media reported citing a family statement.
Gambon began his acting on the stage in the early 1960s and later moved into TV and film. Notable film roles include a psychotic mob leader in Peter Greenaway's "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover" in 1989 and the elderly King George V in Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech" in 2010.
But his best-known role was as Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" franchise, a role he took over from the third instalment in the eight-movie series after he replaced the late Richard Harris in 2004.
Gambon was a winner of four BAFTAs, three Olivier Awards and two ensemble cast Screen Actors Guild Awards.
He retired from the stage in 2015 after suffering long-term memory problems but continued to act onscreen until 2019.
Gambon married Anne Miller in 1962, and the couple had a son. While they never divorced, in later years he also had another partner, set designer Philippa Hart, 25 years his junior, with whom he had two children.
Reuters
