A very sad day for Harry Potter fans.
‘Harry Potter’ star Michael Gambon has passed away at the age of 82
Michael Gambon who played the iconic Dumbledore in the beloved book/movies known as Harry Potter died at hospital on 28 September 2023, at the age of 82, after being recovered for pneumonia.
He had an incredible career spanning over 6 decades. He appeared in many acts inspired by Shakespeare (Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth and Coriolanus)
In the 90’s he began his Broadway career, then by 2015 he retired from the stage and focused solely on the big screen – something he was doing since the 60’s, as well! Wow.
His best-known role is obviously the one and only Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts’ headmaster in the third instalment of J. K. Rowling‘s franchise, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, taking over the role after the death of Richard Harris. (Harris had also played Maigret on television four years before Gambon took that role.) Gambon reprised the role of Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which was released in 2005. He returned to the role again in the fifth film, 2007’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and the sixth film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He appeared in the seventh and final film; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2, released in two parts in 2010 and 2011.
Here is the part that might break your heart today. When playing Dumbledore, he has been quoted saying “I just stick on a beard and play me, so it’s no great feat. I never ease into a role—every part I play is just a variant of my own personality. I’m not really a character actor at all.”
RIP Dumbledore