Sir Michael Gambon has died. He was 82.
“We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon. Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne [Miller] and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia,” his family’s statement read, via The Guardian.
“We ask that you respect our privacy at this painful time and thank you for your messages of support and love.”
Gambon’s career on stage and screen spanned almost 60 years, with some of his memorable roles including “The King’s Speech,” “The Singing Detective,” “Gosford Park,” “Judy” and the “Paddington” films, in which he voiced Uncle Pastuzo.
He’s perhaps best known for playing Albus Dumbledore in the “Harry Potter” movie franchise. He took over as the headmaster of Hogwarts following the death of original actor Richard Harris. (Harris died at age 72 in 2002.)
In 2015, he reunited with “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling for the BBC’s adaptation of her novel “The Casual Vacancy,” which Rowling wrote under her pseudonym, Richard Galbraith.
Gambon was also an acclaimed stage actor. He appeared in a 1987 production of Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge,” earning an Olivier award for his performance as Brooklyn longshoreman Eddie Carbone. He also appeared in the title role in a 1980 National Theatre staging of Bertolt Brecht’s “The Life of Galileo” and in the original production of David Hare’s “Skylight,” which earned him Olivier and Tony award nominations in 1997.
On the small screen, the Irish-English actor starred in Dennis Potter’s dark musical “The Singing Detective” and appeared in HBO’s production of Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America.”
His other accomplishments include winning four British Academy of Film and Television Awards and two Royal Television Society Programme Awards.
In 2015, Gambon retired from the stage after finding he was struggling to remember his lines. “It’s a horrible thing to admit, but I can’t do it. It breaks my heart,” he told the Sunday Times Magazine at the time.
Gambon is survived by his wife, Anne, whom he married in 1962, and their son, Fergus. He also shared two children with set designer Philippa Hart.
