Beloved actor Michael Gambon has passed away at the age of 82, it has been confirmed. Renowned for his performances both on screen and on stage, Gambon died peacefully following an illness. “We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon,” reads a statement on behalf of his wife Lady Gambon and son Fergus, released via his publicist. “Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia. Michael was 82. We ask that you respect our privacy at this painful time and thank you for your messages of support and love.”
For an entire generation, Gambon was known for playing Albus Dumbledore in many of the Harry Potter films – taking on the role of the Hogwarts headmaster from 2004’s The Prisoner Of Azkaban onwards, through subsequent entries The Goblet Of Fire, The Order Of The Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2. Prior to that, Gambon appeared in several films through the ’70s and ‘80s, and drew particular acclaim for his role as Albert Spica in 1989’s The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover.
Throughout his career, Gambon worked with several notable directors – starring in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow in 1999, Robert Altman’s Gosford Park, Matthew Vaughn’s Layer Cake, Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and Fantastic Mr. Fox, Robert De Niro’s The Good Shepherd, and Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech. Recently, he narrated the Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar!, and lent his voice to Paddington and Paddington 2 as the titular bear’s Uncle Pastuzo. One of his final film roles was playing theatre impresario Bernard Delfont in 2019’s Judy Garland biopic Judy.
On the small screen, Gambon played the central role in the BBC’s The Singing Detective, and also portrayed a sleuth in ITV’s early ‘90s adaptation of Georges Simenon’s Maigret novels. He played Prior Walter in HBO’s adaptation of Angels In America, starred in the miniseries adaptation of JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy, and had a recurring role in Sky’s psychological horror series Fortitude. He also, notably, appeared on Top Gear, taking a corner so quickly in the ‘Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car’ segment that it was subsequently named ‘Gambon’ in his honour.
On stage, Gambon appeared in plays by Harold Pinter, Samuel Beckett, and Alan Ayckbourn, and was an RSC regular, appearing in several Shakespeare productions – including Othello, Hamlet, King Lear, and Henry IV and Richard III over the years.
Gambon was an incredible talent, whose work touched multiple generations across cinema, TV, and stage – he will be greatly missed, and our thoughts are with his family, friends, and loved ones.