Well-renowned Irish actor and Harry Potter star Michael Gambon has passed away at 82 after a long period of dealing with pneumonia. Known for his role as the wise headmaster Dumbledore, many friends and family have given their tributes in his honor.
According to a statement from his publicist Clair Dobbs, Gambon died while in the hospital with his wife and son by his bedside. Though the family is grateful for others’ “messages of support and love,” they also “ask that [fans] respect [their] privacy at this painful time.”
Amongst these messages are loving tributes from Harry Potter co-stars like Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint. In an Instagram post, Grint recalled how Gambon was both a talented and mischievous actor who “became a personal role model…for finding the fun and eccentricities in life.”
Radcliffe fondly reminisced about their work together on the set of Half-Blood Prince, where their characters shared an incredible amount of screen time. To Radcliffe, Gambon “made the hours spent in front of a green screen together more memorable and joyous than they had any right to be.” While sad about his passing, Radcliffe expresses his gratitude that he was “one of the lucky people who got to work with him.”
Born in Cabra, Dublin, Gambon worked as an apprentice toolmaker for his first job in Camden. His work soon led to his love for antique guns, clocks, and classic cars. Co-star Fiona Shaw joked that Gambon’s talent as a gunmaker could easily “fool the V&A [museum] into believing that they were 18th-century guns.”
While working as a toolmaker, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and eventually debuted onstage in a 1962 Othello production at the Gate Theater. His work impressed famous Shakespearean actor Laurence Olivier, who hired him to join the National Theater Company. Gambon’s work on stage eventually led to his work on camera, with his breakout roles being The Singing Detective’s titular lead and Dumbledore after the prior actor Richard Harris passed away.
Michael Gambon is survived by his wife Anne and son Fergus, quietly mourning this loss.
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