The 82-year-old Irish-British actor Sir Michael John Gambon best known for his role as Albus Dumbledore in the “Harry Potter” series died on Thursday, September 28 following a bout of pneumonia. Gambon with over a six-decade-long acting career has been a recipient of innumerable accolades in his life. He was one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre who received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Olivier Awards, and four BAFTA Awards. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services in the field of drama in 1998.
The author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared her grief over the passing away of the eminent actor. Rowling wrote, “I’ve just heard the awful news about Michael Gambon. The first time I ever laid eyes on him was in King Lear, in 1982, and if you’d told me then that brilliant actor would appear in anything I’d written, I’d have thought you were insane. Michael was a wonderful man in additional to being an outstanding actor, and I absolutely loved working with him, not only on Potter but also The Casual Vacancy. My deepest condolences go to Michael’s family and everyone who loved him.”
All the actors from the ‘Harry Potter’ series have expressed their heartfelt condolences on the death of the veteran actor. Danielle Radcliffe stated to The Guardian that Gambon was “one of the most brilliant, effortless actors I’ve ever had the privilege of working with, but despite his immense talent, the thing I will remember most about him is how much fun he had doing his job.”
Lovingly mentioned as “The Great Gambon” by his actor friends, the stage actor made his film debut in Othello (1965). Some of his remarkable performances in movies excluding the Harry Potter series include The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), The Wings of the Dove (1997), The Insider (1999), Gosford Park (2001), Amazing Grace (2006), The King’s Speech (2010), Quartet (2012), and Victoria & Abdul (2017).
By Ishita Ganguly
