By Corey Bennett
The Irish-born actor, Michael Gambon, died on Wednesday night, September 27th, at the age of 82. He was well known for his role as Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of the Hogwarts wizarding school, in the Harry Potter films. Gambon died of a bout of pneumonia.
“We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon. Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside,” says Michael’s family in a statement.
“We ask that you respect our privacy at this painful time and thank you for your messages of support and love.”
In the Harry Potter films, Dumbledore was originally played by Richard Harris, another Irish-born actor. But when Harris died in 2002, after two of the Harry Potter movies were already made, Gambon took over the role of Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban all the way through Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2. Though he played that role, he actually acknowledged that he had never read any of the J.K. Rowling books, saying that it was safer to follow the script rather than be influenced by the books.
Before those movies, Gambon was also well known for his extensive catalog of work, consisting of TV, film, and radio, with one of his other bigger roles being the psoriasis-ridden sleuth the 1980s series The Singing Detective.
Throughout his life, Gambon won numerous Best Actor awards at the British Academy Television Awards. He was even nominated for two Emmy Awards. Despite not winning, he went on to be beloved by many for his role as Dumbledoor.
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