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Actor Michael Gambon, best known for playing Albus Dumbledore in most of the “Harry Potter” movies, has died at 82 following a “bout of pneumonia,” a statement issued on behalf of his family said on Thursday, PA Media news agency reported.
“We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon,” the statement issued by his publicist Clair Dobbs said, according to PA.
“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.”
Murray Close/©Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
While apprenticing as a toolmaker, Gambon studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, making his professional stage debut in Dublin’s the Gate Theatre production of “Othello” (1962).
He caught the attention of actor Laurence Olivier, who hired him to join the newly-formed National Theatre Company. Four years later, Gambon joined the Birmingham Repertory Company, finally playing title roles in his favorite Shakespearean plays.
It wasn’t until the 1980s that Gambon became a household name playing lead character Philip Marlow in the 1986 Anglo-American public television mini-series “The Singing Detective.”
In 1990 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Eight years later he was made a Knight Bachelor for his services to drama.
But it was as Hogwarts’ headmaster Dumbledore in the “Harry Potter” film series that Gambon will perhaps be best remembered, a role he took up following the death of Richard Harris in 2002. In all, Gambon was cast as Dumbledore for six of the eight “Harry Potter” films.
James Phelps, who played Fred Weasley in the “Harry Potter” film franchise, posted a tribute to Gambon on X, formerly known as Twitter, Thursday.
“Very sorry to hear about the passing of Michael Gambon. He was, on and off the camera, a legend,” wrote Phelps.
“He was always very funny and very welcoming to share any knowledge he had,” Phelps added, detailing a fond memory he had working with the veteran actor between takes on the sixth “Harry Potter” movie.
Over the course of his career, Gambon won multiple Best Actor awards at the British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs) and was nominated for two Emmy awards.
