UNITED KINGDOM: Michael Gambon, a renowned actor with a career spanning from Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre to The Singing Detective and Harry Potter, has passed away at the age of 82. His wife, Lady Gambon, and son, Fergus, expressed their deep sadness at the news. Gambon passed away after a pneumonia episode, with his wife Anne and son Fergus by his side.
Ralph Richardson referred to him as “The Great Gambon”, and he was a renowned performer in plays by Harold Pinter, Samuel Beckett, and Alan Ayckbourn. He won an Olivier Award in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, directed by Ayckbourn. He also starred in the Norman Conquests trilogy. Notable performances include the title character in Brecht’s The Life of Galileo and his role in David Hare’s Skylight helped him bag a Tony award nomination.
Gambon was known for his roles in films like Sleepy Hollow, The Insider, and Gosford Park. Later, he rose to fame by playing the role of Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Chambers of Secrets, Richard Harris played the role of Dumbledore. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2002, which landed the role in Gambon’s pocket.
He played Harry Potter’s professor, Albus Dumbledore, in numerous blockbusters and provided a deep voice for films like Hail, Caesar! by the Coen brothers and in both Paddington movie as Uncle Pastuzo.
Ayckbourn compared Gambon to a “wonderful, limitless machine”. Despite his popularity and strong presence, he protected his privacy and only reluctantly agreed to interviews. In 2004, Gambon stated to the Observer that he plods on and tried to keep his mouth shut.
Gambon, born in Dublin in 1940, dropped out of school at 15 and gained experience through community theatre performances. His father, a reserve policeman, moved to London after World War II. Gambon’s mother brought him to England, where he started his engineering apprenticeship at 16. He began as a set builder in amateur theatre before landing small roles at London’s Unity Theatre and Tower Theatre.
He deceived his peers to secure his first professional roles, debuting in Dublin with a minor role in Othello. He made his West End debut at 22 with The Bed-Sitting Room and enrolled in an acting class at the Royal Court.
Dennis Potter’s television shows, including The Singing Detective and Maigret thrillers, were successful due to his portrayal of a mystery writer with psoriatic arthritis and a Parisian cop from Georges Simenon. He also appeared as an angel in a television adaptation of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America alongside Simon Callow.
Gambon stopped performing in theatre after starring in Samuel Beckett’s Endgame, Eh Joe, Krapp’s Last Tape, and All That Fall. In 2014, he struggled with recalling his lines and expressed sadness about not being able to play a major role again. In 2009, he withdrew from the National Theatre’s production of Alan Bennett’s The Habit of Art due to illness.
Gambon’s notable performances were in Harold Pinter’s plays, including Jerry in Betrayal’s love triangle and Hirst in No Man’s Land. Despite his retirement from the stage, his distinctive voice was still heard in Jamie Lloyd’s Mountain Language during the 2018 West End’s Pinter at the Pinter season.
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