Michael Gambon, actor who played the iconic Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter saga, has died at the age of 82.
“We are devastated to announce the passing of Michael Gambon.” It was through a press release that the death of the interpreter of Albus Dumbledore in the “Harry Potter” films was announced by his wife and son in a press release relayed by his agent to the Guardian. The death of the 82-year-old British-Irish actor follows “pneumonia”, they specify. He died “peacefully in hospital”.
If “Harry Potter” fans mourn the actor who played the headmaster of Hogwarts from the third film to the last film in the franchise, succeeding Richard Harris, the United Kingdom mourns one of their great actors. We could notably see him in the cinema in “The King’s Speech”, “Sleepy Hollow”, “Layer Cake”, “Gosford Park” or even in “Paddington” or “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”.
Michael Gambon therefore died from pneumonia. This disease is a respiratory infection of the lung tissue, caused by bacteria, which usually affects both lungs. The symptoms are cough, shortness of breath, but above all high fever and chest pain. The oldest people are particularly vulnerable: in France, 90% of annual deaths from pneumonia are aged over 65, reported Le Figaro Santé in 2022.
Born on October 19, 1940 in Dublin, Ireland, Michael Gambon is a major actor of his generation in the United Kingdom. He has been rewarded numerous times during his career, particularly for his roles on television and in the theater. He began his career on stage in the 1960s, under the direction of Laurence Olivier. In the cinema, it is in “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover” (1989) that we see him for the first time.
Michael Gambon has appeared in supporting roles in several English-language feature films. Film buffs were able to see him in “Revelations” by Michael Mann, but also in “Sleepy Hollow” by Tim Burton. He also plays under the direction of Robert Altman in “Gosford Park”.
But it was his role in the “Harry Potter” saga from 2004 to 2011, which allowed him to achieve international notoriety, in the guise of Albus Dumbledore. He was also seen in a special episode of season 6 of “Doctor Who” (Matt Smith version), “The Ghost of Christmas Past”, broadcast on December 25, 2010.
Very active across the Channel, Michael Gambon acquired international notoriety by joining the cast of “Harry Potter”. The circumstances of his arrival in the franchise are however special, since the actor replaces Richard Harris, who died after filming the first two films at the age of 72.
Michael Gambon was then chosen to play Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, from 2004 in the third film, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”. He would play this role in all other films in the franchise, until 2011 with the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2”.
Michael Gambon has never been nominated for an Oscar or Golden Globe. However, he was regularly cited in British award ceremonies. He notably won several “British Academy Television Awards” for best actor for “The Singing Detective” (1987), “Wives and Daughters” (2000), “Longitude” (2001) and “Perfect Strangers” (2002). This ceremony recognizes the best of broadcast television in the United Kingdom. He also received a Richard Harris Award at the British Independent Film Awards in 2012.
