Actor Michael Gambon, who was best known for his roles as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films and Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films, passed away today at the age of 82.
Gambon was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1940. He began his acting career in the early 1960s, appearing in a number of television shows and films.
In 1966, he made his Broadway debut in the play The Physicists. He won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in the 1990 play Journey’s End.
Gambon’s film career took off in the 1990s with roles in films such as The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), The Remains of the Day (1993), and The Madness of King George (1994). He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters.
Gambon was cast as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films in 2004, following the death of Richard Harris. He played the role in the final six films in the series.
Warner Bros, the makers of Harry Potter films released a statement saying: “We are incredibly saddened to hear of the passing of Sir Michael Gambon. He brought immeasurable joy to Harry Potter fans from all over the world with his humour, kindness and grace. We will forever hold his memory in our hearts.”
Some of co-stars of Harry Potter, reacted to Gambon’s demise paying their tributes.
“Very sorry to hear about the passing of Michael Gambon. He was, on and off the camera, a legend,” wrote James Phelps, who played Fred Weasley in the “Harry Potter” movies
While Jason Issac, who played Lucious Malfoy in Harry Potter movies wrote: ““Magnificent Michael Gambon has died. I learned what acting could be from Michael in The Singing Detective — complex, vulnerable and utterly human.”
