“Thumbs up, Hogwarts.” The story of Michael Gambon, who plays Professor Dumbledore from the Harry Potter films

Sir Michael John Gambon died on September 27, 2023 at the age of 82. Most viewers know him as Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. But this is far from his only film work. Today we remember the creative path of Michael Gambon, from his first little-known roles to world fame.

Michael Gambon was born on October 19, 1940 in a suburb of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. His father is an engineer and his mother is a seamstress. Little is known about the first years of the artist’s life. At the age of 15 he left school to train as a mechanic. Later, Michael became interested in classical art, after which he started acting in the local theater.

An important moment in his life occurred in 1963, when the actor joined the troupe of London’s Royal National Theater, led by Laurence Kerr Olivier himself. But Michael didn’t gain real fame until 1980, when he played the lead role in A Life of Galileo. Afterwards he appeared in many plays, such as productions based on the works of William Shakespeare. The famous actor Ralph David Richardson called him “The Great Gambon” and considered him one of the leading figures of British theater.

For his contribution to the development of acting, Michael Gambon was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1992. And five years later, Queen Elizabeth II knighted him for his great contribution to national culture.

Like many theater artists, Gambon tried his hand at cinema. His first film was the 1965 adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Othello. However, in the 1970s and 1980s, Michael rarely appeared on the big screen. And the films themselves remained little known. Only experts know Turtle Diary, A Dry White Season and The Singing Detective.

But in the 90s, when Gambon was already more than 50 years old, the real blossoming of his film career began. We can highlight Toys with Robin Williams, The Insider by Michael Mann and Sleepy Hollow by Timothy Burton.

The early 2000s also proved fruitful. I remember the Oscar-winning Gosford Park and the critically acclaimed comedy Ali G Indahouse starring Sacha Baron Cohen. And in 2003, the artist received an invitation to play Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films, which at that time were incredibly successful.

Professor Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards in the Potter series. He is the headmaster of Hogwarts and the founder of the Order of the Phoenix. Albus managed to defeat Grindelwald, but Voldemort himself was afraid of a duel with him.

In the films Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and the Chamber of Secrets, the role of Dumbledore was played by Richard Harris. You may know him as Emperor Marcus Aurelius from Gladiator. Sadly, the actor died in 2002. It was Michael who was offered the role of the Hogwarts professor in subsequent films. The first film with his participation was “Prisoner of Azkaban” (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban).

Replacing a performer of one of the main roles always causes controversy among viewers, and the situation with Albus Dumbledore was no exception. Note that Warner Bros. there was no choice, because in the early 2000s it was impossible to replace an actor with the work of neural networks, as is happening now. However, many Potter fans thought Gambon’s choice to play the role of professor was a good decision.

Played by Richard Harris, the head of Hogwarts looked like a kindly old man who looked a bit like Father Frost. Michael showed him as a much more ambiguous character. He had a biting look, could be cunning, invent intrigues and fight evil with his own methods. This is completely consistent with the original book source. Moreover, the forced changes in Dumbledore’s image perfectly matched the atmosphere of the films themselves, which became darker every year.

Michael played the role of the professor in all subsequent Harry Potter films, including the second part of “The Deathly Hallows” (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2). Later we saw the young Albus in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, but there this role was played by other actors.

Although new Harry Potter films were released almost every year, Gambon had plenty of time to participate in other films. The most famous of these is “The King’s Speech!” (The King’s Speech) from 2010, which won four Oscars, including Best Picture. In it, Michael played the ancient monarch George V. In addition, we can note “The Book of Eli” and “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”. Gambon’s last film work was the biographical film Judy, which is dedicated to the singer Judy Garland.

And although Michael spent most of his life in the theater, his work on the London stage was appreciated only by a few spectators who saw the actor live. It was cinema that brought him worldwide fame.

In April 2023, it was announced that the Harry Potter books would receive a new film adaptation, this time in the form of a TV series. And whoever plays the role of Dumbledore will certainly be compared to Michael. He gave us a flawless performance as a Hogwarts professor who lived up to the books but also had his own charisma. Thanks for the beautiful image, Sir Gambon!

Did you like Professor Dumbledore from the Harry Potter films? Or do you remember any other roles of the Irish actor? Share your thoughts in the comments!