Sir Michael Gambon, an Irish-born English actor widely known for his role as Albus Dumbledore in six of the Harry Potter films, has died at the age of 82. The actor died “peacefully” in a hospital late on Wednesday evening.
Sir Michael Gambon, an Irish-born English actor widely known for his role as Albus Dumbledore in six of the „Harry Potter“ films, has died at the age of 82. The actor died “peacefully” in a hospital late Wednesday, according to his representative who issued the statement on behalf of his wife Lady Gambon and their son Fergus.Gambon was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1940 to a seamstress and a World War II engineering operative. The family relocated to London, England, when Gambon was just 6 years-old. At the age of 15 he dropped out of Crayford Secondary School, leaving without any qualifications. At the age of 22, Gambon made his debut on stage in the Fate Theatre’s 1962 production of „Othello“ after he wrote a letter claiming to be an experienced actor, a move that effectively planted the seeds to a career that spanned more than five decades.Gambon subsequently received an offer to join Laurence Olivier’s new National Theater and took up a series of smaller, non speaking roles – including one in which he performed along Dame Maggie Smith. He ultimately made his mark in London in 1974 when he played a fumbling veterinary surgeon in Alan Ayckbourn’s trilogy „The Norman Conquests.
