Harry Potter Dumbledore actor Sir Michael Gambon dies aged 82

Sir Michael Gambon has died at the age of 82, his family has announced.

The iconic actor was best known for playing Professor Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movie franchise.

A statement issued on behalf of his widow Lady Gambon and son Fergus Gambon said: ‘We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon.

‘Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia.’

He appeared as beloved wizard Dumbledore in six of the eight blockbuster movies from 2004 to 2011 after replacing the late Richard Harris. 

Sir Michael was an esteemed actor who received three Olivier Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and four Baftas over his six-decade career. 

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama in 1999. 

Some of Sir Michael’s most notable works included a series of William Shakespeare productions such as Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello and Coriolanus.

He is also known for playing French detective Jules Maigret in ITV series Maigret, and for starring in the BBC series, The Singing Detective.

The Irish actor also appeared in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, Gosford Park, The King’s Speech, Victoria & Abdul, Fantastic Mr Fox and the Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

Sir Michael earned four Baftas for his performances in The Singing Detective, Wives and Daughters, Longitude, and Perfect Strangers. He also received two Emmy nods for Emma and Path to War.

However, his work with JK Rowling wasn’t done as he starred in the BBC adaptation of The Casual Vacancy in 2015.

Opening up about his iconic role in the Harry Potter series, Sir Michael said he only realised while promoting fifth movie Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince just how popular the wizarding world was.

He said: ‘I’ve done five of these films. I turn up do my job, go home. The night before last, I got out the limo in Leicester Square, I got out to 4,000 children screaming and then suddenly I became aware of how big this thing is. 

‘I was frightened, the noise was deafening, they were screaming.’

Sir Michael is survived by his wife Anne Miller, who he married in 1962 when he was 22, and their son Fergus.

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