International
oi-Sushmita Halder
Sir
Michael
Gambon,
known
for
portraying
Albus
Dumbledore
in
the
Harry
Potter
franchise
and
roles
in
renowned
movies
such
as
The
Cook,
the
Thief,
His
Wife
&
Her
Lover,
Gosford
Park,
and
A
View
from
the
Bridge,
has
passed
away
at
the
age
of
82
following
a
period
of
sickness,
according
to
his
family.
The
publicist
Clair
Dobbs
released
a
statement
on
behalf
of
Lady
Gambon
and
Fergus
Gambon,
expressing
their
distress
over
the
passing
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.
Michael
was
82.”
Gambon,
born
in
1940
in
Dublin,
advanced
his
acting
career
through
the
Royal
National
Theatre
alongside
renowned
actor
Laurence
Olivier.
His
awards
include
three
Olivier
Awards,
four
BAFTAs,
and
two
Screen
Actors
Guild
Awards.
In
1999,
he
was
knighted
by
Queen
Elizabeth
II
for
his
longstanding
contributions
to
the
acting
field.
Gambon,
who
was
prominent
in
numerous
Hollywood
movies,
took
pleasure
in
his
collaborations
with
Shakespeare.
His
roles
spanned
several
of
Shakespeare’s
plays
such
as
Othello,
Macbeth,
Hamlet,
and
Coriolanus.
His
initial
venture
into
cinema
was
a
1965
version
of
Othello,
a
role
that
launched
him
into
a
diverse
career
where
he
played
leading
roles
in
numerous
other
films.
Not
only
did
he
receive
critical
praise
for
several
of
his
roles,
but
his
collaboration
with
directors
like
Wes
Anderson
in
films
like
‘The
Life
Aquatic
with
Steve
Zizzou’ and
‘Fantastic
Mr
Fox’,
as
well
as
his
part
in
the
Harry
Potter
series,
also
made
him
popular
among
mainstream
audiences.
Gambon
took
up
the
role
of
Hogwarts
headmaster
Albus
Dumbledore
after
original
actor
Richard
Harris
passed
away.
From
2004
to
2011,
he
portrayed
the
character
until
the
film
series
ended.
In
his
later
years,
he
appeared
in
television
roles,
including
the
HBO
drama
series
Fortitude
and
the
horse-racing
drama
Luck,
working
alongside
Dustin
Hoffman.
He
also
revived
his
association
with
the
creations
of
JK
Rowling,
the
author
of
Harry
Potter,
by
featuring
in
the
adaptation
of
her
book
The
Casual
Vacancy,
produced
by
BBC
One
and
HBO.
In
March
2018,
it
was
announced
that
he
was
set
to
feature
in
the
comedy
series
Breeders.
However,
he
had
to
back
out
due
to
problems
with
his
memory.
He
is
survived
by
his
wife
and
son.
Story first published: Thursday, September 28, 2023, 18:08 [IST]