Michael Gambon
Biography
Sir Michael John Gambon (October 19, 1940 – September 27, 2023) was an Irish-English actor. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivier as one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre. Over his six-decade-long career, he received three Olivier Awards and four BAFTA TV Awards. In 1998, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama. Gambon appeared in many productions of works by William Shakespeare such as Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth and Coriolanus. Gambon was nominated for thirteen Olivier Awards, winning three times for A Chorus of Disapproval (1985), A View from the Bridge (1987), and Man of the Moment (1990). In 1997, Gambon made his Broadway debut in David Hare's Skylight, earning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination. Gambon made his film debut in Othello (1965). His other notable films include The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), The Wings of the Dove (1997), The Insider (1999), Gosford Park (2001), Amazing Grace (2006), The King's Speech (2010), Quartet (2012), and Victoria & Abdul (2017). Gambon also appeared in the Wes Anderson films The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). Gambon gained wider recognition through his role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter film series from 2004 to 2011, replacing Richard Harris following his death in 2002. For his work on television, he received four BAFTA Awards for The Singing Detective (1986), Wives and Daughters (1999), Longitude (2000), and Perfect Strangers (2001). He also received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Path to War (2002) and Emma (2009). Gambon's other notable projects include Cranford (2007) and The Casual Vacancy (2015). In 2017, he received the Irish Film & Television Academy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, he was listed at No. 27 on The Irish Times's list of Ireland's greatest film actors.
Known For
Forbidden Passion: The Oscar Wilde Movie
Oseary Drakoulias
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Dr. Fredericks
The Good Shepherd
Denton Baxter
Open Range
Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Kerrigan
High Heels and Low Lifes
Geoffrey
Absurd Person Singular
Franklin Bean (voice)
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Baltus Van Tassel
Sleepy Hollow
Eddie Temple
Layer Cake
William McCordle
Gosford Park
Narrator (voice)
Deep Blue
Father Jack Mundy
Dancing at Lughnasa
George
The Book of Eli
Paley
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Lyndon Johnson
Path to War
Albert Spica
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
Lt. General Leland Zevo
Toys
John
Bold Face: Condensed
Alex
Midnight in Saint Petersburg
Magistrate
A Dry White Season
Thomas Sandefur
The Insider
Lord Marchmain
Brideshead Revisited
Mary’s Father
Mary Reilly
Barreller
The Actors
Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Alan Weigert
The Good Night
Jan Jarmokowski
The Beast Must Die
Insp. Grant
Nothing But the Night
Doctor Knowd
The Rachel Papers
Leo
The Baker
Brother Kevin
The Catholics
Lord Charles Fox
Amazing Grace
Alexei
Bullet to Beijing
Elliot Graham
Joe's Palace
Lionel Croy
The Wings of the Dove
Sir George
Squanto: A Warrior's Tale
Hamm
Endgame
Sir Richard Naylor
The Last September
Cornell
Clean Slate
Jimmie Langton
Being Julia
Dr. Frobisher
The Browning Version
John Harrison
Longitude
Ivor J. Carney
A Man of No Importance
Benedict Baron
Page Eight
Maurice Silverman
Dead on Time
Larry
Stories of Lost Souls
Badger
The Willows in Winter
Badger
De Wind in de Wilgen
Cedric Livingston
Quartet
George Fairbairn
Turtle Diary
Trigorin
The Seagull
Pastor Manders
Ghosts
Daniel Pavenic
Two Deaths
Self (voice)
London: The Modern Babylon
Ultragorgon
Monster Maker
Self
The Magic Touch of Harry Potter
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Gambler
Self
Muse of Fire
Grandfather
On Angel Wings
Archie Rice
The Entertainer
Narrator (voice)
Missing Link
Det. Insp. Matheson
The Innocent Sleep
Lord Gibson
Plunkett & MacLeane
King George V
The King's Speech
Self
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
Don Salvatore Faranzano
Mobsters
Prime Minister
Ali G Indahouse
Judge
Common
Uncle Pastuzo (voice)
Paddington
Ghost of Christmas Present (voice)
Christmas Carol: The Movie
Theseus
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Self
When Harry Left Hogwarts
Narrator (voice)
The Alps - Climb of Your Life
Narrator (voice)
Unity
Self
Top Gear: Back in the Fast Lane
Private Godfrey
Dad's Army
Self (archive footage)
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
Professor Thomas
Sylvia
Sidney Kotok
Mad to Be Normal
Duncan Harrison
In the Labyrinth
Charles Battle
The Breadwinner
Winston Churchill
Churchill's Secret
Lambert
Celebration
Narrator (voice)
Hail, Caesar!
Levade
Charlotte Gray
Robin
The Other Woman
Man in Diner
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
Lt Cmdr Rogers
French Without Tears
Old Kazran / Elliot Sardick
Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol
Lord Salisbury
Victoria & Abdul
General Hastings Ismay
Viceroy's House
Leonard
Nothing Personal
Gregory
Romeo and Juliet
Hirst
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage
Arthur
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Gerald Paige
Paris by Night
Uncle Pastuzo (voice)
Paddington 2
John Burke
Lucan
Bernard Delfont
Judy
Mr. Moses
Cordelia
Frank Hamilton
The Last Witness
Billy 'The Fish' Lincoln
King of Thieves
Lord Ardilaun
Citizen Lane
King Hamun
Samson and Delilah
Agent Five
Johnny English Strikes Again
Piers
Tiptoe Through the Tulips
Max
Cows
Uncle Bigbad (voice)
Little Wolf's Book of Badness
Sergeant
Mountain Language
Narrator (voice)
A Roll of the Dice: The Capeman on Broadway
Harrison
The Heat of the Day
Self
Sleepy Hollow: Behind the Legend
Othello
Senators-Soldiers-Cypriots
Othello
Self
The Making of 'Gosford Park'
Self
Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal
Kenny
One of These Nights I'm Gonna Get an Early Day
Ultragorgon(voice)
Monster Maker
Bugenhagen
The Omen
Kazran Sardick (archive footage)
Doctor Who at the Proms
Other Watchman
Much Ado About Nothing
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
126
Gender
Male
Birthday
1940-10-19
Place of Birth
Cabra, Dublin, Ireland
Also Known As
Sir Michael John Gambon CBE