Acting
Michael Gambon
EN, FR cinema · 133 credits
Born
19 October 1940
Died
27 September 2023 (aged 82)
Birthplace
Cabra, Dublin, Ireland
Also known as Sir Michael John Gambon CBE
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
Filmography
Doctor Who at the Proms
as Kazran Sardick (archive footage)
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
as Man in Diner
Judy
as Bernard Delfont
Cordelia
as Mr. Moses
The Last Witness
as Frank Hamilton
King of Thieves
as Billy 'The Fish' Lincoln
Citizen Lane
as Lord Ardilaun
Johnny English Strikes Again
as Agent Five
Mad to Be Normal
as Sidney Kotok
Victoria & Abdul
as Lord Salisbury
Viceroy's House
as General Hastings Ismay
Paddington 2
as Uncle Pastuzo (voice)
Ratburger
as Narrator (voice)
Dad's Army
as Private Godfrey
Churchill's Secret
as Winston Churchill
Hail, Caesar!
as Narrator (voice)
Unity
as Narrator (voice)
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
as Self (archive footage)
On Angel Wings
as Grandfather
Common
as Judge
Paddington
as Uncle Pastuzo (voice)
Muse of Fire
as Self
Lucan
as John Burke
Quartet
as Cedric Livingston
London: The Modern Babylon
as Self (voice)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
as Albus Dumbledore
Page Eight
as Benedict Baron
The Book of Eli
as George
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
as Albus Dumbledore
The King's Speech
as King George V
Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol
as Old Kazran / Elliot Sardick
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
as Albus Dumbledore
Fantastic Mr. Fox
as Franklin Bean (voice)
Brideshead Revisited
as Lord Marchmain
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
as Albus Dumbledore
The Good Night
as Alan Weigert
The Baker
as Leo
Amazing Grace
as Lord Charles Fox
Joe's Palace
as Elliot Graham
The Alps - Climb of Your Life
as Narrator (voice)
Celebration
as Lambert
The Good Shepherd
as Dr. Fredericks
The Omen
as Bugenhagen
John Duffy's Brother
as Narrator
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
as Albus Dumbledore
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
as Oseary Drakoulias
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
as Albus Dumbledore
Layer Cake
as Eddie Temple
Being Julia
as Jimmie Langton
Open Range
as Denton Baxter
Deep Blue
as Narrator (voice)
Path to War
as Lyndon Johnson
The Actors
as Barreller
Sylvia
as Professor Thomas
Little Wolf's Book of Badness
as Uncle Bigbad (voice)
Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film
as Self - Hamm (archive footage)
Ali G Indahouse
as Prime Minister
High Heels and Low Lifes
as Kerrigan
Gosford Park
as William McCordle
Christmas Carol: The Movie
as Ghost of Christmas Present (voice)
Charlotte Gray
as Levade
Endgame
as Hamm
The Last September
as Sir Richard Naylor
Longitude
as John Harrison
Sleepy Hollow
as Baltus Van Tassel
The Insider
as Thomas Sandefur
Dead on Time
as Maurice Silverman
Plunkett & Macleane
as Lord Gibson
Dancing at Lughnasa
as Father Jack Mundy
A Roll of the Dice: The Capeman on Broadway
1998
A Roll of the Dice: The Capeman on Broadway
as Narrator (voice)
The Wings of the Dove
as Lionel Croy
The Gambler
as Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Mary Reilly
as Mary’s Father
The Willows in Winter
as Badger
Two Deaths
as Daniel Pavenic
The Innocent Sleep
as Det. Insp. Matheson
Nothing Personal
as Leonard
Bullet to Beijing
as Alexei
The Wind in the Willows
as Badger (voice)
Squanto: A Warrior's Tale
as Sir George
Clean Slate
as Cornell
The Browning Version
as Dr. Frobisher
A Man of No Importance
as Ivor J. Carney
The Entertainer
as Archie Rice
Toys
as General Zevo
Mobsters
as Don Salvatore Faranzano
The Storyteller: Greek Myths - Theseus & the Minotaur
as The Storyteller
The Storyteller: Greek Myths - Perseus & the Gorgon
as The Storyteller
The Storyteller: Greek Myths - Orpheus & Eurydice
as The Storyteller
The Storyteller: Greek Myths - Daedalus & Icarus
as The Storyteller
Blood Royal: William the Conqueror
as William I
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
as Albert Spica
A Dry White Season
as Magistrate
The Rachel Papers
as Doctor Knowd
Monster Maker
as Ultragorgon, as Ultragorgon(voice)
Paris by Night
as Gerald Paige
The Heat of the Day
as Harrison
Missing Link
as Narrator (voice)
Mountain Language
as Sergeant
Ghosts
as Pastor Manders
Absurd Person Singular
as Geoffrey
Turtle Diary
as George Fairbairn
The Breadwinner
1982
The Breadwinner
as Charles Battle
The Seagull
1978
The Seagull
as Trigorin
In the Labyrinth
as Duncan Harrison
The Other Woman
as Robin
French Without Tears
as Lt Cmdr Rogers
The Secret Agent
1975
The Secret Agent
as Tom Ossipon
The Beast Must Die
as Jan Jarmokowski
Nothing But the Night
as Insp. Grant
The Catholics
as Brother Kevin
Cows
as Max
A Midsummer Night's Dream
as Theseus
Romeo and Juliet
as Gregory
Much Ado About Nothing
as Other Watchman
Othello
Actor, as Senators-Soldiers-Cypriots