Michael Gambon

Born: 1940-10-19 in Cabra, Dublin, Ireland

Died: 2023-09-27

Known For: Acting

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.

Filmography

2024

Doctor Who at the Proms as Kazran Sardick (archive footage)

2019

Judy as Bernard Delfont
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan as Man in Diner
Cordelia as Mr. Moses

2018

Johnny English Strikes Again as Agent Five
King of Thieves as Billy 'The Fish' Lincoln
The Last Witness as Frank Hamilton
Citizen Lane as Lord Ardilaun

2017

Kingsman: The Golden Circle as Arthur
Paddington 2 as Uncle Pastuzo (voice)
Little Women as Mr. Laurence
Fearless as Sir Alistair McKinnon
Victoria & Abdul as Lord Salisbury
Viceroy's House as General Hastings Ismay
Mad to Be Normal as Sidney Kotok

2016

Hail, Caesar! as Narrator (voice)
Dad's Army as Private Godfrey
The Nightmare Worlds of H.G. Wells as Elderly Philosopher
Churchill's Secret as Winston Churchill

2015

Fortitude as Henry Tyson
The Casual Vacancy as Howard Mollison
Unity as Narrator (voice)
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC as Self (archive footage)

2014

Paddington as Uncle Pastuzo (voice)
Quirke as Judge Garret Griffin
Common as Judge
On Angel Wings as Grandfather

2013

The Frame as Professor Albus Dumbledore
Lucan as John Burke
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage as Hirst
Muse of Fire as Self
Lucan as John Burke

2012

The Hollow Crown as Mortimer
Luck as Michael
Restless as Baron Mansfield / Lucas Romer
Quartet as Cedric Livingston
London: The Modern Babylon as Self (voice)

2007

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as Albus Dumbledore
Cranford as Thomas Holbrook
The Baker as Leo
The Good Night as Alan Weigert
Joe's Palace as Elliot Graham
Celebration as Lambert
The Alps - Climb of Your Life as Narrator (voice)

2006

The Good Shepherd as Dr. Fredericks
The Omen as Bugenhagen
Amazing Grace as Lord Charles Fox
John Duffy's Brother as Narrator

2005

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Albus Dumbledore
Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal as Self

2004

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as Albus Dumbledore
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou as Oseary Drakoulias
Layer Cake as Eddie Temple
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow as Paley
Stories of Lost Souls as Larry
Being Julia as Jimmie Langton
The Magic Touch of Harry Potter as Self

2003

Angels in America as Prior Walter Ancestor #1 (uncredited)
Open Range as Denton Baxter
The Lost Prince as King Edward VII
Sylvia as Professor Thomas
Path to War as Lyndon Johnson
Deep Blue as Narrator (voice)
The Actors as Barreller
Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film as Self - Hamm (archive footage)
Top Gear: Back in the Fast Lane as Self
Little Wolf's Book of Badness as Uncle Bigbad (voice)

2002

Top Gear as Self
Ali G Indahouse as Prime Minister
The Making of Gosford Park as Self

2001

Richard & Judy as Self
Gosford Park as William McCordle
Perfect Strangers as Raymond
Charlotte Gray as Levade
Christmas Carol: The Movie as Ghost of Christmas Present (voice)
High Heels and Low Lifes as Kerrigan
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love as Self

2000

Longitude as John Harrison
Longitude as John Harrison
Sleepy Hollow: Behind the Legend as Self
The Last September as Sir Richard Naylor
Endgame as Hamm

1999

Sleepy Hollow as Baltus Van Tassel
The Insider as Thomas Sandefur
Wives and Daughters as Squire Hamley
Plunkett & Macleane as Lord Gibson
Dead on Time as Maurice Silverman

1998

Dancing at Lughnasa as Father Jack Mundy
A Roll of the Dice: The Capeman on Broadway as Narrator (voice)

1997

The Wings of the Dove as Lionel Croy
The Gambler as Fyodor Dostoyevsky

1996

Samson and Delilah as Re Hamun
Mary Reilly as Mary’s Father
Midnight in Saint Petersburg as Alex
The Willows in Winter as Badger
Nothing Personal as Leonard
Two Deaths as Daniel Pavenic
The Innocent Sleep as Det. Insp. Matheson

1995

Bullet to Beijing as Alexei
The Wind in the Willows as Badger

1994

Room 101 as Self
Clean Slate as Cornell
Squanto: A Warrior's Tale as Sir George
Faith as Peter John Moreton
The Browning Version as Dr. Frobisher
A Man of No Importance as Ivor J. Carney

1993

GMTV as Self
The Entertainer as Archie Rice

1992

Maigret as Chief Inspector Maigret
Toys as General Zevo

1991

Performance as Archie Rice
The Storyteller: Greek Myths as The Storyteller
Mobsters as Don Salvatore Faranzano

1990

Have I Got News for You as Self

1989

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover as Albert Spica
The Jim Henson Hour as Ultragorgon (voice)
The Rachel Papers as Doctor Knowd
A Dry White Season as Magistrate
About Face
Paris by Night as Gerald Paige
Monster Maker as Ultragorgon
The Heat of the Day as Harrison

1988

Missing Link as Narrator (voice)
Mountain Language as Sergeant

1987

The Dame Edna Experience as Self
Ghosts as Pastor Manders

1986

The Singing Detective as Philip Marlow

1985

Theatre Night as Pastor Manders
Oscar as Oscar Wilde
Turtle Diary as George Fairbairn
Absurd Person Singular as Geoffrey
Forbidden Passion: The Oscar Wilde Movie

1982

The Breadwinner as Charles Battle

1981

Bergerac as Jarvis McLeod

1979

Minder as Tommy Hambury
Tales of the Unexpected as Andrew

1978

The Seagull as Trigorin
One of These Nights I'm Gonna Get an Early Day as Kenny

1977

The Sunday Drama as David Patton
The Other One as Brian Bryant

1976

Tiptoe Through the Tulips as Piers
French Without Tears as Lt Cmdr Rogers
The Other Woman as Robin
In the Labyrinth as Duncan Harrison

1975

The Secret Agent as Tom Ossipon

1974

Zodiac as Reuben Keiser
The Beast Must Die as Jan Jarmokowski
Bold Face: Condensed as John

1973

Centre Play as Duncan Harrison
The Catholics as Brother Kevin
Nothing But the Night as Insp. Grant

1972

Arthur of the Britons as Roland
Cows as Max

1971

Great Performances as Self
A Midsummer Night's Dream as Theseus

1970

Play for Today as Max

1969

Softly Softly: Task Force as Cranley

1968

The Borderers as Gavin Ker

1967

Omnibus as Self
ITV Playhouse as Charles Battle
Much Ado About Nothing as Other Watchman
Romeo and Juliet as Gregory

1966

Softly, Softly

1965

1949

The BAFTA Awards as Self - Winner