Michael Gambon
Acting
Born: October 19, 1940 · Cabra, Dublin, Ireland
Died: September 27, 2023 (aged 82)
Highest Rated
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
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2004
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2005
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
2011
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2009
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2010
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
2017
The King's Speech
2010
Sleepy Hollow
1999
The Book of Eli
2010
Fantastic Mr. Fox
2009
Paddington
2014
Photos (7)
Movies (120)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Albus Dumbledore
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Franklin Bean (voice)
The King's Speech
King George V
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Albus Dumbledore
Sleepy Hollow
Baltus Van Tassel
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Albus Dumbledore
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Arthur
Johnny English Strikes Again
Agent Five
The Book of Eli
George
The Insider
Thomas Sandefur
Open Range
Denton Baxter
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Oseary Drakoulias
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Paley
The Good Shepherd
Dr. Fredericks
Paddington
Uncle Pastuzo (voice)
Hail, Caesar!
Narrator (voice)
Paddington 2
Uncle Pastuzo (voice)
King of Thieves
Billy 'The Fish' Lincoln
Brideshead Revisited
Lord Marchmain
Victoria & Abdul
Lord Salisbury
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
Man in Diner
Toys
General Zevo
Sylvia
Professor Thomas
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
Albert Spica
Quartet
Cedric Livingston
Layer Cake
Eddie Temple
Plunkett & Macleane
Lord Gibson
Christmas Carol: The Movie
Ghost of Christmas Present (voice)
Gosford Park
William McCordle
High Heels and Low Lifes
Kerrigan
Ali G Indahouse
Prime Minister
The Last Witness
Frank Hamilton
Dad's Army
Private Godfrey
The Rachel Papers
Doctor Knowd
The Omen
Bugenhagen
Mary Reilly
Mary’s Father
Being Julia
Jimmie Langton
Amazing Grace
Lord Charles Fox
The Good Night
Alan Weigert
Judy
Bernard Delfont
Deep Blue
Narrator (voice)
Viceroy's House
General Hastings Ismay
A Dry White Season
Magistrate
The Baker
Leo
Clean Slate
Cornell
Longitude
John Harrison
Page Eight
Benedict Baron
Path to War
Lyndon Johnson
Squanto: A Warrior's Tale
Sir George
Charlotte Gray
Levade
The Last September
Sir Richard Naylor
Mad to Be Normal
Sidney Kotok
Cordelia
Mr. Moses
Dancing at Lughnasa
Father Jack Mundy
The Wings of the Dove
Lionel Croy
A Man of No Importance
Ivor J. Carney
Mobsters
Don Salvatore Faranzano
Midnight in Saint Petersburg
Alex
The Storyteller: Greek Myths - Perseus & the Gorgon
The Storyteller
The Actors
Barreller
Cows
Max
Nothing But the Night
Insp. Grant
Turtle Diary
George Fairbairn
The Storyteller: Greek Myths - Theseus & the Minotaur
The Storyteller
Stories of Lost Souls
Larry
The Entertainer
Archie Rice
The Beast Must Die
Jan Jarmokowski
The Storyteller: Greek Myths - Daedalus & Icarus
The Storyteller
Unity
Narrator (voice)
The Browning Version
Dr. Frobisher
The Wind in the Willows
Badger (voice)
Little Wolf's Book of Badness
Uncle Bigbad (voice)
Bullet to Beijing
Alexei
Ratburger
Narrator (voice)
Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol
Old Kazran / Elliot Sardick
The Catholics
Brother Kevin
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage
Hirst
Doctor Who at the Proms
Kazran Sardick (archive footage)
The Storyteller: Greek Myths - Orpheus & Eurydice
The Storyteller
The Other Woman
Robin
Two Deaths
Daniel Pavenic
The Innocent Sleep
Det. Insp. Matheson
Churchill's Secret
Winston Churchill
Romeo and Juliet
Gregory
John Duffy's Brother
Narrator
Standing Room Only
2004
On Angel Wings
Grandfather
The Heat of the Day
Harrison
The Alps - Climb of Your Life
Narrator (voice)
The Gambler
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Willows in Winter
Badger
French Without Tears
Lt Cmdr Rogers
Bold Face: Condensed
John
Common
Judge
Missing Link
Narrator (voice)
Ghosts
Pastor Manders
Nothing Personal
Leonard
Othello
1965
Othello
Senators-Soldiers-Cypriots
Forbidden Passion: The Oscar Wilde Movie
1985
Joe's Palace
Elliot Graham
Much Ado About Nothing
Other Watchman
Monster Maker
Ultragorgon
Monster Maker
Ultragorgon(voice)
Blood Royal: William the Conqueror
William I
In the Labyrinth
Duncan Harrison
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Theseus
Paris by Night
Gerald Paige
Lucan
John Burke
Tiptoe Through the Tulips
Piers
Citizen Lane
Lord Ardilaun
Dead on Time
Maurice Silverman
Absurd Person Singular
Geoffrey
Mountain Language
Sergeant
One of These Nights I'm Gonna Get an Early Day
Kenny
Celebration
Lambert
Endgame
Hamm
TV Shows (53)
Play for Today
Piers · 1 eps
Play for Today
Max · 1 eps
Play for Today
Robin · 1 eps
BBC Play of the Month
Gregory · 1 eps
BBC Play of the Month
Theseus · 1 eps
BBC Play of the Month
Lt. Cmdr. Bill Rogers · 1 eps
BBC Play of the Month
Boris Trigorin · 1 eps
Tales of the Unexpected
Andrew · 1 eps
Minder
Tommy Hambury · 1 eps
ITV Playhouse
Charles Battle · 1 eps
Omnibus
1 eps
Screen Two
Ivor J. Carney · 1 eps
Bergerac
Jarvis McLeod · 1 eps
Performance
Archie Rice · 1 eps
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
Brother Kevin · 1 eps
Public Eye
1 eps
The Hollow Crown
Mortimer · 1 eps
Orson Welles' Great Mysteries
Major Rolfe · 1 eps
Fortitude
Henry Tyson · 11 eps
Softly, Softly
1 eps
Cranford
Thomas Holbrook · 2 eps
Centre Play
Duncan Harrison · 1 eps
The Jim Henson Hour
Ultragorgon (voice) · 1 eps
Luck
Michael · 9 eps
Softly Softly: Task Force
Cranley · 1 eps
The Singing Detective
Philip Marlow · 6 eps
Maigret
Chief Inspector Maigret · 12 eps
Angels in America
Prior Walter Ancestor #1 (uncredited) · 2 eps
Little Women
Mr. Laurence · 3 eps
Theatre Night
Pastor Manders · 1 eps
Wives and Daughters
Squire Hamley · 4 eps
The Frame
Professor Albus Dumbledore · 1 eps
Longitude
John Harrison · 2 eps
Emma
Mr. Woodhouse · 4 eps
The Lost Prince
King Edward VII · 2 eps
The Storyteller: Greek Myths
The Storyteller · 4 eps
Restless
Baron Mansfield / Lucas Romer · 2 eps
Arthur of the Britons
Roland · 1 eps
Samson and Delilah
Re Hamun · 2 eps
Fearless
Sir Alistair McKinnon · 6 eps
Zodiac
Reuben Keiser · 1 eps
The Casual Vacancy
Howard Mollison · 3 eps
Lucan
John Burke · 1 eps
The Borderers
Gavin Ker · 26 eps
Six Days of Justice
Mr.Golding · 1 eps
Quirke
Judge Garret Griffin · 3 eps
Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire
Narrator · 1 eps
Eyeless in Gaza
Mark Staithes · 5 eps
Faith
Peter John Moreton · 2 eps
Perfect Strangers
Raymond · 3 eps
The Nightmare Worlds of H.G. Wells
Elderly Philosopher · 1 eps
Oscar
Oscar Wilde · 3 eps
The Other One
Brian Bryant · 13 eps
Self / Appearances (20)
Top Gear
Self · 2 eps
Great Performances
Self · 1 eps
Have I Got News for You
Self · 1 eps
GMTV
Self · 1 eps
Richard & Judy
Self · 1 eps
Omnibus
Self · 1 eps
Room 101
Self · 1 eps
The BAFTA Awards
Self - Winner · 2 eps
The Dame Edna Experience
Self · 1 eps
Muse of Fire
Self
Top Gear: Back in the Fast Lane
Self
When Harry Left Hogwarts
Self
Sleepy Hollow: Behind the Legend
Self
London: The Modern Babylon
Self (voice)
Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film
Self - Hamm (archive footage)
Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal
Self
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
Self (archive footage)
The Making of Gosford Park
Self
The Magic Touch of Harry Potter
Self
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
Self