Michael Gambon

Sir Michael John Gambon CBE (19 October 1940 – 27 September 2023) was a highly revered Irish-English actor with a career spanning over six decades. He began his acting journey as one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre with Laurence Olivier, earning him three Olivier Awards and four BAFTA TV Awards. In 1998, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to drama. Gambon's performances included numerous productions of William Shakespeare's works like Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Coriolanus, and he received several awards for his theatrical performances. He made his substantial impact in film and television industries as well, starring in popular films like The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, The King's Speech, and held a memorable role as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter franchise. His television performances, particularly in The Singing Detective and Cranford, earned him high praise and multiple accolity awards.

Gambon was born in the Cabra suburb of Dublin and later moved to London's Camden borough. Starting his career as an apprentice toolmaker with Vickers-Armstrongs, Gambon nurtured a lifelong passion for collecting antique guns, clocks, watches, and classic cars. In a more personal note, he was known to be a private individual, even describing himself as a 'non-starry star.' Gambon married mathematician Anne Miller in 1962 and had a son, Fergus. He died in 2023 following a bout of pneumonia.