Harry Potter star Sir Michael Gambon has died aged 82.
The legendary Irish-British actor is said to have died peacefully after suffering from pneumonia, according to a statement from his family.
“We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon,” reads the statement. “Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia.”
Gambon made his screen debut in Othello in 1965 alongside Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith, going on to forge a career spanning over 60 years. He amassed a total of 148 film and TV credits throughout his career.
Notably, Gambon’s big screen roles included Gosford Park and Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox as well as famously taking over as Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban following the death of Richard Harris. He went on to star as Dumbledore for the rest of the main Harry Potter series.
“I’d never seen any of the previous films, but working on the series was huge fun — and for lots of dosh,” he said at the time.
Gambon also starred in The Singing Detective for TV as well as landing more recent roles in Doctor Who and the title role of Jules Maigret in the UK detective series, Maigret. He also famously appeared as the star in the reasonably-priced car on Top Gear.
As well as his screen career, Gambon’s love of the theatre persisted, and he starred in numerous stage productions including Richard III, King Lear, Anthony and Cleopatra, and Uncle Vanya. In fact, he won 13 Laurence Olivier awards throughout his career.
Gambon was knighted for services to the entertainment industry back in 1998 and won the BAFTA for Best Actor four times, notably for The Singing Detective.
Sir Michael Gambon is survived by his wife, Anne, and son, Fergus, as well as two other children.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
