Michael Gambon Who Famously Played Dumbledore Dies at 82
Updated on: 29 September, 2023 11:19 AM IST |Shreyas Pande
"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light", says the beloved Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. The character who was central to the plot of the wizarding world of the franchise was loved by all for his wit and warmth. It was immortalized by the brilliant Michael Gambon, who embodied the character in full sincerity. His presence in the film was like that of a mythical protector who will wave away all evils with just the spark of his tiny wand. He passed away yesterday on October 28 in Witham, England. It is tragic news for the film fraternity worldwide to have lost an actor of such great stature. Gambon was 82 years old.
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Everyone has expressed their condolences over his passing and poured their hearts out while mentioning some of his qualities. Born on October 19, 1940, he had a glorious career in acting for the stage, with appearances in many productions of Shakespeare. JK Rowling, the writer of the Harry Potter books, while writing on X (previously Twitter), added how she had the absolute pleasure of working with him on the Potter films as well as the television series adaptation of her book Casual Vacancy.
I`ve just heard the awful news about Michael Gambon. The first time I ever laid eyes on him was in King Lear, in 1982, and if you`d told me then that brilliant actor would appear in anything I`d written, I`d have thought you were insane. Michael was a wonderful man in additional…
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 28, 2023
Michael Gambon`s first appearance in the fantasy films was in the third part, where he replaced Richard Harris after his death. Gambon brought a lot of rigor and power to the character with his effective dialogue delivery and intense tone shifts in his voice. As the headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he maintained the appeal necessary for the character, who was much more than what he appeared.
Emma Watson, who played Hermoine Granger in the films, wrote a heartfelt message for him on her Instagram, saying, "Thank you for showing us what it looks like to wear greatness lightly".
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Rowling gave the world many memorable quotes put forth by Dumbledore, and Gambon spoke them with eloquence. In one striking piece of advice to Harry, he says, "Do not pity the dead Harry. Pity the living and, above all, those who live without love."
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