Popular Harry Potter Actor Michael Gambon Known for Playing Professor Dumbledore Dies at 82

Veteran Irish-English actor Michael Gambon, best remembered for depicting Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films, has died at 82.

On Thursday, September 28, his family released a statement announcing he had died from pneumonia.

“We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon. “Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia,”” the statement read.

USA Today reported that, in a decades-long acting career encompassing television, film, radio, and the stage, Gambon won four British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards for his role as the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series. Born in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, he was knighted in 1998 for his contributions to the entertainment industry.

In the ITV series Maigret, based on the JK In the Rowling novels, Gambon also portrayed the French detective Jules Maigret. He was also well-known for his role as Philip Marlow in the BBC production of Dennis Potter’s The Singing Detective.

He began his career as a founding member of London’s Royal National Theatre and went on to appear in several Shakespeare plays.