People
Michael Gambon
Acting · follow into films and chains
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.
Notable films
Where to start
Highlights from credits and KinoChain journeys.
The Book of Eli
Appears in a KinoChain journey
Paddington 2
Appears in a KinoChain journey
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
As Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
As Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
As Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
As Albus Dumbledore
The Insider
Appears in a KinoChain journey
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
Appears in a KinoChain journey
Chains
KinoChain journeys
Public chains that pass through their films — or name them as a bridge.
Open Doors: Cinema That Sees Everyone
From a deaf drummer to a queer romance in space, these eight films expand who gets to be a hero, a lover, a survivor. A journey through inclusive storytelling t...
8 films
The Long Goodbye to the Small Screen
A journey through the films that turned television's intimate glow into cinema's grand spectacle, and back again.
6 films
Rewinding the Reel: How VHS Championed British Independents
From Thatcher's Britain to the video shop era, discover how VHS gave gritty, daring British films a second life and a devoted audience.
9 films
Pure-Hearted Heroes
Sixty years after Batman '66 taught us that heroism can be bright, sincere, and utterly without irony, this chain celebrates films whose protagonists believe, s...
7 films
Growing Pains: Sequels That Leap Through Time
From a Parisian afternoon to a boxing ring, these sequels skip years ahead and find their characters changed, challenged, and achingly familiar. A journey throu...
6 films
The Weight of Command: Eight Faces of Authority
From courtroom to battlefield, from boardroom to the Oval Office, these eight performances explore the many masks of power and the human cost of wearing them.
8 films
Unmasked: Living in the Aftermath of Exposure
The secret is out, and the thrill of anonymity is gone. This collection skips the suspense of a secret identity to focus on the unglamorous aftermath of total e...
7 films
Signals in the Ash
From a father's vigil to a robot's devotion, eight films trace the fragile threads that hold humanity together when the world falls quiet.
8 films
Topics
Explore by topic
Related people
Collaborators & neighbours
Acted
Little Women
2017 · Mr. Laurence
Paddington 2
2017 · Uncle Pastuzo (voice)
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
2017 · Arthur
Paddington
2014 · Uncle Pastuzo (voice)
Quirke
2014 · Judge Garret Griffin
Page Eight
2011 · Benedict Baron
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
2011 · Albus Dumbledore
The King's Speech
2010 · King George V
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2010 · Albus Dumbledore
The Book of Eli
2010 · George
Fantastic Mr. Fox
2009 · Franklin Bean (voice)
Emma
2009 · Mr. Woodhouse
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2009 · Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007 · Albus Dumbledore
The Good Shepherd
2006 · Dr. Fredericks
The Omen
2006 · Bugenhagen
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2005 · Albus Dumbledore
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
2004 · Oseary Drakoulias
Layer Cake
2004 · Eddie Temple
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
2004 · Paley
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2004 · Albus Dumbledore
The Actors
2003 · Barreller
Gosford Park
2001 · William McCordle
Perfect Strangers
2001 · Raymond
Sleepy Hollow
1999 · Baltus Van Tassel
The Insider
1999 · Thomas Sandefur
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
1989 · Albert Spica
Othello
1965