Actor Michael Gambon, who was best known for playing Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series of movies, has died. He was 82.
"We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon," read a statement from his publicist. "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 took over the role of Albus Dumbledore following the death of actor Richard Harris. He bought a different tenor to the role – one intentionally disparate from the character's portrayal in the original books. In 2009 he told The LA Times that since he was dealing with the screenwriter's words, he saw "no point in reading the books."
Gambon was born in 1940, in Ireland. He started his acting career on stage and was hired by Laurence Olivier to join in the National Theatre's first production, Hamlet. He won multiple awards for his stage acting, including 3 Olivier Awards.