Sir Michael Gambon was born 19th October 1940 in Dublin, Ireland, during World War II. At the age of 5 his family moved to London, his father being an engineer, to work on rebuilding the city. Unbeknownst to Michael, his father filed officially to make him an English citizen, which later allowed him to be knighted. He found school at St Aloysius' College an unpleasant experience. Gambon left school at the age of 15 with no qualifications. Deciding to follow his father into engineering, he took up an apprenticeship, and grew to love all things mechanical. He has a serious collection of antique guns, clocks and watches, as well as classic cars.
The acting came gradually, almost accidentally. Observing an open theatre one day led him join up with the Unity Theatre in Kings Cross, close to his home. Gambon made his stage debut in the Gate Theatre's 1962 production of Othello, playing "2nd Gentleman". Glory would quickly come his way when the very next year he was chosen by Sir Laurence Olivier to form part of the original Royal National Theatre Company, alongside such luminaries as Maggie Smith, Nicol Williamson and newcomers like Lynn Redgrave. His career was catapulted in 1980 when he took the lead role in John Dexter's production of "Galileo". Since then, Gambon has regularly appeared at the Royal National Theatre and the RSC. Roles include, King Lear, Othello, Mark Anthony and Volpone. He was described by the late Sir Ralph Richardson as being "The Great Gambon" and he is now considered to be one of the British theatre's leading lights. Both film and theatre roles were vast since then, allowing him to play many varied and interesting parts. He was made a CBE in 1992.
Children now know him best for his portrayal of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies.
Trivia
- He's an Antique weapon enthusiast
-Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
- Auditioned for the role of James Bond after George Lazenby left the series, but was turned down because they didn't want to hire another unknown
- Graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), London, England
- After going round the final corner of the "Top Gear" (1978) test track on two wheels during their Star In A Reasonably Priced Car segment, the corner was named after him
- He has twice played two roles previously played by Richard Harris. The character of Jules Maigret, which Richard Harris played in a 1988 TV movie and secondly Albus Dumbledore of the Harry Potter Movies
Recent Filmography 2008 (filming) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Albus Dumbledore
2008 Brideshead Revisited (post-production)
2007 Cranford - Mr. Holbrook
2007 Joe's Palace - Elliot Graham
2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Albus Dumbledore
2006 The Good Shepherd (post-production) - Dr. Fredericks
2006 Celebration (TV) (post-production) - Lambert
2006 The Omen - Bugenhagen
2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Albus Dumbledore
2005 Stories of Lost Souls - Larry
2004 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Oseary Drakoulias
Info from
Tiscali UK. and
Imdb.
Contact Information
Michael Gambon
Albus Dumbledore
POA
c/o ICM
76 Oxford Street
London
W1D 1BS
England
Contact info from
Veritaserum.
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Gambon, (Sir) Michael - Albus Dumbledore 
