Michael Gambon
Date of birth: 1940-10-19
Place of birth: Cabra, Dublin, Ireland
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Sir Michael John Gambon CBE
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.
Movie Credits
Forbidden Passion: The Oscar Wilde Movie
1985-03-26
As in earlier Oscar Wilde biopics, this version preoccupies itself with the homosexuality scandal in
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
2004-12-10
Renowned oceanographer Steve Zissou has sworn vengeance upon the rare shark that devoured a member o
The Good Shepherd
2006-12-11
Edward Wilson, the only witness to his father's suicide and member of the Skull and Bones Society wh
Open Range
2003-08-11
A former gunslinger is forced to take up arms again when he and his cattle crew are threatened by a
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2004-05-31
Year three at Hogwarts means new fun and challenges as Harry learns the delicate art of approaching
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2005-11-16
When Harry Potter's name emerges from the Goblet of Fire, he becomes a competitor in a grueling batt
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007-07-08
Returning for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts, Harry is stunned to find that his warnings about
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2009-07-15
As Lord Voldemort tightens his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds, Hogwarts is no longer a
High Heels and Low Lifes
2001-07-16
A nurse eavesdrops with a friend on a cell phone conversation that describes a bank heist. She and t
Absurd Person Singular
1985-01-01
A movie in three acts following three couples who, over three years, each host a Christmas party. Th
Fantastic Mr. Fox
2009-10-14
The Fantastic Mr. Fox, bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers. T
Sleepy Hollow
1999-11-19
Skeptical young detective Ichabod Crane gets transferred to the hamlet of Sleepy Hollow, New York, w
Layer Cake
2004-09-30
When a seemingly straight-forward drug deal goes awry, XXXX has to break his die-hard rules and turn
Deep Blue
2003-05-18
Deep Blue is a major documentary feature film shot by the BBC Natural History Unit. An epic cinemati
Gosford Park
2001-12-26
In 1930s England, a group of pretentious rich and famous gather together for a weekend of relaxation
Dancing at Lughnasa
1998-09-04
Five unmarried sisters make the most of their simple existence in rural Ireland in the 1930s.
The Book of Eli
2010-01-14
A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sac
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
2004-09-17
When gigantic robots attack New York City, "Sky Captain" uses his private air force to fight them of
Path to War
2003-10-28
A powerful drama of soaring ambition and shattered dreams that takes a provocative insider's look at
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
1989-10-13
The wife of an abusive criminal finds solace in the arms of a kind regular guest in her husband's re
Toys
1992-12-18
Leslie Zevo is a fun-loving inventor who must save his late father's toy factory from his evil uncle
Bold Face: Condensed
1974-04-03
' Waiting for pages half my life ' - but this time the printer is drunk and the editor has a deadlin
Midnight in Saint Petersburg
1996-10-17
Harry Palmer heads a private investigation business based in Moscow. His associates are Nikolai "Nic
A Dry White Season
1989-09-20
During the 1976 Soweto uprising, a white school teacher's life and values are threatened when he ask
The Insider
1999-10-28
A research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a 60 Mi
Brideshead Revisited
2008-07-25
Artist Charles Ryder runs into aristocrat Julia Flyte and recalls his friendship with her eccentric
Mary Reilly
1996-02-23
A housemaid falls in love with Dr. Jekyll and his darkly mysterious counterpart, Mr. Hyde.
The Actors
2003-03-16
During the run of a particularly awful interpretation of Richard III, the star, Anthony O'Malley, be
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2010-11-17
Harry, Ron and Hermione walk away from their last year at Hogwarts to find and destroy the remaining
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
2011-07-12
Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their quest to vanquish the evil Voldemort once and for all. Just a
The Good Night
2007-01-25
Gary, a musician, is trapped in an unhappy relationship with his live-in lover, Dora. He becomes ent
The Beast Must Die
1974-04-01
Wealthy big game hunter Tom Newcliffe has tracked and killed practically every type of animal in the
Nothing But the Night
1973-02-16
When various trustees of the Van Traylen Orphanage begin dying in close order, it's at first written
The Rachel Papers
1989-05-12
Poised to attend Oxford University, 19-year-old Charles Highway decides it's high time to have a rom
The Baker
2007-02-09
Milo is a professional hit man living on the edge. When failing to fulfill a contract for the first
Amazing Grace
2006-09-16
The true story of William Wilberforce and his courageous quest to end the British slave trade. Along
The Catholics
1973-11-29
Set in the near future. As a consequence of an ecumenical movement (Vatican Council IV), the Catholi
Bullet to Beijing
1995-12-20
When long-time British agent Harry Palmer loses his job because the Cold War is over, he's promptly
Joe's Palace
2007-11-04
A drama centered on the relationship between Elliot, a strange and wealthy Londoner, and Joe, a teen
The Wings of the Dove
1997-09-04
Kate is secretly betrothed to a struggling journalist, Merton Densher. But she knows her Aunt Maude
Squanto: A Warrior's Tale
1994-10-28
Squanto is a high-born Indian warrior from a tribe on the Atlantic coast of North America which devo
Endgame
2000-09-10
Hamm is blind and unable to stand; Clov, his servant, is unable to sit; Nagg and Nell are his father
The Last September
2000-04-28
In 1920s Ireland, an elderly couple reside over a tired country estate. Living with them are their h
Clean Slate
1994-05-06
Pogue is a private eye with a problem: every morning when he wakes up, he has total amnesia, waking
Being Julia
2004-09-03
Julia Lambert is a true diva: beautiful, talented, weathly and famous. She has it all - including a
The Browning Version
1994-06-08
Andrew Crocker-Harris is an embittered and disliked teacher of Greek and Latin at a British prep sch
Longitude
2000-01-02
Parallel stories: 18th century Harrison builds the marine chronometer for safe navigation at sea; 20
A Man of No Importance
1994-12-24
Alfie Byrne is a middle-aged bus conductor in Dublin in 1963. He would appear to live a life of quie
Page Eight
2011-08-28
Johnny is a long-serving MI5 officer. His boss dies suddenly, leaving behind an inexplicable file wh
Dead on Time
1999-01-01
It's the last fifteen minutes of 1999 and Steve Armitage plans to leave his mark by becoming the fir
Stories of Lost Souls
2004-11-12
Seven (or six - depending on the version) short stories of conquest, desperation and the will to ove
The Willows in Winter
1996-12-26
Hailed as the "rightful heir" to "The Wind in the Willows", William Horwood's critically acclaimed s
The Wind in the Willows
1995-12-24
Jailed for his reckless driving, rambunctious Mr. Toad has to escape from prison when his beloved To
Quartet
2012-12-26
Cissy, Reggie, and Wilf are in a home for retired musicians. Every year, there is a concert to celeb
Turtle Diary
1985-12-06
Two separate people, a man and a woman, find something very stirring about the sea turtles in their
The Seagull
1978-02-05
A group of friends and relations gather at a country estate to see the first performance of an exper
Ghosts
1987-06-14
Helene Alving leads an outwardly contented life. On the eve of the 10th anniversary of her husband's
Two Deaths
1996-06-14
A tale of power, passion and obsession set in a politically torn Eastern European country.
London: The Modern Babylon
2012-08-03
London: The Modern Babylon is legendary director Julien Temple's epic time-traveling voyage to the h
Monster Maker
1989-01-23
A young boy wants to work with a famous creature/fx man but gets more than he bargained when one of
The Magic Touch of Harry Potter
2004-06-11
A 2004 documentary on the first three “Harry Potter” films detailing the behind-the-scenes journey o
The Gambler
1997-10-30
Under pressure from his publisher, Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky gets work on his latest piece
Muse of Fire
2013-09-26
Funny, passionate, exciting, and smart: ‘Muse Of Fire’ will change the way you feel about Shakespear
The Entertainer
1993-12-04
Adaptation of John Osborne's play.
On Angel Wings
2014-12-01
One cold Christmas night, an old shepherd recounts the magical story of how he came to be the first
Missing Link
1988-11-04
A million years ago in Africa: the last of the ape-humans is on flight from the humans, who killed t
The Innocent Sleep
1996-01-25
Inspired by the 1982 Roberto Calvi Affair in which an Italian banker was found hanging from a bridge
Plunkett & MacLeane
1999-01-22
Will Plunkett and Captain James Macleane, two men from different ends of the social spectrum in 18th
The King's Speech
2010-11-26
The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabet
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
2001-09-13
A portrait of the 30 year relationship between Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier. With comments by t
Mobsters
1991-07-26
The story of a group of friends in turn of the century New York, from their early days as street hoo
Ali G Indahouse
2002-03-21
Ali G unwittingly becomes a pawn in the evil Chancellor's plot to overthrow the Prime Minister of Gr
Common
2014-07-06
When 17-year-old Johnjo gives his cousin and his friends a lift, he finds himself implicated in a st
Paddington
2014-11-24
A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddi
Christmas Carol: The Movie
2001-12-07
Animated version of the classic Charles Dickens story. Warned by the ghost of his old business partn
A Midsummer Night's Dream
1971-09-26
Mistaken identity, unrequited love, and the supernatural are combined in Shakespeare's classic set i
When Harry Left Hogwarts
2011-11-11
BAFTA award-winning filmmaker Morgan Matthews was given unprecedented access to the behind-the-scene
The Alps - Climb of Your Life
2007-03-30
In 1966, John Harlin II died while attempting Europe's most difficult climb, the North Face of the E
Unity
2015-08-12
Despite the advent of science, literature, technology, philosophy, religion, and so on -- none of th
Top Gear: Back in the Fast Lane
2003-10-26
A special containing all the best bits from the brand new first and second series of the nation’s fa
Dad's Army
2016-02-05
A cinema remake of the classic sitcom Dad's Army (1968). The Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard platoon de
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
2015-11-01
The BBC delves into its archives to discover British acting greats as they take their first tentativ
Sylvia
2003-10-17
Story of the relationship between the poets Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.
Mad to Be Normal
2017-04-06
The story of Scottish psychiatrist RD Laing and his unique community at Kingsley Hall, East London i
In the Labyrinth
1976-02-14
After 30 years apart, a man is reunited with his mother, who resides on a psychiatric ward.
The Breadwinner
1982-07-17
Charles Battle has been 'hammered' in the London Stock Exchange, to the point where he may be bankru
Churchill's Secret
2016-02-29
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill suffers from a stroke in the summer of 1953 that's kept a s
Celebration
2007-02-26
All the action takes place in a swish London restaurant where two coarse-grained strategy consultant
Hail, Caesar!
2016-02-05
When a Hollywood star mysteriously disappears in the middle of filming, the studio sends their fixer
Charlotte Gray
2001-12-28
This is a drama set in Nazi-occupied France at the height of World War II. Charlotte Gray tells the
The Other Woman
1976-01-06
A lesbian artist creates a love triangle when she moves in with a closeted teenage girl and the man
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
2019-03-13
A decade after the death of an American TV star, a young actor reminisces about the written correspo
French Without Tears
1976-05-16
The romantic and comic adventures of a group of Englishmen in France, on a course to learn the langu
Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol
2010-12-25
Amy Pond and Rory Williams are trapped on a crashing space liner, and the only way the Eleventh Doct
Victoria & Abdul
2017-09-13
Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.
Viceroy's House
2017-03-03
In 1947, Lord Mountbatten assumes the post of last Viceroy, charged with handing India back to its p
Nothing Personal
1996-10-18
A raw depiction of the Belfast 'troubles' as savage tribal warfare. Set shortly after the 1975 cease
Romeo and Juliet
1967-03-12
BBC Play of the Month adaptation of Shakespeare's tragic love story.
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage
2013-11-02
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the National Theatre of Great Britain presents National Theatre:
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
2017-09-20
When an attack on the Kingsman headquarters takes place and a new villain rises, Eggsy and Merlin ar
Paris by Night
1989-04-18
Clara Bell is a busy Euro MP with a husband and child at home and a high powered career - but on a t
Paddington 2
2017-11-09
Paddington, now happily settled with the Browns, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect pr
Lucan
2013-12-11
Drama about infamous aristocrat Lord Lucan, who mysteriously disappeared in 1974 after being accused
Judy
2019-09-27
Thirty years after starring in "The Wizard of Oz," beloved actress and singer Judy Garland arrives i
Cordelia
2019-09-25
Cordelia ia a troubled, damaged soul who is only just recovering after some unnamed trauma; she is a
The Last Witness
2018-05-11
An ambitious young journalist uncovers the horrific slaughter of 22,000 Polish officers during World
King of Thieves
2018-09-04
London, England, April 2015. Brian Reader, a retired thief, gathers an unlikely gang of burglars to
Citizen Lane
2018-05-18
Citizen Lane is an innovative mix of documentary and drama that delivers a vivid and compelling port
Samson and Delilah
1996-12-08
Biblical strongman Samson falls prey to the voluptuous Philistine temptress Delilah.
Johnny English Strikes Again
2018-09-13
Disaster strikes when a criminal mastermind reveals the identities of all active undercover agents i
Tiptoe Through the Tulips
1976-03-16
Friends arrange a dinner party to introduce two single friends, Rita and Piers, neither of whom are
Cows
1972-02-24
Geraldine, a psychiatric social worker, has an accident whilst in the country. The inhabitants of a
Little Wolf's Book of Badness
2003-12-08
He washes his paws, brushes his teeth and goes to bed early. He is packed off to Uncle Bigbad's Cunn
Mountain Language
1988-12-11
Harold Pinter play starring Michael Gambon. 'Your language is forbidden. It is dead. No one is allow
A Roll of the Dice: The Capeman on Broadway
1998-04-04
A made for TV documentary about the creation of Paul Simon and Derek Walcott's controversial and ult
The Heat of the Day
1989-06-09
In World War II England, a woman is approached by a man claiming to work as an intelligence agent wh
Sleepy Hollow: Behind the Legend
2000-05-23
A behind the scenes look at the making of Sleepy Hollow.
Othello
1965-12-15
General Othello's marriage is destroyed when vengeful Ensign Iago convinces him that his new wife ha
Othello
1965-12-15
General Othello's marriage is destroyed when vengeful Ensign Iago convinces him that his new wife ha
The Making of 'Gosford Park'
2002-06-18
A documentary giving film fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making this Robert Altman film about
Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal
2005-05-09
Documentary created by Matthew Gray Gubler during, and about, his time on the set of The Life Aquati
One of These Nights I'm Gonna Get an Early Day
1978-10-16
When Mal Leyton's modern jazz quintet sets out to play an unlikely gig at a college concert, the mus
Monster Maker
1989-01-23
A young boy wants to work with a famous creature/fx man but gets more than he bargained when one of
The Omen
2006-06-06
A diplomatic couple adopts the son of the devil without knowing it. A remake of the classic horror f
Doctor Who at the Proms
2024-12-24
Doctor Who fan favourite Catherine Tate presents a concert of music, monsters and mayhem featuring s
Much Ado About Nothing
1967-02-05
Dame Maggie Smith stars in the 1967 screen version of Franco Zeffirelli's exuberant National Theatre
John Duffy's Brother
2006-10-18
A man who thinks he is a train.
The Secret Agent
1975-10-01
A bomb-throwing incident in 1905 sets off a train of events which ends in a murder and a suicide.