Image source, Getty Images

By Lauren Turner

BBC News

The actor Sir Michael Gambon has died aged 82, his family has said.

He was best known for playing Professor Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight Harry Potter films.

The Dublin-born star worked in TV, film, theatre and radio over his six-decade career. He won four Baftas.

His widow Lady Gambon and son Fergus said their "beloved husband and father" died peacefully in hospital with his family by his side, following a bout of pneumonia.

Obituary: Sir Michael Gambon

Sir Michael's family had moved to London when he was a child but he made his very first stage performance in Ireland, in a production of Othello in Dublin in 1962.

His career took off when he became one the original members of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre acting company in London. He went on to win three Olivier awards for performances in National Theatre productions.

He played French detective Jules Maigret in ITV series Maigret and was also known for his role as Philip Marlow in Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective on the BBC.

Sir Michael took on the role of Dumbledore - headmaster of wizarding school Hogwarts - in the hit Harry Potter series, based on JK Rowling's novels, after the death of Richard Harris in 2003.

Image source, Alamy Image caption,

Sir Michael played Dumbledore in six Harry Potter films

His other film work includes the big screen adaptation of Dad's Army, Gosford Park and the King's Speech, in which he portrayed King George V, father of the stammering King George VI.

He was nominated for Emmy awards for his role as Mr Woodhouse in an adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma in 2010, and for playing President Lyndon B Johnson in Path to War in 2002. He also got a Tony nomination in 1997 for a role in David Hare play Skylight.

He was knighted for services to the entertainment industry in 1998. Although Irish-born, he had become a British citizen in his childhood.

The actor, known as "The Great Gambon" in acting circles, had last appeared on stage in 2012 in a London production of Samuel Beckett's play All That Fall.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar paid tribute, saying: "A great actor. Whether performing in Beckett, Dennis Potter or Harry Potter, he gave his all to every performance."

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Obituary: Sir Michael Gambon

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