Michael Gambon, British actor who played Dumbledore, died aged 82

British-Irish actor Michael Gambon, best known to global audiences for playing the wise professor Albus Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" movie franchise and whose career was launched by his mentor Laurence Olivier, died aged 82 on Thursday. He died peacefully in hospital, PA Media reported citing a family statement. his best-known role was as Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" franchise, a role he took over from the third instalment in the eight-movie series after he replaced the late Richard Harris in 2004. Gambon played down the praise for his performance and said he simply played himself "with a stuck-on beard and a long robe". He also won three Olivier Awards and two ensemble cast Screen Actors Guild Awards - for 2001's "Gosford Park" and "The King's Speech".

Gambon was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1992 and knighted for services to drama in 1998, something he called "a nice little present", although he did not use the title. A mischievous personality, he often made up stories. For years he showed fellow actors a signed photograph of Robert De Niro which he had in fact inscribed himself before ever meeting the American actor.

He revealed in an episode of "The Late Late Show" in Ireland that he convinced his mother he was friends with the pope. Gambon retired from the stage in 2015 after suffering long-term memory problems but continued to act onscreen until 2019. He told an interviewer in 2002 that his work made him feel "the luckiest man in the world". Gambon married Anne Miller in 1962, and the couple had a son. While they never divorced, in later years he also had another partner, set designer Philippa Hart, 25 years his junior, with whom he had two children.