He was the mischievous headmaster of Hogwarts School in the "Harry Potter" movies. Irish-British actor Michael Gambon has died at the age of 82, his family announced Thursday.
In his fifty-year career, he won five Baftas and played the character of Dumbledore in six episodes of the legendary saga.
"Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following pneumonia," his family said in a statement.
For the British public, he also played Commissioner Maigret in the eponymous series broadcast on the ITV channel. Michael Gambon made his first stage appearance in a production of "Othello" in Dublin in 1962.
He was knighted for his contribution to the entertainment industry in 1998. He had also given his name to a turn on the circuit of the car show "Top Gear", which he had negotiated spectacularly, narrowly missing the accident.
The former host of the show, Jeremy Clarkson, hailed on the social network X (ex-Twitter) an "extremely funny" man and an "incredible guest".
With AFP
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