Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" Films, Michael Gambon, Dies at 82

He gained notoriety in London in the 1970s and went on to play a variety of characters, such as Winston Churchill, Oscar Wilde, and Edward VII.

One of the best British actors, Michael Gambon, who portrayed Professor Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" movies, has passed away. He was 82.

The death of Mr. Gambon was verified by his family in a brief statement sent on Thursday by a public relations firm. Following a battle of pneumonia, Michael "died peacefully in hospital with his wife, Anne, and son Fergus at his bedside," according to the statement.

Although Mr. Gambon had already achieved some measure of success, most notably in plays by Alan Ayckbournian and Harold Pinter, it was his performance in Brecht's "Life of Galileo" at London's National Theater in 1980 that earned him the title "the great Gambon" from actor Ralph Richardson.

Peter Hall, who was Mr. Gambon's creative director at the National Theater at the time, described him as "unsentimental, dangerous, and immensely powerful," and he recalled in his memoirs how he had contacted four eminent directors to accept him in the lead part, only for them to reject him because he was "not starry enough."

The combination of volcanic energy and tenderness, sensuality and intelligence he brought to a role — in which he aged from 40 to 75 — excited not only critics but also his fellow actors after John Dexter agreed to direct him in what Mr. Gambon would later describe as the most difficult part he had ever played.

The dressing room windows at the National, which open out onto a courtyard, "contained actors in various states of undress leaning out and applauding him after the first night," Mr. Hall said.

That earned him a nomination for best actor at the Olivier Awards, as well as the prize itself in 1987 for his outstanding performance as Eddie Carbone in Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge" at the National. Miller said that Mr. Gambon's portrayal of the troubled longshoreman was the best he had ever seen. Once more, it was his ability to combine vulnerability and visceral force that won over the hearts of the audience. The director, Mr. Ayckbournian, called Mr. Gambon inspiring.

Mr. Ayckbournian said that "one day he just stood in the rehearsal room and just broke down in tears — no turning upstage, no hands in front of his face." He merely sat there sobbing like a child. It was painful to watch. He also handled his anger extremely nicely. That might be terrifying.

His television roles ranged from Edward VII, Oscar Wilde, and Winston Churchill to Inspector Margret. And in movies, he took on roles as diverse as Albert Spica, the nasty and brutal criminal in Peter Greenaway's "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover," and Professor Dumbledore, the benevolent character he succeeded Richard Harris in playing in the "Harry Potter" movies.

He was asked about acting in interviews, and while he replied, "I just do it," he studied for jobs meticulously. He would study a screenplay, then use the rehearsals to refine and extend his learnings.

"I'm very physical," he declared. "I want to know how the individual appears, speaks, walks, stands, sits, dresses, and wears his shoes. I also want to know how his hair looks. It matters how your feet feel on the stage.

Soon, a full obituary will be published.