Michael Gambon: The actor who gave heart to the ‘Harry Potter’ series
Penned by small-time English writer J. K. Rowling in The Elephant House Cafe in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Harry Potter book series, which would spellbind the nation upon its release at the turn of the new millennium, has always been a concept inspired by the diverse landscapes and eclectic tales of Ireland and the British Isles. As such, when the tales were adapted for the silver screen, a host of incredible talents from across the nation were sought to bring the story to life, with veterans such as Robbie Coltrane and Michael Gambon collaborating with such young stars as Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.
Indeed, Gambon, who today passed away at the age of 82, didn’t initially appear in the franchise, only taking over from Richard Harris as the beloved headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, when he departed following the completion of the second film, 2002’s The Chamber of Secrets. Yet, there was no better time to join the series, with Dumbledore becoming an integral part of the story in the movies to come.
An icon of stage and screen, Gambon had learned his craft in theatre during the 1960s, performing in esteemed Shakespeare productions of Othello and Richard III, where he was spotted by one Laurence Olivier as a promising talent. Handpicked from a variety of other actors that included Derek Jacobi and Frank Finlay, Gambon went from strength to strength, thriving largely on stage, where he made an iconic appearance in John Dexter’s The Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht.
The theatre was always Gambon’s prerogative, even if he made a large number of TV appearances in the 1970s and 1980s before appearing in Peter Greenaway’s seminal ‘Eat the Rich’ drama The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover at the end of the decade. Following this collaboration, cinema became a viable pathway, later working with Michael Mann for The Insider, Tim Burton for Sleepy Hollow, Robert Altman for Gosford Park and even Wes Anderson for his 2004 oddity The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
Shortly afterwards, in 2004, Gambon took his first step into Rowling’s world of sorcery in the shape of the third film in the Harry Potter franchise, The Prisoner of Azkaban. Helmed by Alfonso Cuarón, this significantly darker adventure was a departure from the previous two films that focused almost solely on light family fun, with Harris being replaced by Gambon just in time for Dumbledore to take a leading role.
You see, as the world got deeper into the story of Harry Potter, it was clear that, much like any great fantasy tale, there was something deeper at the heart; indeed, in this theatrical fantasy melodrama, there is a potent sense of kinship, family and belonging.
As a thespian whose trade was learned on the Shakespearean stage, Gambon was well prepared for the task at hand, becoming a bellowing force in the world of the franchise that not only represented an overwhelming character of power in the story but also a father figure who was integral to the protagonist’s progress. Yet, where Rowling had thinly written such a character in the novels, Gambon brought the might of Dumbledore to life, giving him the strength and allure that made him such a magnetising character but also the fragility and compassion that made him such a sympathetic one too.
Let’s be clear: whilst the follow-up Fantastic Beasts franchise has failed to make much of a significant mark on the series, its fascination with the origins of Dumbledore simply wouldn’t be a feasible storyline if Gambon hadn’t first laid down the foundations for the character to leap off the silver screen with such tenacity.
Together with such veterans of British cinema as Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman and Ralph Fiennes, Gambon helped to elevate the franchise from being something more than a tale of the adolescent transition, complicated by thrashing trees, naughty pixies and a malevolent bald-headed demon. Thanks to the presence of the magnificent acting force, a more potent message thrives, one that meddles with the darkness of reality whilst offering hope for its future. Gambon’s legacy will indeed live on like an unbreakable Horcrux.
