Tributes paid to Cabra-born actor Michael Gambon

The death has been announced of Cabra-born actor Michael Gambon.

Gambon, 82, passed away in hospital according to a statement from his family.

“Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia. Michael was 82. We ask that you respect our privacy at this painful time and thank you for your messages of support and love.”

Gambon became known to a generation of film fans for his performance as Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films, and saw success on both sides of the Atlantic ocean for his roles on stage and on television.

Gambon was born in Cabra, before moving with his family to London in 1946, and held Irish and British citizenship.

The actor got his start in acting in Dublin’s theatre scene, before being recruited to the National Theatre Company in the early 1960s after catching the eye of Laurence Olivier, before going on to receive a Tony nomination in the United States and winning 3 Olivier awards for his work on London’s West End.

Gambon’s best-known role was Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films, replacing fellow Irishman Richard Harris following his passing in 2002, and worked with numerous esteemed Hollywood directors such as Wes Anderson, Michael Mann, Robert Altman and Tim Burton.

Gambon developed a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most dependable character actors, appearing in Oscar-winning hits such as The King’s Speech and was more recently seen in the Paddington films.

Gambon stepped away from the stage in the mid-2010s, admitting that his memory was preventing him from learning his lines effectively.

He was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 for playing American president Lyndon B Johnson in the HBO television film The Path To War, directed by Manchurian Candidate director John Frankenheimer, and won 4 BAFTA TV awards for his efforts on the small screen, including the hit 80s mini-series The Singing Detective.

Tributes have poured in for the actor, with Irish Times film critic Donald Clarke saying he was a “reasonable candidate for the best Irish and English actor of his generation,” and TV personality Jeremy Clarkson calling him “hugely amusing” and a “tremendous guest.”