1960–1979: Stage debut and National Theatre , the first artistic director of the
National Theatre in 1963, was a mentor to Gambon. At age 24, Gambon wrote a letter to
Micheál Mac Liammóir, the Irish theatre
impresario who ran Dublin's
Gate Theatre, accompanied by a
CV describing a rich and wholly imaginary theatre career: he was taken on. Gambon made his professional stage debut in the Gate Theatre's 1962 production of
Othello, playing "Second Gentleman", followed by a European tour. A year later, auditioning with the opening
soliloquy from
Richard III, he caught the eye of
Laurence Olivier who was recruiting promising actors for his new
National Theatre Company. Gambon, along with
Robert Stephens,
Derek Jacobi and
Frank Finlay, was hired as one of the "to be renowned" and played any number of small roles, appearing on cast lists as "Mike Gambon". The company initially performed at the
Old Vic, their first production being
Hamlet, directed by Olivier and starring
Peter O'Toole. Gambon played for four years in many NT productions, including named roles in
The Recruiting Officer and
The Royal Hunt of the Sun, working with directors
William Gaskill and
John Dexter. Gambon made his film debut in
Laurence Olivier's
Othello alongside
Maggie Smith and
Derek Jacobi in 1965. After three years at the Old Vic, Olivier advised Gambon to gain experience in provincial rep. In 1967, he left the National Theatre for the
Birmingham Repertory Company, which was to give him his first crack at the title roles in
Othello (his favourite),
Macbeth and
Coriolanus. In 1967, he made his television debut in the
BBC television adaptation of
Much Ado About Nothing as Watchman No. 4. He also appeared in British programmes such as
Softly, Softly (1967) and
Public Eye (1968). From 1968 to 1970, he featured in the BBC historical series
The Borderers as Gavin Kerr. He also had a recurring role in the Canadian series
The Challengers (1972). He also appeared in drama anthology series including
Play for Today,
Play of the Month and
ITV Playhouse. In 1974,
Eric Thompson cast him as the melancholy vet in
Alan Ayckbourn's
The Norman Conquests at
Greenwich. He acted in the British horror films
Nothing But the Night (1973) and
The Beast Must Die (1974). In 1976 he took the part of Lieutenant Commander Rogers in a filmed version of the play
French Without Tears by Terence Rattigan, for a TV episode of the series 'BBC Play of the Month', directed by John Gorrie, with Nicola Pagett, Anthony Andrews, Barbara Kellerman, Tim Woodward and Nigel Havers. Set in a French Villa, the action takes place in a cram school for adults needing to acquire French for business reasons. Scattered throughout are Franglais phrases and schoolboy misunderstandings of the French language.
1980–1994: The Singing Detective and accolades Gambon's powerful voice and presence were to serve him in good stead in
John Dexter's masterly staging of
The Life of Galileo by
Bertolt Brecht at the National Theatre in 1980, the first Brecht play to become a popular success. Hall called him "unsentimental, dangerous and immensely powerful," and
The Sunday Times called his performance "a decisive step in the direction of great tragedy... great acting," while fellow actors paid him the rare compliment of applauding him in the dressing room on the first night. In 1985, he appeared in the British drama film
Turtle Diary directed by
John Irvin with a screenplay adapted by
Harold Pinter. The film starred
Glenda Jackson and
Ben Kingsley. His craggy looks soon made him into a
character actor, a term which Gambon disputed. For his first major
lead role in
Dennis Potter's
The Singing Detective (1986) he won his first
British Academy Television Award for
Best Actor. He starred as detective Inspector
Jules Maigret in
an ITV adaptation of twelve of
Georges Simenon's books. The National Theatre staged a revival of
A View from the Bridge in 1987 at the
Cottesloe Theatre. It was directed by
Alan Ayckbourn, and Gambon gave an acclaimed performance as Eddie.
The Guardian said, "In the first place it shows Michael Gambon shaking hands with greatness." In 1989, Gambon starred in the
Peter Greenaway's crime drama
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, which also starred
Helen Mirren,
Tim Roth and
Ciarán Hinds. Gambon played Albert Spica, "The Thief", a violent gangster. The film premiered at the
1989 Toronto International Film Festival. Film critic
Roger Ebert of the
Chicago Sun-Times praised the performances writing, "Mirren and Gambon are among the most distinguished actors in Britain-they've played many of the principal roles in Shakespeare -- and here they find the resources to not only strip themselves of all their defenses, but to do so convincingly." In 1990, he played Jerry in
Harold Pinter's
Betrayal for
BBC Radio 3. In 1991, he starred as Tommy Hanbury in an episode of the
ITV series
Minder called "Look Who's Coming To Pinner".
Ralph Richardson dubbed him
The Great Gambon, an accolade which stuck, although Gambon dismissed it as a circus slogan. But as
Sheridan Morley perceptively remarked in 2000, when reviewing
Nicholas Wright's
Cressida: "Gambon's eccentricity on stage now begins to rival that of his great mentor Richardson". Also like Richardson, interviews were rarely given and raised more questions than they answered. Gambon was a very private person, a "non-starry star" as Ayckbourn called him. Off-stage he preferred to stay out of the limelight. He won screen acclaim, while his ravaged
King Lear at
Stratford, while he was still in his early forties, formed a double act with a red-nosed
Antony Sher as the Fool sitting on his master's knee like a ventriloquist's doll.
1995–2003: Broadway debut and film roles There were also appearances in
Harold Pinter's
Old Times at the
Haymarket Theatre and
Ben Jonson's
Volpone and the brutal sergeant in Pinter's
Mountain Language. In 1995, Gambon starred in
David Hare's
Skylight, with
Lia Williams, which opened to rave reviews at the National Theatre. The play transferred first to
Wyndham's Theatre and then on to
Broadway at the
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre for a four-month run which left him in a state of advanced exhaustion. "
Skylight was ten times as hard to play as anything I've ever done" he told Michael Owen in the
Evening Standard. "I had a great time in New York, but wanted to return."
Variety wrote of his performance, "Gambon, an Irishman revered on the London stage, gives his rough-hewn character a grace that goes beyond the physical". For this performance Gambon received his only
Tony Award nomination for
Best Actor in a Play. He later starred as
Fyodor Dostoyevsky in the Hungarian director
Károly Makk's film
The Gambler (1997) about the writing of Dostoyevsky's novella
The Gambler. In the 1990s he appeared in films such as,
Barry Levinson's fantasy comedy
Toys (1992), the period drama
Dancing at Lughnasa (1998), the action film
Plunkett & Macleane (1998),
Michael Mann's political drama
The Insider (1999) and
Tim Burton's gothic horror film
Sleepy Hollow (1999). He also appeared in the BBC serial
Wives and Daughters (1999) based on the
Victorian novel by the same name by
Elizabeth Gaskell. He portrayed Squire Hamley and received his second
BAFTA Award nomination and win for Best Actor.
The New York Times described Gambon's performance as 'Gruff on the outside, with a huge sentimental streak, the country squire is a familiar type, but he makes him seem endearing and fresh.' During the 2000s, Gambon appeared in several films including
Robert Altman's murder mystery ensemble
Gosford Park (2001) where he acted alongside
Maggie Smith,
Helen Mirren,
Kristin Scott Thomas,
Kelly Macdonald,
Emily Watson and
Stephen Fry. Gambon portrays Sir William McCordle, the imperious master of Gosford Park who has invited distinguished company for a weekend shooting party before a murder throws everything into chaos.
Empire declared the film, "Altman's best movie in years - an astute exploration of British culture that can stand proudly with his satires of American life. Atmospheric, absorbing, amusing and really fun." The film earned the
BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film as well as nominations for six
Academy Award including
Best Picture. In 2003, he appeared with
Robert Duvall and
Kevin Costner, playing the principal villain in the Western film
Open Range. Gambon was not among the actors to grace
Yasmina Reza's ''
'Art''' at Wyndham's. But together with
Simon Russell Beale and
Alan Bates, he gave a droll radio account of the role of Marc. And for the RSC he shared Reza's two-hander
The Unexpected Man with
Eileen Atkins, first at The Pit in the Barbican and then at the
Duchess Theatre, a production also intended for New York, but finally delayed by other commitments. In 2001, he played what he described as "'a physically repulsive" Davies in
Patrick Marber's revival of Pinter's
The Caretaker, He was nominated for an
Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Mini-series or Movie and a
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television.
2004–2011: Harry Potter and acclaim on the set of
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2008 He played
Albus Dumbledore,
Hogwarts' headmaster in the third instalment of
J. K. Rowling's franchise,
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), taking over the role after the death of
Richard Harris in 2002; Harris had also played Maigret on television four years before Gambon took that role. Gambon reprised the role of Dumbledore in
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), which was released in November 2005 in the United Kingdom and the United States. He returned to the role again in the fifth film,
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) and the sixth film,
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009). He appeared in the final two films of the series,
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) and
Part 2 (2011). Gambon told an interviewer that, when playing Dumbledore, he did not "have to play anyone really. I just stick on a beard and play me, so it's no great feat. I never ease into a role – every part I play is just a variant of my own personality. I'm not really a character actor at all." In 2004, he appeared in five films, including
Wes Anderson's cult comedy
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou; the British gangster film
Layer Cake; and theatrical drama
Being Julia. In 2004, Gambon played the lead role (Hamm) in
Samuel Beckett's post-apocalyptic play
Endgame at the
Albery Theatre, London. In 2005, he finally achieved a lifelong ambition to play
Falstaff, in
Nicholas Hytner's National production of
Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, co-starring with
Matthew Macfadyen as Prince Hal. Michael Billington in
The Guardian wrote that Gambon's Falstaff "conveyed a growing sense of age, decrepitude and melancholy". In 2006, Gambon performed voiceover for a series of
Guinness advertisements featuring penguins. Also in 2006, he performed as Joe in Beckett's
Eh Joe, giving two performances a night at the
Duke of York's Theatre in London. That same year, he played Henry in
Stephen Rea's play about
Samuel Beckett's
Embers for Radio 3. In 2007, he was Sam in
Harold Pinter's
The Homecoming for Radio 3. In 2007, Gambon portrayed
Lord Charles Fox in
Michael Apted's historical drama
Amazing Grace alongside
Ioan Gruffudd,
Romola Garai,
Benedict Cumberbatch,
Albert Finney and
Rufus Sewell. The film focuses on
William Wilberforce, who led the campaign against the slave trade in the British Empire. The film is highly rated according to
Rotten Tomatoes with critics' consensus describing it as "your quintessential historical biopic: stately, noble, and with plenty of electrifying performances". That same year, he played major roles in the acclaimed BBC five-part adaptation of
Mrs Gaskell's
Cranford novels alongside
Judi Dench and
Imelda Staunton, and in
Stephen Poliakoff's ''
Joe's Palace. In 2008, Gambon appeared in the role of Hirst in No Man's Land'' by
Harold Pinter in the
Gate Theatre, Dublin, opposite
David Bradley as Spooner, in a production directed by
Rupert Goold, which transferred to the London West End's
Duke of York's Theatre, for which both roles each received nominations for the 2009
Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor. After Pinter's death on 24 December 2008, Gambon read Hirst's
monologue selected by the playwright for Gambon to read at his funeral, held on 31 December 2008, during the cast's memorial remarks from the stage as well as at the funeral and also in
Words and Music, transmitted on the
BBC Radio 3 on 22 February 2009. In late 2009, Gambon had to withdraw from his role of
W. H. Auden in
The Habit of Art (being replaced by
Richard Griffiths) because of ill health. In April 2010, Gambon returned once again to the Gate Theatre Dublin to appear in
Samuel Beckett's ''
Krapp's Last Tape'', which transferred to London's Duchess Theatre in October 2010. In 2009, he appeared in a television adaptation of
Jane Austen's famously irrepressible
Emma, a four-hour miniseries that premiered on BBC One in October 2009, co-starring
Romola Garai. He played Mr Woodhouse, for which he received a 2010
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie nomination for his performance. In 2010, Gambon took a supporting role in
Tom Hooper's historical drama ''
The King's Speech where he portrayed an ailing King George V. He acted alongside Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter and Guy Pearce. In 2011, the film received 12 Academy Awards nominations, more than any other film in that year. The film won four Oscars including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Adapted Screenplay. Gambon appeared in the 2010 Christmas Special of Doctor Who, "A Christmas Carol". During the 2010s, he was also known for his voice work. He appeared as the Narrator in the British version of Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. In 2013, Gambon provided the voice for The Prophet, a character in the MMORPG video game The Elder Scrolls Online''.
2012–2019: Television projects and final roles '' in October 2014 In 2012, he starred with
Eileen Atkins in an adaptation of Beckett's radio play,
All That Fall. The director,
Trevor Nunn, staged the performance as a studio recording of a radio play so that the cast performed with script in hand. Its premiere was at the
Jermyn Street Theatre and it later transferred to the
Arts Theatre. In November 2013 the production transferred to
59E59 Theaters in New York. Also 2012, Gambon reunited with
Dustin Hoffman in the
HBO horse-racing drama
Luck, which was cancelled in March 2012 after three horses died on set. Gambon participated in the live event,
National Theatre Live: 50 Years On Stage (2013), a production that was a part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Theatre. The presentation included live performances, interspersed with documentary footage, and archival footage of live performances of original productions from the National Theatre. Gambon joined
Derek Jacobi in a live performance from ''
No Man's Land'' by
Harold Pinter. In 2012, he played a role in
Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut with
Quartet, based on the
same-titled play by
Ronald Harwood and starring
Maggie Smith,
Tom Courtenay,
Billy Connolly and
Pauline Collins. The film premiered at the
2012 Toronto International Film Festival to favourable reviews. The review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes reported an 80% approval rating with the consensus reading, "It's sweet, gentle, and predictable to a fault, but Dustin Hoffman's affectionate direction and the talented cast's amiable charm make Quartet too difficult to resist." The following year, he was cast in the role of Howard Mollison in the
adaptation of the best-selling book
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. The BBC One miniseries, produced in association with HBO, consists of three one-hour parts. Production began 7 July 2014 in South West England. In 2015 and 2018, Gambon starred as Henry Tyson in the first and third series of
Sky Atlantic's
Fortitude. In 2016, Gambon was the narrator for the
Coen Brothers' Hollywood comedy
Hail, Caesar!, which satirised the 1950s
Hollywood film industry and featured an ensemble cast including
Josh Brolin,
George Clooney,
Alden Ehrenreich,
Ralph Fiennes,
Jonah Hill,
Scarlett Johansson,
Frances McDormand,
Tilda Swinton and
Channing Tatum. The film was well received by critics, earning an approval rating of 86% on
Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus being, "Packed with period detail and perfectly cast,
Hail, Caesar! finds the Coen brothers delivering an agreeably lightweight love letter to post-war Hollywood." The film also received an
Academy Award nomination for its
Production Design. Gambon then appeared in comedy film ''
Dad's Army playing the iconic Private Godfrey, based on Arnold Ridley, who had played the character in the original classic BBC series of the same name. Gambon also provided voice-overs as Uncle Pastuzo in the Paddington
films In March 2018, it was announced that Gambon would star in the comedy series Breeders. However, in April 2019, it was reported that Gambon left the series as he was having trouble memorising lines due to his issues with memory loss. In 2019, he appeared in the biographical film Judy'', about
Judy Garland, starring
Renée Zellweger,
Rufus Sewell,
Finn Wittrock and
Jessie Buckley. That same year Gambon appeared in his final film role in
Adrian Shergold's period thriller
Cordelia, acting alongside
Johnny Flynn and
Catherine McCormack. ==Personal life and death==