28 September 2023 , 14:49
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Actor Sir Michael Gambon has died aged 82 after contracting pneumonia. The star enchanted audiences throughout his 60 year career, and famously captured the hearts of children across the world in his role as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series. Irish Sir Michael became an actor at 24, and from there on in his career was full of stage and screen roles, from playing the titular French detective in ITV series Maigret to being cast in cult films such as Gosford Park and Sleepy Hollow as well making many Shakespeare's characters his own. But as interesting as his career is, his private life was just as colourful as any on-screen character's.
Michael Gambon enchanted the world as Albus Dumbledore (Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar)Dad's Army star Sir Michael married his mathematician wife Anne in 1962, and the two were husband and wife until the end, sharing a son called Fergus. However, since 2000 Sir Michael has also been in a relationship with set designer Philippa Hart, 25 years his junior, whom he met on the set of the film Longitude, in which he starred as the 18th-century watchmaker John Harrison.
The actor did not keep this new love a secret and just a year after meeting, he was introducing Philippa, who is two years younger than his son Fergus, to co-stars including Maggie Smith and Charles Dance. His wife Anne seemingly accepted the relationship, and for years Michael split his time between the £5 million mansion he shared with Lady Gambon in Gravesend, Kent, and a property in West London where Philippa and the couple’s teenage sons Tom and Will now live.
Michael and his wife Anne who has stood by him for decades (Mike Gunnill/REX/Shutterstock)It seems that Michael, who became a father to his final child aged 68, was thrilled to be an older dad. Actress Hetty Baynes who starred opposite him in Casual Vacancy told The Mail, "Michael was never happier than when his boys were on the set. They were so sweet and you can see he absolutely adores them. But I’m sure they run him ragged. Having a child in later life can be an exhausting thing, but it brings so much joy.
"When I was married to Ken [Russell, the renowned film director], he was 65 when our son Rex was born, so it was a similar elderly parent scenario which Michael has. But Philippa is amazing. She does an awful lot of the work and she’s absolutely delightful."
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Unlike many actors of his generation, Michael did not come from affluent beginnings. The star was born in Dublin into a working class family who thought a life on stage was a pipe dream. He left school with no qualifications then took up an apprenticeship as a toolmaker and by 21 was a qualified engineering technician. Although he only stayed in that job a year longer, it led to his lifelong passion for collecting antique guns, clocks, and classic cars.
Michael and Philippa Hart, with whom he shares two sons (Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock)In 2015, the beloved actor revealed he had to step back from his stellar stage acting career, for which he won three prestigious Olivier Awards, due to having memory issues. As a result of this, during his latter roles the actor had to be fed his lines through an earpiece in order to deliver them correctly.
In an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, he explained, "There was a girl in the wings and I had a plug in my ear so she could read me the lines, and after about an hour I thought, this can't work. You can't be in theatre, free on stage shouting and screaming and running around, with someone reading you your lines." However the legendary thespian continued acting in films until a few years before his death.