The actor Sir Michael Gambon has died aged 82, his household has stated.

He was greatest identified for enjoying Professor Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight Harry Potter movies.

The Dublin-born star labored in TV, movie, theatre and radio over his six-decade profession. He gained 4 Baftas.

His widow Lady Gambon and son Fergus stated their “beloved husband and father” died peacefully in hospital along with his household by his aspect, following a bout of pneumonia.

Sir Michael’s household had moved to London when he was a toddler however he made his very first stage efficiency in Ireland, in a manufacturing of Othello in Dublin in 1962.

His profession took off when he grew to become one the unique members of Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre performing firm in London. He went on to win three Olivier awards for performances in National Theatre productions.

He performed French detective Jules Maigret in ITV sequence Maigret and was additionally identified for his function as Philip Marlow in Dennis Potter’s The Singing Detective on the BBC.

Sir Michael took on the function of Dumbledore – headmaster of wizarding college Hogwarts – within the hit Harry Potter sequence, primarily based on JK Rowling’s novels, after the dying of Richard Harris in 2003.

Fiona Shaw, who performed Petunia Dursley within the movies, informed BBC Radio 4’s The World at One: “He varied his career remarkably and never judged what he was doing, he just played.”

She stated she would all the time consider him “as a trickster, just a brilliant, magnificent trickster”, including: “With text, there was nothing like him. He could do anything.”

Jason Isaacs, who performed Lucius Malfoy within the sequence, wrote on social media: “I learned what acting could be from Michael in The Singing Detective – complex, vulnerable and utterly human.

“The best thrill of being within the Potter movies was that he knew my identify and shared his fearless, filthy sense of enjoyable with me.”

And James Phelps, who played Fred Weasley in the films, called Sir Michael “a legend” in a tribute on X, formerly known as Twitter.He also shared a screenshot of text of him recalling Sir Michael once offering to go over lines one weekend when he had a part in Peter and the Wolf with the Manchester Halle Orchestra.

“We spent what ought to have been his downtime going over my weekend gig. It is a reminiscence that I’ve all the time had as one of many highlights of my (Harry Potter) days,” he stated.

Actor Dame Joan Collins, who played Sir Michael’s wife in BBC sitcom Mama’s Back in 1993, called him a “nice actor and nice enjoyable”.

Dame Eileen Atkins, a longstanding friend of Sir Michael, told BBC Radio 4’s The World at One he was “a terrific actor, however he all the time pretended he did not take it very severely” and that he had amazing stage presence.

“He simply needed to stroll on stage and he commanded the entire viewers instantly,” she said. “There was one thing very candy about him, this large man who might look very scary – however there was one thing extremely candy inside Michael.”

She added: “I’ll all the time keep in mind that man.”

His other film work includes the big screen adaptation of Dad’s Army, Gosford Park and the King’s Speech, in which he portrayed King George V, father of the stammering King George VI.

He was nominated for Emmy awards for his role as Mr Woodhouse in an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma in 2010, and for playing President Lyndon B Johnson in Path to War in 2002. He also got a Tony nomination in 1997 for a role in David Hare play Skylight.

He was knighted for services to the entertainment industry in 1998. Although Irish-born, he had become a British citizen in his childhood.

The actor, often known as “The Great Gambon” in acting circles, had last appeared on stage in 2012 in a London production of Samuel Beckett’s play All That Fall.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar paid tribute, saying: “An excellent actor. Whether performing in Beckett, Dennis Potter or Harry Potter, he gave his all to each efficiency.”