(VOVWORLD) - British-Irish actor Michael Gambon, best known to global audiences for playing the wise professor Albus Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" movie franchise and whose career was launched by his mentor Laurence Olivier, died aged 82 on Thursday.
 British-Irish actor Michael Gambon |
Gambon began his acting on the stage in the early 1960s and later moved into TV and film.
But his best-known role was as Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" franchise, a role he took over from the third instalment in the eight-movie series after he replaced the late Richard Harris in 2004.
Gambon played down the praise for his performance and said he simply played himself "with a stuck-on beard and a long robe".