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Most of the younger generation knew Michael Gambon as Dumbledore in the last six Harry Potter films. On 27 September 2023, we raised our wands for another fantastic actor who was a part of the film and theatrical industry. He was 82 when he died of pneumonia. This is a tribute to Michael Gambon and his accomplishments in the film and theatrical industries.
Sir Michael Gambon CBE was born in Ireland 19 October, 1940. His family moved to Camden looking for work opportunities and his father arranged for Michael to become a UK citizen which would later allow him the honour of being knighted by the Queen. He was considered a qualified engineering technician by the time he was 21, after he eventually moved to Kent as a young adult growing a passion for antiques and classics (guns, clocks, and cars).
He made his stage debut in 1962 at the age of 24. Michael wrote a letter to the man who at the time was running Dublin’s Gate Theatre with a convincing CV including an extensive (false) theatre career. After being brought on, he was cast in Othello as a smaller role. He would go on to briefly move to New York to star in Skylight which ran on Broadway for four months, but eventually he came home to the UK stating that he had a great time but wanted to return.
Michael Gambon made his film debut in 1965 in Othello alongside his famous counterpart Maggie Smith, who would work with him throughout his career. Some of his most notable films in his career being: the Harry Potter series (the last 6 films from 2004 to 2011), Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Paddington 1 and 2, Sleepy Hollow, and Churchill’s Secret. Few actors have portrayed such a diverse set of skills like Michael, but he did so with such grace.
Following in his mentor’s footsteps, he rarely agreed to interviews. When he did more often than not he added questions rather than answered them and satisfied curiosities. He did however make several appearances based on his personal interests. His love of classic cars landed him an appearance on the show Top Gear twice. After his first appearance he had the last corner of the test track named after him, and on his second appearance he clipped the corner improving his driving time drastically. He appeared in Doctor Who during a Christmas special and provided his voice to the online game The Elder Scrolls Online as The Prophet. He returned to his stage roots when he took part in National Theatre Live: 50 Years On Stage by doing a live performance from No Man’s Land.
Over the course of his career, which spanned across six decades, he achieved accomplishments including:
4 BAFTA Awards
3 Oliver Awards
2 Screen Actors Guild Awards
A founding member of the Royal National Theatre
And in 1998 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the dramatic arts
Janine has always been a part of music and performing. The first show that inspired her to go into theatre was the Velveteen Rabbit which she saw as a child, and Drew works to keep that magic alive in her work. When Drew was accepted into an internship program for audio engineering at a recording studio, she jumped at the opportunity. That was at the start of 2020, and so much has happened since then, both in her career and in the world. Since then, Drew has taken several opportunities to work at recording studios, concerts, festivals, and even large theatres while spending some time on tour. Drew's favorite by far though, has been the chance to work on Broadways and West End shows, as this was a dream come true. Drew is honoured to get to share these experiences from being inside the entertainment industry.
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