Michael Gambon
Michael Gambon
Sir Michael John Gambon CBEis an Irish-born English actor who has worked in theatre, television and film. Gambon has played Philip Marlow in the BBC television serial The Singing Detective, Jules Maigret in the 1990s ITV serial Maigret, and Professor Albus Dumbledore in the last six Harry Potter films after the death of actor Richard Harris...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth19 October 1940
CityDublin, Ireland
complete crooks nice played quite
I've played quite a lot of crooks and killers, and that's quite interesting. Then Dumbledore is the complete opposite, isn't he? He's a nice old man.
alan eight fell love met norman plays solving starting tells
I fell in love with Alan Ayckbourn the day I met him and, starting with 'The Norman Conquests,' went on to do eight plays with him. He tells you just what you want to know and has a brilliant way of solving problems.
plays
There are more important ways of earning a living, aren't there? Like being a neurosurgeon. But some plays are very important, aren't they?
classical dried lazy plays
Television has dried up for my generation, so it's plays and films. You get used to being lazy doing films, but classical theatre's going to finish me off.
bit british-actor floating hardly layers lighter pair played richard turned
Richard was in heavy, heavy costume, he could hardly sit, you know, and I turned up and they put me in two layers of silk, so I played him much lighter - you know, floating around in a pair of slippers, a bit of a hippy.
years play promise
I promise myself that I would go and do a play every year.
play people acting
Paul Schofield said something like, 'If I'm not acting in a play, I don't really exist.' Those weren't the exact words, but he meant it's only when I'm acting in a play that I've got something to say about the world. And then why should I talk, when people can come to see it?
play passengers i-can
I live in fear of being a contented passenger. I'd rather get parts I can't play.
play comedian done
Oh yeah, I'd love to be a comedian. I've done a lot, but always in the confines of plays.
real character play
Every part I play is just a variant of my own personality. No real character actor, of course, just me.
play generations television
Television has dried up for my generation, so its plays and films.
believe demanding front hear idiot people requires row theatre
I sometimes think the theatre is more demanding because it requires things you don't have in films, like it requires you to make the people in the front row believe you and not look an idiot to them while the people right at the back can hear you.
best bits books british-actor cut miserable people
People who have read the books get miserable because of all the bits that have been cut out. So I just read the script. That's the best way.
maybe people
People should be shrouded in mystery. Especially actors. No, hang on, maybe actors should be blown up.