Michael Gambon

Sir Michael Gambon CBE
Gambon in June 2013
Born	Michael John Gambon (1940-10-19) 19 October 1940 (age 76) Cabra, Dublin, Ireland
Citizenship	Ireland, United Kingdom
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1962–present
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Spouse(s)	Anna Miller (m.1962-1999)
Partner(s)	Phillipa Hart (2000-present)
Children	3
Signature

Sir Michael John Gambon CBE (born 19 October 1940) is an Irish-born English actor who has worked in theatre, television and film. Gambon has played the eponymous mystery writer protagonist in the BBC television serial The Singing Detective, Jules Maigret in the 1990s ITV serial Maigret, and Professor Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films after the death of actor Richard Harris who played the part in the first two Harry Potter films.

Gambon was born in Cabra, Dublin, during World War II. His father, Edward Gambon, was an engineer, and his mother, Mary (née Hoare), was a seamstress. His father decided to seek work in the rebuilding of London, and so the family moved to Mornington Crescent in north London, when Gambon was five. His father had him made a British citizen, a decision that would later allow Gambon to receive a substantive, rather than honorary, knighthood and CBE.

Brought up as a strict Roman Catholic, he attended St Aloysius Boys' School in Somers Town and served at the altar. He then moved to St Aloysius' College in Hornsey Lane, Highgate, London, whose former pupils include Peter Sellers. He later moved to North End, Kent, and attended Crayford Secondary School, before leaving with no qualifications at fifteen. He then gained an apprenticeship with Vickers Armstrong as a toolmaker. By the time he was 21, he was a qualified engineer. He kept the job for a further year, acquiring a fascination and passion for collecting antique guns, clocks, watches and classic cars.