PeterRS Posted September 29, 2023 Posted September 29, 2023 He was not as instantly recognisable as, say, Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud or others in the panoply of great British actors. He kept himself very much out of the public limelight. But the moment he stepped on stage. you knew you were in the presence of a magnificent force in theatre. Most will remember him for his work in films, as the actor who took over the role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies after the death of Peter O'Toole, or as King George V in The King's Speech. But his career was firmly rooted in the stage with many magnificent performances both in the classics and contemporary theatre. Sir Nicholas Hyntner, former director of London's National Theatre, sums him up perfectly. In 2005 he directed Gambon in the role of Falstaff in Shakespeare's Henry IV Parts 1 and 2. He wrote yesterday - "Michael Gambon was one of the last links to the great generation of actors that included Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson. His extraordinary gift was to combine the brute power of Olivier with the delicacy of Richardson. He could howl in pain at one moment and in the next achieve a kind of balletic grace that took the breath away." He added, "the memory of his countless great performances . . . will remain in circulation for generations." Sir Michael died yesterday aged 82. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/sep/28/michael-gambon-star-of-harry-potter-and-the-singing-detective-dies-aged-82 JKane, Lonnie and Pete1111 1 2 Quote
