More Actors Played Dumbledore In The Wizarding World Movies Than You Likely Realized
The "Harry Potter" movie franchise lost a big part of its foundation on September 28 with the death of Professor Albus Dumbledore actor Michael Gambon at age 82. Gambon took over the role after original Dumbledore actor Richard Harris died in 2002 after completing his work on his second film in the franchise, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."
However, Harris and Gambon weren't the only actors to play Dumbledore in the film series. Toby Regbo made an uncredited appearance as a younger version of the character in flashback scenes in 2010's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1." Years later, he reprised the role for certain sequences in 2018's "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald," the second installment of the "Harry Potter" prequel series, which focuses on Dumbledore's conflict with the dark wizard Grindelwald.
"The Crimes of Grindelwald" also introduced Jude Law as the 45-year-old version of Dumbledore, who plays a prominent role in the story. Law reprised the character for 2022's "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore," and might return as the magical professor once again should the franchise continue.
Gambon had the longest tenure as the big screen Dumbledore
Richard Harris originated the role of Professor Dumbledore in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in 2001. After completing his work on "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," Harris died on October 25, 2002, about three weeks before the film's release on November 15.
Michael Gambon made his debut in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" in 2004, and Dumbledore remained a main character in 2005's "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," 2007's "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," and 2009's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." However, since Dumbledore dies in "The Half-Blood Prince," his screen time is limited to shorter fantasy sequences for both parts of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." The actor returned to his role as Dumbledore one more time after the "Harry Potter" film series, voicing the venerable professor in the 2018 video game "Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery."
Author J.K. Rowling and several "Harry Potter" stars reacted to the death of Gambon after his passing, including stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, as well as supporting actors Jason Isaacs and James Phelps. In various statements, they agreed that Gambon was always a fun presence to be around, very generous with his time, and very dedicated to his craft.