Sir Michael Gambon, best known for his roles in The Singing Detective and six Harry Potter films, has passed away at the age of 82.

The multi-award winning actor died peacefully in hospital with his family by his side, following a bout of pneumonia.

Born in Dublin and raised in London, Gambon began his acting career more than 60 years ago, and was one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre alongside Sir Laurence Olivier.

Coincidentally, his on-screen debut saw him work alongside Olivier in a big-screen adaptation of the William Shakespeare play Othello (1965). However, his television work slowly gained more notice particularly with his recurring role as Gavin Kerr in 26 episodes of the historical series The Borderers (1968-70).

During that period, Gambon auditioned to play James Bond in the 007 outing On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) only to lose out on the role to George Lazenby.

Throughout the 1970s, he appeared in horror films like Nothing But the Night (1973) and The Beast Must Die (1974) as well as television programmes like The Challengers (1972), Play for Today (1972-76) and The Other One (1977-79).

However, his on-screen career soon took prominence in the 1980s starting with his portrayal of Oscar Wilde in the mini-series Oscar (1985). The following year saw Gambon take on the lucrative role as Philip Marlowe in Dennis Potter’s darkly fantasy drama The Singing Detective (1986).

The mini-series focused on a mystery writer confined to bed with a crippling skin and joint disease, who dreams of a fantasy world in which his alter-ego is an eponymous sleuth. Gambon would go on to win the first of four television BAFTAs for his portrayal.

After a guest appearance in Bergerac (1987), Gambon’s star continued to rise on the big-screen with his roles as a violent gangster opposite Helen Mirren in the crime caper The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) and as a magistrate in the courtroom drama A Dry White Season (1989).

In the 1990s, he starred in other well-known films including Toys (1992), The Browning Version (1994), Nothing Personal (1995), The Wings of the Dove (1997), Plunkett & Macleane (1999), The Insider (1999) and Sleepy Hollow (1999). During that period, he also guest-starred in an episode of Minder (1991) while also portraying Chief Inspector Maigret in the ITV sleuth series Maigret (1992-93).

The new Millennium then strengthened Gambon’s position as a prestige character actor in which he scored a hat-trick of (TV) BAFTA wins for his leading performances as Squire Hamley in Wives and Daughters (1999), John Harrison in Longitude (2000) and Raymond in Perfect Strangers (2001).

After starring in Gosford Park (2001), Charlotte Gray (2001) and Ali G In Da House (2001), he then received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for his portrayal of American president Lyndon B. Johnson in the television film Path to War (2002). Other lucrative roles in that time included The Lost Prince (2003), Open Range (2003), and Sylvia (2003), as well as two appearances in the acclaimed mini-series Angels in America (2003).

In 2004, Gambon stepped into the popular role of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series after the death of original actor Richard Harris. He would go on to play the beloved character in six films from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 2004 to the concluding chapter Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011.

During that hectic year, Gambon also made his presence felt in other major films including Being Julia, Layer Cake, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

Throughout the rest of that decade, he appeared in The Omen (2006), Amazing Grace (2006), The Good Shepherd (2006), Brideshead Revisited (2008), and Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). His television work included two episodes of Cranford (2007) as well as a second Emmy nomination for his role as Mr Woodhouse in the BBC series adaptation of Emma (2009).

During the last few years of his on-screen career, Gambon portrayed King George V in the multi-award winning drama The King’s Speech (2010) and also starred in The Book of Eli (2010), Doctor Who (2010), Page Eight (2011), Luck (2012), Quartet (2012), Common (2014), The Casual Vacancy (2015), Dad’s Army (2016), Churchill’s Secret (2016), The Hollow Crown (2016), Viceroy’s House (2017), Fearless (2017), Victoria & Abdul (2017), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), Little Women (2017), King of Thieves (2018), and Johnny English Strikes Again (2018).

He also provided the voice of Paddington Bear’s adopted Uncle Pastuzo in the beloved family flicks Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017) as well as narrate the dark comedy Hail, Caesar! (2016).

After a recurring role in the Sky Atlantic series Fortitude (2015-18), Gambon’s final on-screen roles came as Bernard Delfont in the Judy Garland biopic Judy (2019) and as Moses in the psychological thriller Cordelia (2019).

As well as being knighted in 1998, he also received three Olivier Awards for his performances in A Chorus of Disapproval (1986), A View from the Bridge (1988) and Man of the Moment (1990).

Gambon is survived by his widow Lady Gambon, his current partner Philippa Hart, and three sons.