R.I.P. Michael Gambon

[gunnar]

Which makes him a bit like Alec Guinness: an actor with a long list of notable credits, somehow remembered most for a lark of a role in a movie that made a ton of money.

Thank God for being of a certain age where one thinks of Sir Alec strictly in terms of his associations with David Lean & the Ealing comedies first. Star Wars is merely an amusing after thought.

Star Wars was the first movie that I can remember seeing in the theater when it came out (I was 7 at the time). However, the first movie I think of when I think of Alec Guinness is The Bridge on the River Kwai, followed by films like Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Mudlark, and Ladykillers.

As for Michael Gambon, I mostly know him from the Harry Potter movies. A lot of the other films that I've seen which he appeared in, he was in minor supporting roles. I thought The Singing Detective was okay.

[Reza]

Which makes him a bit like Alec Guinness: an actor with a long list of notable credits, somehow remembered most for a lark of a role in a movie that made a ton of money.

Thank God for being of a certain age where one thinks of Sir Alec strictly in terms of his associations with David Lean & the Ealing comedies first. Star Wars is merely an amusing after thought.

[Mister Tee]

I'm amazed, looking over his credits, that he labored as long as he did in relative anonymity. I never knew he was in the Olivier Othello. The first time I became aware of him was when PBS ran The Singing Detective in 1987, and he was already in his late 40s by then.

If any of you haven't seen that Dennis Potter miniseries, I recommend it quite highly; it made me a Gambon fan for life -- though I can't say i ever saw a performance of his subsequently that impressed me on quite the same level. This includes when I saw him in Skylight on Broadway, years back. He was always solid/fine; never again quite transcendent. There are far worse legacies for an actor to have.

Of course, he'll be mostly celebrated in our fame-worshiping media for taking over the Dumbledore role for the last few Harry Potter movies. Which makes him a bit like Alec Guinness: an actor with a long list of notable credits, somehow remembered most for a lark of a role in a movie that made a ton of money.

[Sabin]

The first word that jumps out at me when describing him is "respectable." Always good and reliable on-screen, but besides my first impression of him (Thief, Wife, Lover) he never seemed iconic. He always seemed like one of those guys who you got when somebody else wasn't available. Richard Harris, obviously. He also reminded me a bit of Simon Callow. But looking at his resume, what a constantly, constantly working actor. Also looking at his resume, perhaps he's been unwell for a moment because I don't see any credits in any form since 2019.

RIP

[mlrg]

I watched The Cook, The Thief The Wife & Her Lover this weekend. He was magnificent in it.

R.I.P.

[anonymous1980]

Story.

Great actor. R.I.P.