Gambon gets Harris’ ‘Harry Potter’ role
Harry Potter has a new schoolmaster: Michael Gambon.
The Irish-born actor is replacing Richard Harris, who died last year, as Albus Dumbledore in the third installment of the “Harry Potter” series, Warner Bros. announced Friday.
“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” is filming in England, and Gambon’s casting had been a closely guarded secret. Others mentioned as possible candidates for the role included Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen and Peter O’Toole, who had a longtime friendship with Harris.
Gambon, 62, is best known for his roles as the wealthy murder victim in 2001’s “Gosford Park” and the sinister landowner in 1999’s “Sleepy Hollow.” He also starred as President Johnson in the 2002 TV movie “Path to War.”
From Associated Press
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