Sir Michael John Gambon (19 October 1940 – 27 September 2023) was an Irish-English actor. Gambon began his acting career with Laurence Olivier, becoming one of the first members of the Royal National Theatre. Over his sixty-year career he received three Laurence Olivier Awards and four BAFTA Television Awards. In 1998 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama.

Gambon appeared in many productions of works by William Shakespeare, such as Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth and Coriolanus. Gambon was nominated for thirteen Laurence Olivier Awards, winning three times for A Chorus of Disapproval (1985), A View from the Bridge (1987) and Man of the Moment (1990). In 1997 Gambon made his Broadway debut in David Hare's play Skylight, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play.

Gambon made his film debut in Othello (1965). Among his other notable films are The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), The Wings of the Dove (1997), The Insider (1999), Gosford Park (2001), Amazing Grace (2006), The King's Speech (2010), Quartet (2012) and Victoria & Abdul (2017). Gambon also appeared in Wes Anderson's films The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). Gambon gained wide recognition for the role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter film series from 2004 to 2011, where he replaced Richard Harris after his death in 2002.

For his work on television he received four BAFTA Awards for The Singing Detective (1986), Wives and Daughters (1999), Longitude (2000) and Perfect Strangers (2001). He also received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Path to War (2002) and Emma (2009). Among Gambon's other notable projects are Cranford (2007) and The Casual Vacancy (2015). In 2017 he received the Irish Film & Television Academy Award for outstanding career achievement. In 2020 he was ranked 27th in The Irish Times list of the greatest Irish film actors.