MICHAEL GAMBON amassed scores of stage, screen, and television credits during his decades-long acting career, though he arguably remains most famous for portraying Albus Dumbledore, the firm but fair-minded headmaster of the Hogwarts wizarding school, in the Harry Potter movie franchise. readers also will recognize him for his menacing performances as Denton Baxter, the tyrannical town boss who makes life difficult for cattle drivers Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner in Costner’s (2003), and Michael “Mike” Smythe, the short-tempered brute who vies with Dustin Hoffman for control of a California racetrack in the 2011-12 HBO series . The Irish-born actor passed away Sept. 27 in Witham, Essex, England. He was 82.
