Sir Michael John Gambon, CBE (born 19 October 1940) is an Irish actor who has worked in theatre, television, and film. He moved to England and gained British citizenship. Gambon has played the eponymous mystery writer protagonist in the BBC television serial The Singing Detective, Jules Maigret in the 1990s ITV serial Maigret, and Professor Albus Dumbledore in the final six Harry Potter films after the death of Richard Harris who had previously played the role. He has won four BAFTA TV Awards and three Olivier Awards. He was knighted in 1998 for services to drama, and he was awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 for his contribution to Irish film.\n', '

Gambon was born in Cabra, Dublin, during World War II (known in Ireland as "The Emergency"). His father, Edward Gambon, was an engineer, and his mother, Mary (née Hoare), was a seamstress. As his father decided to seek work in the rebuilding of London, the family moved to Mornington Crescent in north London, when Gambon was six. His father had him made a British citizen, a decision that would later allow Gambon to receive a substantive, rather than honorary, knighthood and CBE.\n', '

Brought up as a strict Roman Catholic, he attended St Aloysius Boys\' School in Somers Town and served at the altar. He then moved to St Aloysius\' College in Hornsey Lane, Highgate, London, whose former pupils include actor Peter Sellers. He later moved to North End, Kent, and attended Crayford Secondary School, before leaving with no qualifications at fifteen. He then gained an apprenticeship with Vickers Armstrong as a toolmaker. By the time he was 21, he was a qualified engineer. He kept the job for a further year, acquiring a fascination and passion for collecting antique guns, clocks, watches and classic cars.\n', '

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