The sentimental life of British actor Michael Gambon, who died in September 2023 at the age of 82, could also have been well suited for a film. In 1962, aged just 22, he married Anna Miller, who later became Anna Gambon and took her husband's surname. Two years later, in 1964, they had their first and only child together, Fergus, who is now 60 years old. After more than four decades of marriage, the actor met set designer Phillipa Hart, 25 years his junior, in 2000 while filming the Channel 4 mini-series Longitude and they began a relationship that lasted more than 20 years and resulted in two sons being born were, Tom, who was born in 2007, and Will, born in 2009. According to British media, Gambon's wife knew about this relationship and although it initially caused conflict in the marriage, over time it became accepted. The actor, known worldwide for his role as Dumbledore in the Harry Potter saga, was divided between the home he shared with his wife and the one he shared with his mistress and two young children, and he kept it secret never this situation in front of those closest to him. Although he was jealous of his privacy, he did not make it public or comment to the media.
For this reason, the actor's legacy has caused some surprise after his will was announced this Tuesday, March 5. According to media outlets such as the Chron, which had access to the documents, Gambon left a total of £1,465,882 to his wife and nothing to his girlfriend. The 2016 will makes Anna Gambon executor of his estate along with his son Fergus. His other two children, currently aged 17 and 15, will receive £10,000 and a small trophy each (a Silver Heart, a badge Gambon received in recognition of his work as a theater actor, one in 1987 and one in 1987) . Year 2000, from Variety Club). When asked by the British tabloid if she knew she had been excluded from the inheritance, Phillipa Hart replied: “It's none of my business.” And I really don't want to talk about it.” Fergus, the actor's eldest son, declined also declined to comment on this topic.
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Michael Gambon died on September 28 from complications of pneumonia, his agent Clair Dobbs said in a statement on behalf of the interpreter's family, reported by The Guardian: “We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon .” Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside after an attack of pneumonia. Michael was 82 years old. “We ask that our privacy be respected during this painful time, and we welcome messages of support and love.” He has been acclaimed by audiences and critics for his roles in the theater and on the big and small screen Gambon was also admired by several generations of his professional colleagues, as the same newspaper noted.
“He was enormously prolific, with over 150 appearances on television and film, at a time when even half that number would have been impressive and unusual. And this for a man whose resume in the theater was also astonishing,” emphasized Das Variety magazine. Although he was best known for his leading role in the series The Singing Detective and as Albus Dumbledore in the film adaptation of the Harry Potter saga, his characters also included two kings of England (Edward VII in the television film The Lost Prince ” and George V in the Oscar-winning “The King's Speech”), Winston Churchill (in the television show “Churchill's Secret”) or the President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson (in “The Road to War”, including an Emmy Nomination). And at the same time several gangsters or the director of a tobacco company in “The Dilemma” by Michael Mann.
In 2015, Gambon announced his retirement from the stage in an interview with The Sunday Times newspaper. He subsequently admitted to having memory problems that prevented him from learning the scripts. Years earlier, precisely because he had forgotten his part of the script, he suffered a panic attack that required him to be hospitalized. “It's a terrible thing to admit, but I can't do it. “It breaks my heart,” admitted the actor, who also admitted that he had only taken short roles for some time and had acted with an earpiece so people could tell him his lines when he had forgotten them.
On the big screen, her last appearance was in a small role in British director Adrian Shergold's horror film Cordelia (2019), which received mixed reviews. The actor's legacy has been recognized with an Emmy, an honorary award from the 2012 British Independent Film Awards and four awards from the British Academy of Film. In Spain he won Best Actor at the 1989 Sitges Festival.