By signing up you are agreeing to our, The Forty-Year-Old Version Is an Effervescent Look at an Artist Becoming True to Herself, Alarming Data Shows Possible Third Wave of COVID-19, Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know now on politics, health and more, © 2020 TIME USA, LLC. However, he was also renowned for his hellraiser lifestyle and heavy drinking. Although he declined the role, McKellen admitted that he sometimes gets confused for Michael Gambon, the actor who wound up playing Dumbledore after Harris died. McKellen said Harris once called him a “technically brilliant, but passionless” actor — something he remembered when he was considering the role. He would be replaced as Dumbledore by fellow Irish-born actor, Michael Gambon. Harry Potter Wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community. Their three children are actor Jared Harris, actor Jamie Harris (born Tudor St John Harris, but known as Jamie since childhood), and director Damian Harris (who has a son named Marlowe, born 2002, with Australian actress Peta Wilson). Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Sir Richard St John Harris (1 October, 1930 – 25 October, 2002) was an Irish actor and singer, who portrayed Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in the first two film adaptations of the Harry Potter books. “When they called me up and said would I be interested in being in the Harry Potter films, they didn’t say what part, but I worked out what they were thinking, and I couldn’t.” Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey, LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World, LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story, Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets actors, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone actors, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Richard_Harris?oldid=1352811, Mildred Josephine (Harty) Harris (mother) †, Noel William Michael Harris (younger brother). “I couldn’t take over the part from an actor who I’d known didn’t approve of me,” McKellen said in an interview with BBC’s HARDTalk show. All Rights Reserved. His death was announced by sons Damian, Jarid and Jamie who said their "beloved father" had passed away peacefully at University College Hospital, London, at 1900 BST on Friday. Skimping on Sleep Messes With Your Memory, Olive Garden Reviewer Had Special Bond With Bourdain, You can unsubscribe at any time. The 77-year-old English actor — known for playing Gandalf, another famous and bearded wizard from Lord of the Rings — said he was contacted by producers from Harry Potter to play Dumbledore, but turned down the part. He admitted his wayward nature almost lost him the role of Harry Potter's wise old wizard headmaster. https://ew.com/article/2002/10/01/harry-potters-richard-harris-dies-72 The Irish screen veteran, 72, had been undergoing chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease, after falling ill two months ago. Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World. ", Chat show host Michael Parkinson - who interviewed Harris three times - said: "He was an extraordinary man, a great For most of the series, he is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts.As part of his backstory, it is revealed that he is the founder and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation dedicated to fighting Lord Voldemort, the main antagonist of the series. Best Actor in a Leading Role (nomination. He was twice nominated for Oscars for This Sporting Life and The Field and was also recently nominated for a British Independent Film award for his performance as the leader of a Liverpool crime syndicate in My Kingdom. Richard Harris dies of Hodgkins’ in 2002. Community content is available under. “Sometimes, when I see the posters of Mike Gambon, the actor who gloriously plays Dumbledore, I think sometimes it is me,” he joked. Harris had expected to be discharged in time to work on the third Potter film, The Prisoner of Azkaban. The movie was also dedicated to him as he had died the previous year. Fandom may earn an affiliate commission on sales made from links on this page. Sir Ian McKellen has revealed why he never took on the role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies. He and the rest of the cast were asked to sign up for a seven-movie deal - the number of books JK Rowling has always said she intended to write. Richard Harris married secondly the American actress Ann Turkel, who was 16 years his junior, but that marriage also ended in divorce. In his career, he was nominated for two Best Actor Academy Awards: for This Sporting Life in 1964, and The Field in 1991. He played Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films, that is, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Late in his career, he acted in the Oscar-winning films Unforgiven and Gladiator (in the latter as Marcus Aurelius). He was also an accomplished musician and singer: he released several albums, and his single "MacArthur Park" reached #2 on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart. Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com. He had just finished work on the second Harry Potter movie, Chamber of Secrets, when he became ill this summer. Actor Patrick McGoohan reportedly had an interest in the role but stepped away from acting due to health reasons in the early 2000s. Sir Ian McKellen has revealed why he never took on the role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies.. "I'm rebellious by nature and felt it could be rather difficult to handle.". "He was my neighbour for ten years, and he was the most wonderful, warm Harris died of Hodgkin's Disease in 2002 at the age of 72, about two weeks before the U.S. première of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. character. Hodgkin's disease - a form of cancer that affects the lymph glands - was diagnosed when Harris went into hospital with a severe chest infection in August. He played Albus Dumbledore … Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. storyteller, very intelligent.". Sir Richard St John Harris (1 October, 1930 – 25 October, 2002) was an Irish actor and singer, who portrayed Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in the first two film adaptations of the Harry Potter books. Film director Michael Winner said: "The lights have dimmed a lot with He at first declined the offer to play Dumbledore; however, upon hearing the news that her grandfather had a very good shot at playing the role, his granddaughter told him that if he did not go back and take the part, she would never speak to him again. Harris, already a renowned actor, became known to a new generation of film fans through his role as Professor Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - the first movie based on JK Rowling's tales of the boy wizard. “When {Richard Harris] died–he played Dumbledore, the wizard–I played the real wizard, of course,” said McKellen, referring to his career-defining portrayal of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. his passing. He had just finished work on the second Harry Potter movie, Chamber of Secrets, when he became ill this summer. And so, he accepted the part. He was a member of the Knights of Malta, despite his divorces, and was also knighted by Denmark in 1985. Celebrated actor Richard Harris has died following a fight against cancer, his family has confirmed. Only a few weeks ago his agent, Sharon Thomas, told BBC News Online he was "responding well to treatment". "The thought of doing seven films was intimidating," he said at the time. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, This Is Why Ian McKellen Turned Down Playing Dumbledore in the. Sean Connery was also targeted but the actor was against the idea of committing to a children's movie about wizards. Famously the actor playing Dumbledore changed after the first two films, as Richard Harris sadly died of cancer after filming The Chamber of Secrets, with Michael Gambon being his replacement. The Harry Potter Wiki has 21 images related to, *Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, Fandom will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Michael Gambon succeeds him as Dumbledore in Prisoner of Azkaban in the next movie. Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The list of "could have been" Dumbledore actors would grow in just a few years. Harris, already a renowned actor, became known to a new generation of film fans through his role as Professor Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - the first movie based on JK Rowling's tales of the boy wizard. In 1957, he married Elizabeth Rees-Williams, daughter of David Rees-Williams; they divorced in 1969, and Elizabeth married another actor, Rex Harrison. In 2003, his voice could be heard as the character Opaz in the animated film Kaena: The Prophecy. The Harry Potter books were a worldwide phenomenon even before J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World hit the big screen. "Harris said that even as a child he was excessively wild", "He was always better than the films he wa in", Harris's Potter role unaffected by illness, ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------. His reason: Richard Harris, who played Dumbledore in the franchise before his death in 2002. Harris built his reputation on his commanding performances in films such as A Man Called Horse and This Sporting Life. Links to more Entertainment stories are at the foot of the page.