Actor
Sir Michael Gambon was an Irish-British actor of towering gifts whose six-decade career at the National Theatre and beyond established him as one of the greatest stage interpreters of Shakespeare and modern drama.
Defining moments and milestones
From an unpromising start as a toolmaker's apprentice, Gambon audaciously entered Dublin's Gate Theatre at nineteen and caught the eye of Laurence Olivier, who made him an original member of the National Theatre in 1963. Over six decades, he became the supreme classical actor of his generation, commanding Shakespeare with unmatched authority while simultaneously mastering contemporary drama and television, accumulating four BAFTA Awards and earning a knighthood in 1998. His late-career vitality—including a Tony-nominated Broadway debut at fifty-six and continued stage work into his eighties—testified to an artist whose intellectual curiosity and technical command never dimmed.
Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 for services to drama; holds record for most BAFTA Awards for Best Actor with four wins
St Aloysius Boys' School, Somers Town; St Aloysius' College, Highgate, London; Crayford Secondary School, North End, Kent (left at age 15)
A chronological journey through key moments
Recordings featuring Michael Gambon in the Society index
Additional recordings will appear here as the catalog expands.