Following the news that acclaimed actor Michael Gambon died today at the age of 82, fans in Orlando gave him a tribute worthy of the man who played Professor Dumbledore in six of the eight “Harry Potter” films.
The fans gathered outside the Hogwarts Castle replica found in “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter–Hogsmeade” at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando, where they raised their wands during a moment of silence, which you can see in the video at the top of the page.
The tribute was a recreation of a scene from the end of the movie version of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” where the students and faculty of Hogwarts lift their magic wands and light them up after Dumbledore is killed.
This isn’t the first such tribute marking the death of a “Harry Potter” actor. Similar tributes were given in 2016 for Alan Rickman, who played Professor Snape, and in 2022 for Robbie Coltrane, who played Rubeus Hagrid.
Gambon took over as Dumbledore for the third film, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” following the death of Richard Harris.
“Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe, who played the titular character in each of the films, told Variety, “The sixth film was where I got to spend the most time working with Michael and he made the hours spent in front of a green screen together more memorable and joyous than they had any right to be.”
“I’m so sad to hear he has passed, but I am so grateful for the fact that I am one of the lucky people who got to work with him,” he added.
Incidentally, the raised wands tribute was invented for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” and didn’t come from the books.
