Sir Michael Gambon passed away last week at the age of 82, and I thought it would be a fitting tribute to dedicate a Man Candy Monday retrospective of his historical roles on film. As you can see, he produced a tremendous body of work, and this list is leaving out a handful of roles that I couldn’t find images for or where just slightly out of period. All in all, there’s an overwhelming number of films to work through, if you’re feeling like you want to take up a second hobby of strictly Michael Gambon period pieces!
The Borderers (1968-70)
Role: Gavin Ker
Oscar (1985)
Role: Oscar Wilde
The Singing Detective (1986)
Role: Philip Marlowe
The Heat of the Day (1989)
Role: Harrison
Blood Royal: William the Conqueror (1990)
Role: William I
Mobsters (1991)
Role: Don Farazano
Maigret (1992-93)
Role: Chief Inspector Maigret
Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale (1994)
Role: Sir George
Mary Reilly (1996)
Role: Mary’s Father
The Wings of the Dove (1997)
Role: Kate’s Father
The Gambler (1997)
Role: Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Dancing at Lughnasa (1998)
Role: Father Jack Mundy
Plunkett & Macleane (1999)
Role: Lord Gibson
The Last September (1999)
Role: Sir Richard Naylor
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Role: Baltus Van Tassel
Wives and Daughters (1999)
Role: Squire Hamley
Longitude (2000)
Role: John Harrison
Gosford Park (2001)
Role: William McCordle
Charlotte Gray (2001)
Role: Levade
Path to War (2002)
Role: Lyndon B. Johnson
The Lost Prince (2003)
Role: Edward VII
Open Range (2003)
Role: Denton Baxter
Being Julia (2004)
Role: Jimmie Langton
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Role: Oseary Drakoulias
Amazing Grace (2006)
Role: Lord Charles Fox
The Good Shepherd (2006)
Role: Dr. Fredericks
Cranford (2007-10)
Role: Thomas Holbrook
Brideshead Revisited (2008)
Role: Lord Marchmain
Emma (2009)
Role: Mr. Woodhouse
The King’s Speech (2010)
Role: George V
Quirke (2013-14)
Role: Judge Garrett Griffin
The Nightmare Worlds of H.G. Wells (2016)
Role: Egbert Elvesham
Dad’s Army (2016)
Role: Godfrey
Churchill’s Secret (2016)
Role: Winston Churchill
Mad to Be Normal (2017)
Role: Sydney Kotok
Victoria & Abdul (2017)
Role: Lord Salisbury
Little Women (2017)
Role: Mr. Laurence
The Last Witness (2018)
Role: Frank Hamilton
Judy (2019)
Role: Bernard Delfont
Thirty-nine historical costume films & TV shows on this list! Which one is your fave? Tell us in the comments!
Hands down, Squire Hamley in ‘Wives and Daughters’. The bewildered, overwhelming grief on his face when Mrs Hamley died was one of the most exquisite moments in acting that I have ever seen. A wonderful actor.
Oh yes – he was so wonderful in that role. Bluff English squire could have been a cliche- but not in his hands.
The Gaskell roles. His scenes – even in silence – with Judi Dench in Cranford were examples of a master’s class in acting.
He’s my favorite Mr Woodhouse !
I’ve never seen The Borderers, but I have to say “hmm hello Gavin Ker!😄”. Just shows we were all young once!! Didn’t Ralph Richardson call him “the Great Gambon”?
Requiscat in Pace.