Who played Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and why he was recast after Chamber of Secrets?

Albus Dumbledore is one of the most cherished and unforgettable characters from Harry Potter. Most of us definitely link Michael Gambon with the role of the headmaster of Hogwarts, who portrayed the powerful wizard in six films from the series. However, he isn't the first actor to play the white-bearded character.

Gambon took over the role from Richard Harris, who played Professor Dumbledore in the first two films. The actor, known for his role in Gladiator, was initially hesitant to commit to the series due to health problems. However, his granddaughter convinced him to do so. Harris bested Patrick McGoohan and Sean Connery, who were also under consideration, and appeared in The Sorcerer's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets.

However, before the premiere of the second part of the adventures of Harry Potter, Harris's health deteriorated - the actor was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Despite his hope of overcoming the illness, he passed away from cancer at the age of 72. Michael Gambon took over the role of Dumbledore and portrayed the character until the end of the series. Taking over the role must have been a challenging task, but the new Hogwarts headmaster took a good tactic - he chose not to mimic Harris's style and instead approached the character creation in his own way.

Interestingly, Ian McKellen was also offered the role, but he didn't decide to sign the contract because of his turbulent relations with Richard Harris. Let's recall that Jude Law also portrayed the character of Albus Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts series.

Whose depiction of Professor Dumbledore do you rate the best?