Wow. Seen him in live performances several times. Usually serious stuff like Brecht’s Galileo or opposite Helen Mirren in Anthony and Cleopatra, or Checkov. Helped elevate the Singing Detective into a masterpiece.
Ah thats sad, he was great in Layer Cake, Harry Potter in fact everything I've seen him in. And how many people can say they have a corner named after them on the Top Gear track? That was a really funny lap
Loved the singing detective. Didn't know when I watched it that Michael's first job before becoming an actor was as an apprentice st Vickers Crayford.
His first acting experience was at the Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre in Crayford - he claimed that he only first went there because a friend of his going for an audition, Gambon tagged along, when they got there Gambon saw that there were quite a few attractive girls there, so he auditioned as well, got the part, his mate did not
The Singing Detective was the first grown-up TV show I remember watching. Didn't understand any of it but his performance was burned into my brain. A total legend.
Who can forget that scene in The Singing Detective with Joanne Whalley as Nurse Mills applying ointment to his nether regions ("I'll have to lift your penis now to grease around it"), with him desperately trying to think of things to avoid embarrassment - "butcher's windows, Norway, Brian Clough, the Liberal Party, penguins, Mrs Thatcher...." (Unsurprisingly, it didn't work).
Not seen any Harry Potter and the Singing Detective was a bit highbrow for me as a teenager.
But saw him recently in a great film called The Quartet, staring Billy Connolly Maggie Smith & a fair few other fine actors. He was great in that too & he will be sorely missed.
It would be great if somehow there could be a remastered version of the Singing Detective made that suits modern television sets in the wider screen, and colours more vibrant so modern audiences could re discover it. One thing that made it special is how suited to the television it is, not suited for the film format. The writing, the cast, the originality (although Pennies From Heaven paved the way), and Michael Gambon plus a stellar cast and phenomenal writing and creativity made it truly special. Blue Remembered Hills also occupies the same masterpiece space. Michael stumbled into AmDram in Crayford, so I like to think of him as one of our own.
Comments
Seen him in live performances several times.
Usually serious stuff like Brecht’s Galileo or opposite Helen Mirren in Anthony and Cleopatra, or Checkov.
Helped elevate the Singing Detective into a masterpiece.
RIP
RIP Sir 😞
Loved him in the Singing Detective and Gosford Park.
Fabulous brief interview with him on X don't know if this link will work
https://x.com/Johnnypapa64/status/1707361564968239374?s=20
A fine actor over many years.
Rest in peace
RIP
He later became President of the theatre
Who can forget that scene in The Singing Detective with Joanne Whalley as Nurse Mills applying ointment to his nether regions ("I'll have to lift your penis now to grease around it"), with him desperately trying to think of things to avoid embarrassment - "butcher's windows, Norway, Brian Clough, the Liberal Party, penguins, Mrs Thatcher...." (Unsurprisingly, it didn't work).
RIP
But saw him recently in a great film called The Quartet, staring Billy Connolly Maggie Smith & a fair few other fine actors. He was great in that too & he will be sorely missed.
RIP
One thing that made it special is how suited to the television it is, not suited for the film format. The writing, the cast, the originality (although Pennies From Heaven paved the way), and Michael Gambon plus a stellar cast and phenomenal writing and creativity made it truly special.
Blue Remembered Hills also occupies the same masterpiece space.
Michael stumbled into AmDram in Crayford, so I like to think of him as one of our own.