Anyone with
remotely
discerning taste would refuse to read the books; they're crap and the films themselves are only marginally better.

I think Michael Gambon was pretty good as Dumbledore.
Richard Harris on the other hand I'm sorry to say, but he was incredibly stiff, especially in the second one. He was stiff and was easily upstaged by the other cast-members.
Gambon made the character his, which I like. The hardcore fans would of course call this bad because they expect everything to be as it is in the books.
And authors can actually say what they like to the press, nothing is forcing them to only say positive things.
How many times has Stephen King said bad things about his adaptations? or Anne Rice? Or Alice Walker?
Jo had no complaints because she realised that film and books are different mediums, and let them do whatever they like, while still staying close the feeling of the book.

His attempt at an English accent in Prisoner of Azkaban is appalling.

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Honestly, this discussion is like the proverbial dead horse that is still being beat. What difference does it even make anymore? When this discussion thread was started Half-Blood Prince was already completed. Now the very LAST movie is coming out on DVD, so who cares anymore? What do you want them to do, remake the films with your choice of Dumbledore? I mean really, get over it already for goodness sake. If you don't like Gambon as Dumbledore, don't watch the movies. I personally think he is just fine, I enjoy the movies, and I'm exhausted with all the bitching and moaning. Apparently enough people thought he did a good enough job that the franchise is history making. And personally, I challenge anyone on here who is fussing about him not reading the books to find any movie based on a book that every single actor and actress has read the book before filming the movie. Good grief! GET OVER IT ALREADY! Move on with your lives! It's over, it's done with, it isn't going to change and complaining about it for the next 10 years isn't going to change anything!!!!!

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Of course he doesn't read the books, they are for children and he is a man of seventy. He is an actor and as such, reads the script. People talk about Dumbledore as if he exists, but he a actually a fictional character. Sorry to break that news to anybody that thinks the Harry Potter saga is real!

seriously! he played an awful dumbledore, richard harris played the best dumbledore, like how i viewed dumbledore in the books!

In the books, he suspected all along that there were 7 horcruxes - he only hoped that voldemort hadn't had time to make them all. That's one thing the movies royally screwed up, as Dumbledore is SHOCKED to find out there are more than 1
Yes, I thought about this as well. It seems to be done for added effect - to give the scene more dramatic resonance. That would be a call made by the Director. I don't think it's down to Gambon.

"as he finds out there is more than just one horcrux, for example"
In the books, he suspected all along that there were 7 horcruxes - he only hoped that voldemort hadn't had time to make them all. That's one thing the movies royally screwed up, as Dumbledore is SHOCKED to find out there are more than 1. Not to mention that, considering Harry is a horcrux, and Dumbledore knew it all along, I'm not sure how that works.

I really like him in this role, actually. I grappled a lot with this when I first saw Gambon as Dumbledore in Azkaban. Because there's no doubt he's harsher, and less "wizened" than the Dumbledore in the first 2 Potter movies. But I think he pulls the role ofb68f well. There's a transformation in the books from a Dumbledore who, early on, seems unfailingly nice and infallible; but later on, you come to realize that he's fallible, flawed, feeling old (thereby sensing that he has less time in which to do ever more, as he finds out there is more than just one horcrux, for example), and filled with regret. In fact, we find out that in many ways he groomed Harry, USED Harry in fact, for the task he knew he wouldn't have the time himself to complete.
It's a shame the original Dumbledore died, but Gambon pulls the fallible Dumbledore off very, VERY well.

Yet Richard Harris still managed to perfectly portray Dumbledore's personality.

Well it's true whether you like it or not, he said so himself

"He only took the part because his grand-daughter threatened to never speak to him again."
WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!

Richard Harris didn't read the books either. He only took the part because his grand-daughter threatened to never speak to him again.

But that is exactly de the point, overwatch17. Dumbledore NEVER gets angry, except when someone harms his students. Or say he doesn't care about them. Dumeblodre, no matter what happens, is always cool, thinking and totally calm, even if there is a war happening just in front of him. And that is exactly what Gambon is not. He is angry, anxious, severea tired and grumpy old man.

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xx_Sarah is right, Ian did say that some years ago.
Anyway, stop your whinging about Gambon being Dumbledore. It's done. He's on the screen & personally, I don't mind about him being Dumbledore.
It's only a movie,I'm sure you guys are more then capable of creating Dumbledore with your own imagination from just reading the books itself.

Ian Mckellan was offered the role of Dumbledore when Griffiths died, but he turned it down because of LOTR; He didn't think it was fair to be playing two "great wizards of all time". I read it somewhere years ago.

I personally think his version of Dumbledore is great. He never seemed like a grumpy old man except for the one scene in OOTP where he said "don't you all have studying to do" but in that part he was angry about Umbridge so it was understandable.

That's unfortunate. No wonder Dumbledore seemed to have a personality transplant for those 3 movies.
Did Michael Gambon read the 6th book? Because his performance was vastly improved and he seemed to portray a completely different person in that movie.

Plenty of actors don't read the books of the films they are in. It sometimes works out better to work strictly from the script.
"Times like these, dark times, they do funny things to people. They can tear them apart."

You guys are idiots he's marvelous a Dumbledore.

I totally agree! I think Gambon is a TERRIBLE Dumbledore - he gives a tempermental, anxious and severe portrayal of what should be a very cool, cunning and whimsical character. I cringe every time he delivers a line that is so anti-Dumbledore. Too bad they didn't get Peter O'Toole to replace Richard Harris instead - I think he would have been fabulous!