Albus Dumbledore - ©Theda Bara

Let’s talk about “Harry Potter”, more specifically about the actors who brought to life the character “Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore”, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the story, there are three actors who played “Dumbledore”.

“Harry Potter” fans are already wands at the ready, as the two actors who played “Albus Dumbledore” in the “Harry Potter” film series have passed away. There is a third “Dumbledore” in the spin-off film series “Fantastic Beasts”, a younger version of the headmaster of the iconic magic school.

“Harry Potter” Filmography: 2001 “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”; 2002 “Harry Potter and the  Chamber of Secrets”; 2004 “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”; 2005 “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”; 2007 “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”; 2009 “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”; 2010 and 2011 “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1 and 2”.

Richard Harris played “Albus Dumbledore” in the first two films. He passed away in 2002 due to pneumonia. The production of the third film then cast another Irish actor, Michael Gambon. The veteran debuted in 2004 and quickly won over audiences. It’s almost impossible for a “Harry Potter” fan not to imagine Gambon in the role of the headmaster of the iconic school of magic, but this almost happened, as Warner Bros., initial idea to replace Harris was Ian Murray McKellen (1939-), an excellent actor who became immortalized in the role of “Magneto” in the “X-Men” film franchise. However, he refused the role due to criticism leveled at Richard Harris years earlier, as McKellen recounted in an interview with the BBC.

Harris was an Irish actor, theatre director, singer, composer, and writer, acclaimed for winning the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for “This Sporting Life” in 1963 and the Golden Globe Award for “Camelot” in 1967, playing “King Arthur”. He received two Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, for “This Sporting Life” (1964), in the role of “Frank Machin”, and for “The Field” (1991), in the role of “Bull McCabe”, but never won the statuette.

Richard Harris does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Richard St. John Harris was born on October 1, 1930, in Limerick, Ireland, and died on October 25, 2002, at University College Hospital in London, United Kingdom, at the age of 72.

Harris was married twice. His wives were Welsh socialite Elizabeth Rees-Williams Harris Aitken (1936-2022), from 1957 to 1969, and later American actress Ann Kathryn Turkel (1946-), to whom he was married from 1974 to 1982. From his first marriage, he had three British children: filmmaker and screenwriter Damian David Harris (1958-), actor and director Jared Harris (1961-) and actor Tudor St. John ‘Jamie’ Harris (1963-).

The second “Albus Dumbledore” in the “Harry Potter” franchise was Michael Gambon, who immortalized himself in the role from the third film until the end of the saga.

Michael John Gambon was an Irish actor who won four BAFTA Awards (the British equivalent of the Academy Awards) for Best Actor for his portrayals of “Philip Marlow” in “The Singing Detective” (1987), “Squire Hamley” in “Wives and Daughters” (2000), “John Harrison” in “Longitude” (2001), and “Raymond Symon” in “Perfect Strangers” (2002). However, he was never nominated for an Academy Award. In 1998, Gambon was knighted by the British government by Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022). The appointment took place on July 17th. Despite being Irish, Michael Gambon retained British citizenship, making the knighthood effective, not honorary. Previously, in 1990, he had already been appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Michael Gambon also does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Sir Michael John Gambon was born on October 19, 1940, in Cabra, Ireland, and died on September 28, 2023, in Witham, United Kingdom, at the age of 82.

Gambon was married to the mathematical scientist Anne Miller (1950-) from 1962 to 2002. * [Not to be confused with the American actress and dancer Anne Miller (1923–2004)]. The couple had one son, the architect and consultant to the British Glass and Ceramics Department, Fergus Gambon (1967-).

More recently, “Albus Dumbledore” was portrayed by Jude Law in “Fantastic Beasts” (2016/2018 and 2022). However, Law only participated in the last two films: “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” (2018), when he debuted as the still-young headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and “Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets” (2022), when he reprised the role.

Jude Law is a British actor who, in 2000, received the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999), which also earned him an Oscar nomination, an award he did not win.

David Jude Heyworth Law was born on December 29, 1972, in Lewisham, London, United Kingdom, and is currently 53 years old.

Jude Law received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6840 Hollywood Boulevard, in a ceremony held on December 12, 2024.

Jude Law has been officially married twice. His first marriage was to British actress, producer, and fashion designer Sadie Liza Frost (1965-), from 1997 to 2003. The couple has two sons: British actor Rafferty ‘Raff’ Jellicoe Frost Law (1996-) and Rudy Law (2002-). His second marriage, since 2019, is to British behavioral psychologist Phillipa Coan (1987-). The couple also has two sons, one born in (2020-) and the other in (2023-). The names of the sons with Phillipa remain private and out of the spotlight.

Jude Law has a total of seven children from different relationships. His other three children are: Ada Law (2015-), from his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Irish singer-songwriter Catherine Harding (1991-), also known as Cat Cavelli; another daughter is British model Iris Tallulah Elizabeth Law (2000-); and high school student and teenager Sophia Law (2009-), from his relationship with American model and actress Samantha Burke (1985-).

Haiku Life is Living Art - ©Theda Bara

Haiku and Art by ©Theda Bara — 2026

While the cats purr

My son smiles and plays

Life doesn’t imitate art... Life is living art!

Liza Minnelli - ©Theda Bara

The name I highlight in this post is that of the award-winning American actress, singer, and dancer Liza Minnelli, who became world-famous in the 1970s for her portrayal of “Sally Bowles” in the musical film “Cabaret” (1972), a film that earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1973. Liza is recognized for her powerful voice and impeccable performances, being considered one of the queens of Broadway and Hollywood.

Liza Minnelli is the daughter of the renowned actress Frances Ethel Gumm, better known by her stage name Judy Garland (1922-1969), and filmmaker Vincente Minnelli, pseudonym of Lester Anthony Minnelli (1903-1986).

Liza Minnelli, at 76 years old, made a moving appearance at the 2022 Oscars in a wheelchair alongside American singer, songwriter, and actress Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, better known as Lady Gaga (1986-), to present the Best Picture award, marking the 50th anniversary of “Cabaret”. Despite the warm reception, friends alleged that the star was “sabotaged” by the event's production, as she wanted to use a “director’s chair” and was forced to use a regular wheelchair (because the motorized chair could slip on stage during the presentation), all against her will.

In addition to the Oscar, Liza Minnelli won four Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical in 1965 and 1978, a Special Award in 1974, and an award for Best Special Event in Theatre in 2009. She also won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in 1973 for “Cabaret”; two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical in 1973 for “Cabaret” and Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film in 1986 for “A Time to Live” (1985); two Grammy Awards in 1973, in the category of Best Variety or Music Program for “Liza with a Z” and in 1991 for “Music Legend”.

The actress has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, in the Live Theatrical Performance category.

Liza May Minnelli was born on March 12, 1946, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, United States, and is currently 79 years old.

The actress has been married four times. Her first marriage was to Peter Allen (1944–1992), an acclaimed Australian singer, songwriter, and pianist, from 1967 to 1974; Liza Minnelli’s second marriage occurred in the same year as her separation, to Jack Haley Jr. (1933–2001), an acclaimed American director, producer, and screenwriter, from 1974 to 1979; her third marriage also occurred in the same year as her separation, to Mark Gero (1952-), an American sculptor without much talent, from 1979 to 1992; Finally, Liza married David Alan Gest (1953-2016), an American television promoter and producer, from 2002 to 2007. Liza Minnelli has no biological or adopted children.

Haiku: Good Times - ©Theda Bara

Haiku and Art by ©Theda Bara — 2026

When a song from the past plays on the radio

You will remember

The good times!

Rex Harrison - ©Theda Bara

In this post, I will highlight the British stage and film actor, Sir. Rex Harrison, who won the 1963 Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film “My Fair Lady” (1962), playing the role of phonetics professor “Henry Higgins”, tasked with making a flower-selling beggar woman pass herself off as a lady of high society.

Rex Harrison was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) in July 1989. The official ceremony took place at Buckingham Palace on July 25, 1989, when he was 81 years old.

In addition to the Oscar, Rex Harrison won two Tony Awards: in 1953 for “The Four Poster” (1952), playing “John Edwards”, and in 1957 for “My Fair Lady” (on Broadway). He also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical in 1963 for “My Fair Lady”.

Sir. Rex Harrison has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6390 Hollywood Boulevard in the Television category and at 6904 Hollywood Boulevard in the Film category.

Reginald Carey Harrison was born on March 5, 1908, in the Huyton-Roby neighborhood of Lancashire, England, and died on June 2, 1990, in New York City, United States, at the age of 82, one year after receiving the title of Sir.

The actor was married six times. His first wife was French teacher Noel Marjorie Collette Thomas (1911-1991), with whom he lived from 1934 to 1942. The couple had one son, British actor Noel John Christopher Harrison (1934-2013); his second wife was German actress and writer Lilli Palmer (1914-1986), with whom he lived from 1943 to 1957; his third wife was English actress and singer Justine Kay Kendall McCarthy (1927-1959), with whom he lived from 1957 to 1959; His fourth wife was British actress Rachel Roberts (1920-1980), to whom he was married from 1962 to 1971. Rex Harrison’s fifth marriage occurred in the same year as his separation from his fourth wife. He met British actress and socialite Elizabeth Rees-Williams (1936-2022), a romance that lasted four years, from 1971 to 1975. Later, she married British actor Richard St. John Harris (1930-2002), famous for playing “Albus Dumbledore”, the headmaster of “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry”, in the first two “Harry Potter” films: “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” and “Harry Potter and the  Chamber of Secrets”. He played the character until his death in 2002, when Sir. Michael John Gambon (1940-2023) took over the role from “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” onwards. Finally, Rex Harrison’s last marriage was to the Franco-British fashion designer Mercia Tinker (1938-), from 1978 to 1990, leaving her a widow.