How tall was Michael Gambon

Michael Gambon's Height

5ft 11 (180.3 cm)

Irish/English actor best remembered for playing Professor Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films. He also appeared in Gosford Park, Sleepy Hollow, Layer Cake, Dad's Army, The Book of Eli and TV show The Singing Detective. In one biography it mentioned "He is six-feet tall, he seems larger", which is an inch higher than what he claimed in his Spotlight casting page.

How tall is Michael Gambon
5ft 8 Rob and Michael (age 74) @ LFCC 2015

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Add a Comment57 comments

Average Guess (50 Votes)
5ft 11.23in (180.9cm)
Slim1.75m said on 31/May/23
@Rob between Fennis and Gambon who would be taller.
Editor Rob
Fennis?
5'7 and a fraction said on 29/Dec/22
@Darksol64, yeah I'm much more of a Richard Harris Dumbledore as well.
Darksol64 said on 9/Dec/22
This guy was was so terrible as Dumbledore in the 3rd and 4th movies. He's supposed to be a wise old man with a kind but BOLD disposition of absolute self confidence and dominance. Gambon played him as if he was some rowdy old drunk guy that parties on the porch shouting obscenities at everyone that passes by until he passes out. Terrible and ruined the character for those movies.

They must have told him to completely refresh his act or be fired, because from the 5th movie onward his character improved significantly and was at least passable. Richard still would have been lightyears better, so unfortunate to lose him.

I'm going to guess 5'9 1/4 current height, because he looks a solid inch taller than Rob in 2015 and he could of probably stretched up a little more if he really tried.
Sinclair said on 27/Feb/22
Rob, how tall would you say Harold Innocent was at peak? 5’11.25?”

In a Maigret episode (Maigret and the Mad Woman), Gambon and Innocent seem to be similar in height, maybe Gambon having the edge due to camera angles or because Innocent was nearing the end of his life and had started to shrink. In an episode of The Persuaders! (To the Death, Baby), Innocent has a clear inch at least on Terence Morgan who was described as being tall in his obituary (therefore, guessing he couldn’t be under 5’10”).
Editor Rob
Roughly 5ft 11
Sinclair said on 21/Feb/22
Rob, what peak height would you put Geoffrey Hutchings at? 5’6.75?”

In the 90s Maigret tv show, Gambon has 4-5 inches on Hutchings so I’m thinking a weak 5’7”.
Editor Rob
Yeah closer to 5ft 7 than 5ft 6.
Sinclair said on 12/Feb/22
5’11”- 5’11.5” at peak. I’d ultimately vote 5’11.25” for Gambon’s peak and 5’9” for his height now. In the photo with Rob in 2015, Gambon could easily pass for 5’9.5”.
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 10/Jan/22
Michael still looked pretty tall in 1992 at 51/52. I'm watching him in 'Maigret Goes to School' and I'm plunging for his peak of 5ft11, and as I gave him an extra quarter inch last time, he can have it this time too. His posture is excellent, and his face full and line-free.

5ft9.5 for nowadays.
Andy Beaden said on 26/Dec/21
Still looks 5 10 to me. If he stood up straight. Brilliant actor and under rated amoung his peer group.
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 5/May/21
I think Michael is fairing very well for a man of his years - very well indeed!

5ft11.25 peak; 5ft9.5 now. 😋👍
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 19/Oct/20
🎂🎁🎈🎊 Happy 8️⃣0️⃣th Birthday 🎊🎈🎁🎂

To the hardworking actor, Michael Gambon, who celebrates his 8️⃣0️⃣th Birthday today. Many congratulations to him!

5ft11.25 peak; 5ft9.5 now 😁👍

🎂🎁🎈🎊🎂🎁🎈🎊🎂🎁🎈🎊🎂🎁🎈🎊
Nik Ashton said on 28/Sep/20
He’s as tall as the average forty something!
Peter Sun said on 26/Sep/20
He's an old man, he has definitely lost a lot of height. He appears to be 5'9, we don't know what sure how tall he is when is young. I would go with 6'0, biographies from others don't mislead
VitoCheng said on 28/Aug/20
Michael Gambon really has a 6-foot face, but it’s a pity that he is almost 80 years old now, and he may have lost a lot of height
Now : I believe he is 5'10"
Peak:5'11.75"~6'0"
Rory said on 6/Aug/20
I doubt he was over 5ft11

Look at this clip with 6ft2.5 claimer George Baker at 22.14 onwards. That's quite a big difference,Gambon struggles to look 5ft11 there. Tbf I think George Baker was a solid 189 at night type guy but still.

Click Here
Monkey knees said on 13/May/20
Lost 2 inches with age.. 5ft 11.5in peak. 5ft 9.5in now.
VitoCheng said on 9/Nov/19
Current: 5ft 10
Peak: 5ft 11.75in
179cm guy said on 31/May/19
Abysmal posture. Pretty much on the opposite end of the spectrum as opposed to someone like Craig T. Nelson who's aged very well. Peak height could be argued anywhere between 179-181cm and current height anywhere between 174-176cm. Rob's listing is spot-on.
Manpreet Singh Virk said on 16/May/19
Peak is 6'0, current is 5'10
179cm guy said on 9/Feb/19
Rob, what kind of range do you see as being believable for Gambon as a peak/current height:

A) 183/178cm
B) 182/177cm
C) 181/176cm
D) 180/175cm
E) 179/174cm
F) 178/173cm
G) 177/172cm
Editor Rob
At most C. I think Gambon was an honest man and looked in 5ft 11 range, though I can understand some who would give him 5ft 11.25 too.
James G. said on 2/Jan/19
Just under 5’9.5” today (in the pic, he isn’t standing 100% straight). Peak was 5’11.25.”
Jakob said on 5/May/17
Odd question Rob: did you notice when you met Gambon how big his hands were? In pictures this guy has the largest mitts ive ever seen! You might not have noticed but just wondering, thanks! :)
Editor Rob
it's something I didn't notice really.
Arch Stanton said on 6/Sep/16
Rob can you add The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, one of the greatest films of the 80s. Always a memorable role of his, I watch it quite regularly for Helen Mirren ;-)
miko said on 14/Apr/16
6 foot early in the day in his prime is quite possible. Rob would six foot tall place the top of his head at the very top of the photograph?
Editor Rob
a little above the top
mrtguy said on 6/Apr/16
I can see him being 5'10'', he has about 1.5'' on Rob with not really a good posture.
Lorne??? said on 21/Mar/16
Yeah, but Gambon wasn't 5'11 12 years ago, even if he looked it, he had to be down to around 179cm.

Craig is losing hold of that extra, precious, quarter inch. ;)
mrtguy said on 18/Mar/16
A good actor
Simon said on 6/Mar/16
5'11 in his prime?
John said on 3/Mar/16
@Rampage(-_-_-)Clover
No way he was a full 6 feet in his prime. More like 5'10.5"~5'11" back then, and is below 5'9" today.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 1/Mar/16
"The car's utterly brash and not really appropriate for someone of his age, but he seems smitten with it. The only problem is that it is low-slung and it takes him quite a while to get out of it. He's 6ft 2in and a bit arthritic" - Daily Mail, February 2008

LOL
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 1/Mar/16
I always knew 6ft2 was extreme for him but I wouldn't have guessed anything shorter than a decent 6ft for his prime.
Sam said on 1/Mar/16
Certainly Gambon's a guy I would have expected to look taller with Rob but has lost a fair deal of height. I always knew 6'2" was too high for him but I had thought he was near six foot range at his peak.
NBAer said on 23/Feb/16
Wow,i thought this guy was waay over 180cm,just by looking at him in the Harry Potter movies!! I literally thought he was like 6'6-6'7 lol!!
Btw,listing seems spot on,a legit example of how an 175cm guy should look...
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 21/Feb/16
Horrendous that he was reported as high as 6ft2...
miko said on 18/Feb/16
I'd compare him to someone like Michael Ironside, big character, loud, you expect taller. It doesn't appear he holds himself very well.
George said on 17/Feb/16
So Rob, what does this mean for Daniel Craig? I know height loss has to be considered here but we have no idea exactly how much. Craig was slightly shorter than Gambon and he's certainly not looking over 5ft9 in his old age here. Struggling to see Craig at 178cm tall to be honest
Editor Rob
Over last 12 years I'm sure Gambon lost a fair chunk of height.
Johno said on 12/Feb/16
Yes ---- very bad news for Daniel Craig, was around 1.25 inches taller then Craig.
Calisto said on 12/Feb/16
Click Here
With 5'5" Toby Jones and 6'1" Blake Harrison, he also looks at most 5'9"
george said on 11/Feb/16
Bad, bad news for Daniel Craig.
Atsu said on 11/Feb/16
I am guesting 5'9.5 o 5'9.75 for him. He does seem be closer to 5'10 but he is like 5'9.75 today.
josh b said on 10/Feb/16
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I think I don't look 5'11 in this photo guys :) he does have position advantage though
Editor Rob
yeah in this photoshoot the photographer is standing directly on Gambon's side.
Edwin said on 10/Feb/16
Do you measure people you meet in person or do you eyeball it?
Judd said on 10/Feb/16
I would say 5'9 today and 5'10 (max 5'10.5" being generous) at peak
Andrea said on 9/Feb/16
He looks a weak 5'9 here...
Rob, did he really lose 2 good inches at "only" 75?
My grandad is nearly 80 and he hasn't lost more than an inch, i guess!
Editor Rob
he does look a guy who didn't exactly do pilates as an adult.

I think he has shipped a fair amount by mid 70's.
Ron said on 22/Aug/15
Hard to tell... Whilst he's never struck me as a short guy I don't think he's quite this much. I say this purely on the general feel I get from his movements and the way he looks on set. He looked about 2-3 inches shorter than Matt Smith, who I believe to be barely above 5'11, and considering neither are posture models I don't want to take too much away based on that. I also have a friend who posed for pictures with both Gambon and David Bradley in the same costume. Bradley I believe to be a prime example of a 178cm height: good posture, reasonably slim and as such can often appear "tallish" on screen. Gambon doesn't pull this off, and whilst my friend was up to about Bradley's eyeline she was closer to Gambon's hairline.
Whilst I'm not sure about his peak height, I do believe that today Gambon may stand at a fair 5'9, dipping below sometimes, but also perhaps getting a bit higher too when he stands straighter.
Tommy said on 25/Aug/14
His peak height might have been about 5ft 10 but as I met him 2 years ago, he was no more than 5ft 8.5/9. I´m about 6ft 2 with a forhead of 4.25 inches and he was at least 1.5 inches under my eyebrows
avi said on 13/Jun/13
hes a strong 5'10.5
Rheneas said on 23/Feb/13
I'm not sure, but I think he might be at least 5'11". In Harry Potter Gambon is shorter than Rickman and I think he's about 1-2 inch shorter than him.
fricanman said on 27/Dec/11
@gary still - sorry just not possible Gambon is in 5'8"-9" range! Having met him he is very close if not six feet tall. Don't know what picture you saw but look at this selection from Daily Mail. Plenty of height comparisons of Harry Potter main characters and the cast photo has Gambon one end Jim Broadbent (6'2") the other, towering above the younger ones!
Click Here
gary still said on 24/Dec/11
hes the same height as draco from harry potter, whats he called tom felton? exactly the same height standing next to each other
fricanman said on 23/Dec/11
I've seen 6'2"claims for Gambon which I discount. Widely claimed to be 6' which is much more plausible. I saw him at London Zoo in 2007 and was surprised at his height. I thought just 6' at the time, I won't say "weak" because he is a strongly built man.
avi said on 20/Jul/11
Yes i think you got it right Rob. i doubt he was over 5'11 in his youth now he can hit 5'10.5 if he is standing proper. Even Alan Rickman has trouble getting more than 2 inches on him. solid 5.5-6 inches on Radcliffe.
jake said on 26/May/11
Rob Could he be a weak 5' 10"?

Editor Rob
I think if he stands tall he can still be 5ft 10.
Johan Cruyff said on 2/May/11
Michael Gambon's heights are:

---PEAK---
Morning (out of bed)= 5'11.75" (1.82 m)
After 1,5-3 hrs= 5'11.4" (1.81 m)
After 5-10 hrs= 5'11" (1.80 m)

Today he's in the 5'9.25-10" (1.76-1.78 m) range, no more!
DrJJ said on 24/Apr/11
Watch Book of Eli, amazingly he is shorter than Denzel. Shocked and surprised. Of course, age diminishes some more than others.
jake said on 27/Dec/10
Rob what made you decide he is only 5' 10" these days? Just curious

Editor Rob
with tom felton who I met he doesn't look over it
Antron said on 19/Feb/07
yeah Tubbs that sounds right as Craig is 5'10 or 5'10.5"
Tubbs said on 18/Jan/06
6ft for Gambon seems reasonable, he is about an inch maybe inch and a half taller than Daniel Craig in Layer Cake. I was watching that movie the other night and was waiting for a decent shot of them together to gauge each others height, it took ages - anyway 6ft, as I have already said seems spot on.

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