Richard Harris lives

Famous actor Richard Harris died of Hodgkin's lymphoma on 25 October 2002,
aged 72, two and a half weeks before the American premiere of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

However, that is not the case in this scenario. In this scenario, Harris's disease is not as serious and he lives at least until 2012.

Now, assuming that he still plays the role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies, how would that change his portrayal of the man?

Sir Michael Gambon's portrayal was a more angry Dumbledore, while Harris's portrayal was the old-wise-wizard/merlin type.

How would the role be changed and these movies in general?
 
Gambon is still a fantastic actor, however. Dumbledore gets more and more angry and active as the books go on, and Harris may well have struggled with that given his alcohol-ravaged body. Both men are or were giants of the British stage, but Gambon, by fate or serendipity, turned out to be more suited to the post-Goblet of Fire role's demands.
 
No, he's not. He has a pretty limited range and his characterisation lacks emotional depth.

I dunno. I was floored by him in Krapp's Last Stage and No Man's Land. His voice is laden with nuance (if that's not oxymoronic).
 
I dunno. I was floored by him in Krapp's Last Stage and No Man's Land. His voice is laden with nuance (if that's not oxymoronic).

I've never seen him on the stage. Perhaps I'm missing something. To me he just seems overwhelmingly comfortable in a certain type of role, or perhaps more accurately a type of theatrical demeanour. That sort of world weary, vaguely sottish aspect. Perhaps his face prejudices me against him. It's not very mobile.
 
Personally, I prefer Michael Gambon's portrayal.

I think Harris would've struggled with the later books, I just can't picture Harris fighting Voldemort or the 'dark' nature of the later films, he fits best with the first two. He'd have gotten away with Prisoner of Azkaban, but Goblet of Fire onwards wouldn't have seemed right.
 
Personally, I prefer Michael Gambon's portrayal.

I think Harris would've struggled with the later books, I just can't picture Harris fighting Voldemort or the 'dark' nature of the later films, he fits best with the first two. He'd have gotten away with Prisoner of Azkaban, but Goblet of Fire onwards wouldn't have seemed right.

I second that!
 
Apparently one of Harris' requests was that if he died then to be replaced by his good friend Peter O'Toole, of course they didn't but could O'Toole have been better?
 
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