Jasper Rees’s authorised biography of Michael Gambon, published three years after the great actor’s death, offers detailed accounts of his performances in Shakespeare, Beckett and Pinter, as well as The Singing Detective and the Harry Potter films. There are even chapters devoted to his hands (“the biggest you’ve ever seen on anybody” – Brian Cox) and his equally enormous feet. But, Gambon being Gambon, there are also dozens of stories of mischief on and off stage …
‘One of the funniest people I’ve ever met’
David Hare’s 1995 play Skylight is set in a draughty flat where a dish of spaghetti is cooked on stage. Those kitchen cupboards proved useful for Lia Williams to hide in when Gambon’s joking got to her at the National Theatre. Gambon would adopt a different accent or speak in tongues during a scene, and “when he made me laugh it was hell on Earth because there was nothing I could do about it,” said Williams, who called him “one of the funniest people I’ve ever met.” She continued: “One time I laughed so hard that my Tampax fell out and I had to deal with that for an entire act.”
Dinner with Judi, Ken and Natasha
Ibsen’s Ghosts was controversial when it was first staged in 1882 because of its scandalous plot involving syphilis and incest. Gambon had some fun with the potatoes when playing the self-righteous Pastor Manders in an 80s BBC TV version. Director Elijah Moshinsky envisioned a tense, sombre dinner scene, with Gambon sitting alongside Judi Dench and Kenneth Branagh. The potatoes were duly passed around by Natasha Richardson. “I’ll just have the usual eight,” requested Gambon. His co-stars’ corpsing led them to leave the set. “We couldn’t control ourselves at all,” confessed Dench.
Dumbledore unleashes Fartis Temporus
Not every actor’s biography includes “fart machines” in the index, but fake and real toots are let off in several chapters. When Gambon took over the role of Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, he and Alan Rickman pranked Daniel Radcliffe by triggering a fart machine during a closeup of the young star as he lay in a sleeping bag alongside fellow Hogwarts students. “I was initially really annoyed,” said Radcliffe, before concluding that if Rickman and Gambon had engineered it then “that is pretty funny.”
A storm and a Fool
When Gambon played King Lear for the RSC in 1982, Antony Sher sported a red nose as the clownish Fool. The poster presented them as a sort of double act, and Sher was widely seen as stealing the limelight. Rees likens it to Gambon taking on what is often called an “actor’s Everest” only to find another climber “clambering frantically up the same rope.” Adrian Noble, who directed the tragedy, said Gambon “joshed [Sher] mercilessly.” During the storm scene he reportedly bellowed: “Come on out, you little red-nosed fucker!”
The fake De Niro
When he was appearing on stage in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, Gambon kept a signed photo of Robert De Niro – with words of admiration for Gambon’s work – on his dressing room table. The pair would appear together in the film The Good Shepherd in 2006 but had never even met by the time he was doing A View from the Bridge. The fake autograph and note – “I loved working with you Mike, you’re great – love Bobby” – were apparently written by Gambon himself.
Wink wink
One festive season in the late 60s, Gambon found himself starring in the Christmas show Hans, the Witch aAt Birmingham Rep, Gambon was appearing in “The Gobbin”—much to the annoyance of his co-star Anthony Higgins, who remembered it well. A prodigious swearer, Gambon decided to add to his stage makeup for one performance. “One night he’d written ‘fuck’ on one eyelid and ‘off’ on the other,” said Higgins. Gambon blinked each eye to deliver the message to Higgins. Artistic director Peter Dews had to give him a warning.
Surprise chocolate cake … Michael Gambon and Rupert Graves in The Caretaker at the Comedy Theatre, London, in 2000. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian
‘Rupert wet himself regularly’
When Gambon played the tramp Davies in a 2000 revival of Harold Pinter’s play The Caretaker, he delighted in repelling theatregoers—as well as the brothers played by Douglas Hodge and Rupert Graves. One night, according to Rees’s book, Gambon had his back to the audience and buried his hand in his trousers, where he had stashed a serving of chocolate cake. He withdrew his smeared fingers and sniffed them, causing his co-stars to crack up. “Rupert was in terrible trouble,” remembered Hodge. “Rupert wet himself regularly.”
A fry-up with Cleopatra
Gambon loved to feed journalists tall tales and see who believed him. He treated one interviewer to an “insight” into how he and Helen Mirren prepared in the wings for their roles as Antony and Cleopatra for the RSC. Mirren, he assured the journalist, got into character by performing a mime in which she prepared a dish of ham and eggs for Antony. “Absolute rubbish,” Mirren told Rees, though she added: “It’s a lovely story.”
Michael Gambon: The Authorised Biography by Jasper Rees is published by Century (£30). To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs I Laughed So Hard My Tampax Fell Out Michael Gambons Pranks Revealed
1 What is this quote about
Its a line from a story told by actors who worked with Michael Gambon He was a famous British actor who loved playing pranks on set and one prank made a costar laugh so hard she said that line
2 Who said it
It came from a star who was pranked by Gambon and laughed uncontrollably The line is usually quoted as an example of how far his pranks went
3 What kind of pranks did Michael Gambon pull
Mostly harmless practical jokes on costars and crew things like hiding props startling people or messing with costumes and equipment during filming
4 Why did he prank people
To keep things light between takes Long film shoots can be boring and tense and Gambon used jokes to boost morale and keep everyone laughing
5 Was anyone hurt or offended
The stories are told fondly by the people involved His pranks were generally seen as goodnatured fun not bullying
6 What does Tampax mean here
Tampax is a brand of tampons The joke is that the person was laughing so hard that a tampon slipped out an exaggeration showing how intense the laughing fit was
7 Is the quote real or made up
Its a real anecdote shared by actors reminiscing about working with Gambon Like many showbiz stories it may be slightly exaggerated in the retelling
8 Which stars told these stories
Various costars from his film and TV career have shared Gambon prank stories in interviews and tributes especially after his death in 2023
9 When did Michael Gambon die
He died in September 2023 at age 82
10 Why are these stories popular
They show a fun human side of a serious awardwinning actor and the outrageous quote makes them memorable and shareable
11 Whats the lesson for a beginner
Onset pranks can build camaraderie but they only work when everyone involved finds them funny and nobody gets hurt
