All the Dumbledores We Could Have Had

There are many actors who were nearly in the Harry Potter films, and with so many characters, that's not surprising. But one role, in particular, had a lot of casting problems: Albus Dumbledore. Professor Dumbledore, the intelligent and odd headmaster of Hogwarts, has been played by several actors over the years. First to take on the role was Richard Harris, who played the Professor in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Then the part was recast after Harris' death, and Micheal Gambon played Dumbledore in films 3 through 8. Most recently, Jude Law took over, playing a young Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts films. Dumbledore may be the only character that the Harry Potter films had difficulty casting twice. Of course, the producers wanted to ensure they got the right actor for such an important character, so they fought through the casting drama to find the perfect Dumbledore.

Even getting Harris to accept the part was hard. He refused three times because giving in and only took the role after his 11-year-old granddaughter threatened not to speak to him if he turned it down. Once Harris was chosen, the producers thought their search was over. However, Harris passed away in 2002 after playing the character for only two films. He had been in poor health for some time, but his death still shocked the Harry Potter crew. Because of the unfortunate situation, casting for Dumbledore had to start all over. They considered many actors before choosing Gambon to take up the character. Each actor who almost played the iconic character was plenty talented and many were well-known, but as seen with Harris and Gambon, no two actors play a character the same way. There were a lot of almost Dumbledores, starting before Harris got the role, but in the end, it's hard to imagine what the Harry Potter films would have been like with a different Dumbledore.

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Sean Connery

One of the first actors considered for the role was former James Bond, Sean Connery. He was offered the role of Dumbledore even before Harris but did not take it. Connery's reasoning is unclear, but he is known to have turned down many roles, so it's not all that surprising. Connery did announce his retirement several years before the Harry Potter franchise was completed, so perhaps the length of the commitment didn't appeal to him. Many suggest the story content as a reason as well. Among the other roles he refused is fellow wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, so it could come down to him simply not liking wizards.

Patrick McGoohan

Another actor eyed to play Dumbledore from the beginning was Patrick McGoohan. The actor never publicly stated why he turned down the part in Harry Potter, but many cite poor health for his refusal. Whatever the case, McGoohan didn't get the role, and Harris was chosen for the first two films.