Harry Potter: The Three Actors Who Play Dumbledore, Ranked

Outside of maybe Gandalf, there isn’t an iconic wizard in fantasy literature who is as beloved as Dumbledore. The Headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry helped to introduce Harry and his friends to the magical world. Over the course of the seven Harry Potter books, Albus Dumbledore became one of the most complex characters within the series. There was a layer of intrigue within his presence, and although readers learned many secrets about Dumbledore’s past, some mysteries remained shrouded in secrecy. The novels quickly proved that they couldn’t be contained to the page alone, and a film series was quickly put into production. Unquestionably, the biggest challenge would be finding three young actors who could grow and develop over the course of seven years (and ten years of production). However, nailing Dumbledore was just as important. The films needed a prominent mentor character who could be both tender and powerful.