Weston Park Historic Rally festival takes place 30 September -1 October Featuring a number of specially selected classic Rally Cars (including Lancia Fulvia, Stratos, 037, Integrale, Opel Manta 400, Metro 6R4, Subaru Imprezza, and Audi Quattro) driven on a Demonstration drive over the Famous former RAC rally stage which is set within the 1000 Acre grounds of Weston Park and includes a water splash.
International Translation Day is celebrated every year on 30 September on the feast of St. Jerome, (Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus) the Bible translator, priest, confessor , theologian, and historian, who is considered the patron saint of translator after translatingd most of the Bible into Latin (the translation that became known as the Vulgate), and making commentaries on the Gospels, who died 30 September
He was baptised around 360–366 A.D. he Went to Rome with his friend Bonosus (who may or may not have been the same Bonosus whom Jerome identifies as his friend who went to live as a hermit on an island in the Adriatic) to pursue rhetorical and philosophical studies. He studied under the grammarian Aelius Donatus. There Jerome learned Latin and at least some Greek, though probably not the familiarity with Greek literature he would later claim to have acquired as a schoolboy. As a student in Rome, he engaged in the superficial escapades and homosexual behaviour of students there, which he indulged in quite casually but for which he suffered terrible bouts of guilt afterwards. To appease his conscience, he would visit on Sundays the sepulchres of the martyrs and the Apostles in the catacombs.
Jerome Was The protégé of Pope Damasus I, and was known for his teachings on Christian moral life, especially to those living in cosmopolitan centers such as Rome. In many cases, he focused his attention on the lives of women and identified how a woman devoted to Jesus should live her life. This focus stemmed from his close patron relationships with several prominent female ascetics who were members of affluent senatorial families. He is recognised as a Saint and Doctor of the Church by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Church, and the Anglican Communion.
Jerome used a quote from Virgil—”On all sides round horror spread wide; the very silence breathed a terror on my soul” to describe the horror of hell. Jerome initially used classical authors to describe Christian concepts such as hell that indicated both his classical education and his deep shame of their associated practices, such as pederasty which was found in Rome. Although initially skeptical of Christianity, he was eventually converted After several years in Rome, he travelled with Bonosus to Gaul and settled in Trier where he seems to have first taken up theological studies, and where he copied, for his friend Tyrannius Rufinus, Hilary of Poitiers’ commentary on the Psalms and the treatise De synodis. Next came a stay of at least several months, or possibly years, with Rufinus at Aquileia, where he made many Christian friends.
Some of these accompanied him when he set out about 373 on a journey through Thrace and Asia Minor into northern Syria. At Antioch, wo of his companions died and he himself was seriously ill During one of these illnesses (about the winter of 373–374), he had a vision that led him to lay aside his secular studies and devote himself to God. He began studying the Bible, under the impulse of Apollinaris of Laodicea. Then went to the southeast of Antioch, known as the “Syrian Thebaid”, from the number of hermits inhabiting it, to study and write and learn Hebrew under the guidance of a converted Jew; and corresponded with Jewish Christians in Antioch. He has the Hebrew Gospel, preserved in his notes, nd is known today as the Gospel of the Hebrews, and which the Nazarenes considered to be the true Gospel of Matthew which he translated into Greek. He returned to Antioch in 378 or 379, he was ordained by Bishop Paulinus. Soon afterward, he went to Constantinople to study Scripture under Gregory Nazianzen. By 385 he returned toRome, as secretary to Pope Damasus I. Jerome accompanied one of the claimants, Paulinus back to Rome during the Schizm of Antioch in order to get more support for him, and distinguished himself to the pope, and took a prominent place in his councils.
While in Rome, he revised the Latin Bible, basing it on the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. He also updated the Psalter containing the Book of Psalms. In Rome he was surrounded by a circle of well-born and well-educated women, including some from the noblest patrician families, such as the widows Lea, Marcella and Paula, with Paula’s daughters Blaesilla and Eustochium. Jerome’s unsparing criticism of the secular clergy of Rome, brought a growing hostility against him among the Roman clergy and their supporters and Soon after the death of his patron Damasus (10 December 384), Jerome was forced to leave his position at Rome despite this His letters were widely read and distributed throughout the Christian empire. Additionally, his condemnation of Blaesilla’s hedonistic lifestyle in Rome led her to adopt ascetic practices, which affected her health and worsened her physical weakness until she died Outraging many of the Roman populace. In August 385, he left Rome for good and returned to Antioch, accompanied by his brother Paulinian and several friends, including Paula and Eustochium. The pilgrims, joined by Bishop Paulinus of Antioch, visited Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the holy places of Galilee, and then went to Egypt. At the Catechetical School of Alexandria, Jerome listened to the catechist Didymus the Blind expounding the prophet Hosea and telling his reminiscences of Anthony the Great.
American musician and producer /engineer David Barbe was born September 30, 1963). Barbe moved to Athens, Georgia in 1981 to attend the University of Georgia. In Athens, he played occasional guitar with punk favorites Bar-B-Que Killers. He later formed his own group, Mercyland in 1985 and acted as the main songwriter, bassist, and co-lead singer. After Mercyland disbanded in 1991, he fronted Buzz Hungry.
Shortly after this John Keane offered to tutor him in music production and engineering, Bob Mould also asked him to join Sugar. Barbe initially turned Mould down, feeling that he should stay home and look after his family. But his wife encouraged him to accept. Barbe contributed a number of songs, some from Buzz Hungry and some original, that were performed live and/or released as B-sides, such as ‘Where Diamonds are Halos’ which was also recorded as part of a BBC radio session. In 1994, with his family now including three children, he decided he needed to leave Sugar.
Barbe and Mould played a reunion show on March 18, 2008, in Atlanta as Barbe joined Mould’s touring band for a rendition of Divide & Conquer ( a Hüsker Dü song, not a Sugar song). Barbe also joined Mould for a full gig on October 18, 2009, at the Treasure Island Music Festival. Barbe flew out to play the show after bassist Jason Narducy’s wife went into labor. The set consisted of a mix of Hüsker Dü and Sugar songs.
In 1997, Barbe and two co-owners opened Chase Park Transduction studios in Athens. Since opening Chase Park, Barbe has worked as a producer, engineer, writer and musician on hundreds of recording projects with many artists, including Drive-By Truckers, Deerhunter, the Glands, Jerry Joseph, Amy Ray, k.d. lang, and R.E.M. Barbe has performed in a wide variety of “one-off” bands such as Christa McAuliffe and the Challengers and helped create or contribute to many cassette and vinyl compilation records around Athens and Atlanta such as Proud o’ Me Gluttony and Some. He performed at AthFest 2007 with Jack Logan. In 2011, Barbe remixed and reissued Mercyland’s sole full-length album, No Feet on the Cowling. In 2010, Barbe was named interim director of the University of Georgia’s Music Business Certificate Program, then in March 2011 he was appointed the certificate program’s director on a permanent basis by Terry College of Business Dean Robert Sumichrast.
He is currently director of the Music Business Certificate Program at the University of Georgia and is chief of Chase Park Transduction studio in Athens. Barbe is known for his work as a songwriter, singer, guitarist, and bass guitarist in Sugar, Mercyland, and Buzz Hungry, as well as solo performances. Also, he has produced nearly every album by the popular country rock band Drive-By Truckers, and has worked as producer and engineer with Son Volt. He has an all-star solo band in Athens called the Quick Hooks.
American author Truman Capote was born September 30, 1924 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the son of 17-year-old Lillie Mae Faulk and salesman Archulus Persons. His parents divorced when he was four, and he was sent to Monroeville, Alabama, where, for the following four to five years, he was raised by his mother’s relatives. He formed a fast bond with his mother’s distant relative, Nanny Rumbley Faulk, whom Truman called “Sook”. “Her face is remarkable – not unlike Lincoln’s, craggy like that, and tinted by sun and wind”, is how Capote described Sook in “A Christmas Memory” (1956). In Monroeville, he was a neighbor and friend of author Harper Lee, who is rumored to have based the character Dill on Capote. As a lonely child, Capote taught himself to read and write before he entered his first year of school. Capote was often seen at age five carrying his dictionary and notepad, and began writing fiction at the age of 11. He was given the nickname “Bulldog” around this age and for the rest of his childhood he honed his writing ability.
On Saturdays, he made trips from Monroeville to the nearby city of Mobile on the Gulf Coast, and at one point submitted a short story, “Old Mrs. Busybody”, to a children’s writing contest sponsored by the Mobile Press Register. In 1933, he moved to New York City to live with his mother and her second husband, Joseph Capote, a Cuban-born textile broker, who adopted him as his stepson and renamed him Truman García Capote. However, Joseph was convicted of embezzlement and shortly afterwards, when his income crashed, the family was forced to leave Park Avenue. Capote received recognition for his early work from The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in 1936.
While still attending Franklin in 1943, Capote began working as a copyboy in the art department at The New Yorker, a job he held for two years before being fired for angering poet Robert Frost. Years later, he reminisced, “Not a very grand job, for all it really involved was sorting cartoons and clipping newspapers. Still, I was fortunate to have it, especially since I was determined never to set a studious foot inside a college classroom. I felt that either one was or wasn’t a writer, and no combination of professors could influence the outcome. I still think I was correct, at least in my own case.” He left his job to live with relatives in Alabama and began writing his first novel, Summer Crossing
Capote began his professional career writing short stories. The critical success of one story, “Miriam” (1945), attracted the attention of Random House publisher Bennett Cerf, resulting in a contract to write Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948). Capote earned the most fame with In Cold Blood, a journalistic work about the murder of a Kansas farm family in their home, a book Capote spent four years writing, with much help from Harper Lee, who wrote the famous To Kill a Mockingbird. A milestone in popular culture, In Cold Blood was the peak of his literary career, though it was not his final book. In the 1970s, he maintained his celebrity status by appearing on many television talk shows. sadly Truman Capote passed away 25 August 1984 however At least 20 films and television dramas have been produced from Capote novels, including in Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany’s starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard and his novels remain popular. His stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958) and the true crime novel In Cold Blood (1966), which he labeled a “nonfiction novel.”
International Blasphemy Day Takes place annually on 30 September Blasphemy Day is celebrated on September 30 to coincide with the anniversary of the publication of satirical drawings of Muhammad in one of Denmark’s newspapers, which resulted in the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy among Danish Muslims, and became a widespread furor after Muslim imams in several countries stirred up violent protests in which Danish embassies were firebombed and over 100 people were killed in subsequent protests concerning the cartoons.
Blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence toward a deity, to religious or holy persons or sacred things, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. Some religions consider blasphemy to be a religious crime. International Blasphemy Day is designed to encourage individuals and groups to openly express criticism of religion and blasphemy laws.International Blasphemy Day was founded in 2009 by the Center for Inquiry. A student contacted the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, New York, to present the idea, which CFI then supported. Ronald Lindsay, president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, said, regarding Blasphemy Day, “We think religious beliefs should be subject to examination and criticism just as political beliefs are, but we have a taboo on religion”, in an interview with CNN. Events worldwide on the first annual Blasphemy Day in 2009 included an art exhibit in Washington, D.C. and a free speech festival in Los Angeles. According to USA Today’s interview with Justin Trottier, a Toronto coordinator of Blasphemy Day, “We’re not seeking to offend, but if in the course of dialogue and debate, people become offended, that’s not an issue for us. There is no human right not to be offended.”
As of 2012, anti-blasphemy laws existed in 32 countries, while 87 nations had hate speech laws that covered defamation of religion and public expression of hate against a religious group. Anti-blasphemy laws are particularly common in Muslim-majority nations, such as those in the Middle East and North Africa, although they are also present in some Asian and European countries. In some countries, blasphemy is punishable by death, such as in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Saudi Arabia. As of 2015, at least fourteen member states of the European Union maintain criminal blasphemy or religious insult laws. These are Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France (Alsace-Moselle region only), Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland only) Turkey also has similar laws. As of 2009 six U.S. states still had anti-blasphemy laws on their books: Massachusetts, Michigan, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming, but these are unenforceable.
The late, great Marc Bolan, English singer/songwriter musician with Glam Rock band T.Rex was Born September 30th 1947. T. Rex were originally Formed in 1967 as Tyrannosaurus Rex, After a solitary performance as a four-piece the group immediately broke up. Bolan retained the services of percussionist Steve Peregrin Took and the duo began performing acoustic material. The combination of Bolan’s acoustic guitar and distinctive vocal style with Took’s bongos and assorted percussion earned them a devoted following in the thriving hippy underground scene which included the late great BBC Radio One Disc jockey John Peel who championed the band early in their recording career. By 1968, Tyrannosaurus Rex had become a modest success on radio and on record, and had released three albums. While Bolan’s early material was rock and roll-influenced pop music, he was also writing dramatic and baroque songs with lush melodies and surreal lyrics filled with Greek and Persian mythology as well as creations of his own. After Bolan replaced Took with percussionist Mickey Finn, they completed A Beard of Stars. As well as progressively shorter titles, Tyrannosaurus Rex’s albums began to show higher production values, more accessible songwriting and experimentation with electric guitars and a true rock sound.
The breakthrough came with “King of the Rumbling Spires” which used a full rock band. The group’s next album, T. Rex, continued the process of simplification by shortening the name, and completed the move to electric guitars. The new sound was more pop-oriented, They released the first single, “Ride a White Swan”, in late 1970 and was followed by a second single, “Hot Love”. Before one performance Mickey Finn’s girlfriend Chelita Secunda add two spots of glitter under Bolan’s eyes before an appearance on Top of the Pops, the ensuing performance would often be viewed as the birth of glam rock which gained popularity in the UK and Europe during 1971–72. In 1971, T. Rex released their second album Electric Warrior which contained one of their best-known song, “Get It On”. and is Often considered to be their best album. it became a top ten hit in the US, where the song was retitled “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” to distinguish it from a 1971 song by the group Chase. However, the album still recalled Bolan’s acoustic roots with ballads such as “Cosmic Dancer” and the stark “Girl” & brought much commercial success to the group, & the term “T. Rextasy” was coined as a parallel to Beatlemania to describe the group’s popularity. Along with David Bowie’s early hits, “Get It On” was among the few British glam rock songs that were successful in the US. This was followed by more glam rock hits during the 1970′s including “Jeepster”, “20th Century Boy”, “Children of the Revolution”, “Hot Love”, “Telegram Sam”, and “Metal Guru”.
On 18 March 1972, T. Rex played two shows at the Empire Pool, Wembley, which were filmed by Ringo Starr and his crew for Apple Films. A large part of the second show was included on Bolan’s own rock film Born to Boogie, while bits and pieces of the first show can be seen throughout the film’s end-credits. Along with T. Rex and Starr, Born to Boogie also features Elton John, who jammed with the friends to create rocking studio versions of “Children of the Revolution” and “Tutti Frutti”; Elton John had appeared on TV with Bolan before, miming the piano part of “Get it On” on the 1971 Christmas edition of Top of the Pops. T. Rex’s third album The Slider was released in July 1972. The band’s most successful album in the US, The Slider was not as successful as its predecessor in the UK, where it peaked at the fourth spot. During spring/summer 1972, Bolan’s old label Fly released the chart-topping compilation album Bolan Boogie, a collection of singles, B-sides and LP tracks, which affected The Slider’s sales. Two singles from The Slider, “Telegram Sam” and “Metal Guru”, became number one hits in the UK. Born to Boogie premiered at the Oscar One cinema in London, in December 1972. The film received negative reviews from critics, while it was loved by fans.
The next album Tanx (1973) was full of melancholy ballads and rich production, And showcased the T. Rex sound bolstered by extra instrumental embellishments such as Mellotron and saxophone. During the recording T. Rex members began to quit, starting with Bill Legend in November 1973. Legend felt alienated by Bolan’s increasingly egotistical behaviour, which was fed by success, money, cocaine, and brandy.the following album Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow was released on 1 February 1974, and reached number 12 in the UK. The album harkened back to the Tyrannosaurus Rex days with long song-titles and lyrical complexity, Bolan’s Zip Gun (1975) was self-produced by Bolan who, in addition to writing the songs, gave his music a harder, more futuristic sheen. The final song recorded with Visconti, “Till Dawn”, was re-recorded for Bolan’s Zip Gun with Bolan at the controls. T. Rex’s penultimate album, Futuristic Dragon (1976), featured a schizophrenic production style that veered from wall of sound-style songs to nostalgic nods to the old T. Rex boogie machine. In the summer of 1976, T. Rex released two more singles, “I Love to Boogie” and “Laser Love”, In early 1977 Dandy in the Underworld was released to critical acclaim and the band experienced something of a resurgence. Sadly though Marc Bolan was tragically killed 16 September 1977 after his purple Mini 1275GT crashed into a tree after failing to negotiate a small humpback bridge in, southwest London.
However T. Rex vastly influenced the glam rock, punk rock and Britpop genres. Johnny Marr of The Smiths stated: “The influence of T. Rex is very profound on certain songs of the Smiths like “Panic” and “Shoplifters of the World Unite”. T. Rex are specifically referenced by The Who in the lyrics of their 1981 hit song “You Better You Bet”, by David Bowie in the song “All the Young Dudes” (which he wrote for Mott the Hoople), by B A Robertson in his 1980 hit “Kool In The Kaftan”, and by the Ramones in their song “Do You Remember Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio?” The early acoustic material was influential in helping to bring about progressive rock and 21st century folk music-influenced singers. The lyric “Glimmers like Bolan in the shining sun” is featured in My Chemical Romance’s song “Vampire Money”, a direct reference to Bolan, taken from their most recent studio album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. Additionally, Oasis “borrowed” the distinct guitar riff from “Get It On” on their single “Cigarettes and Alcohol”. Noel Gallagher, has also cited T. Rex as a strong influence.
The Boeing/ Hughes AH-64 Apache helicopter first flew on 30 September 1975. The Boeing AH-64 Apache is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement, and a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew. Originally, the Apache started life as the Model 77 developed by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army’s Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the AH-1 Cobra, and was first flown on 30 September 1975. The AH-64 was introduced to U.S. Army service in April 1986. The AH-64 Apache features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. It is armed with a 30-millimeter (1.2 in) M230 Chain Gun carried between the main landing gear, under the aircraft’s forward fuselage. It has four hardpoints mounted on stub-wing pylons, typically carrying a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods.
he AH-64 has a large amount of systems redundancy to improve combat survivability. The U.S. Army selected the YAH-64, by Hughes Helicopters, over the Bell YAH-63 in 1976, and later approved full production in 1982. McDonnell Douglascontinued production and development after purchasing Hughes Helicopters from Summa Corporation in 1984. The first production AH-64D Apache Longbow, an upgraded version of the original Apache, was delivered to the Army in March 1997. Production has been continued by Boeing Defense, Space & Security; over 1,000 AH-64s have been produced to date.
The U.S. Army is the primary operator of the AH-64; although it has also become the primary attack helicopter of multiple nations, including Greece, Japan, Israel, the Netherlands and Singapore; as well as being produced under license in theUnited Kingdom as the AgustaWestland Apache. U.S. AH-64s have served in conflicts in Panama, the Persian Gulf, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Israel used the Apache in its military conflicts in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip; both British and U.S. Apaches have seen deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. I have also seen some impressive demonstrations of theApache’s awesome capabilities at Cosford Air Show.
The Boeing 747 passenger jet aeroplane was rolled out and shown to the public for the first time at the Boeing Everett Factory on September 30 1968. The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport aircraft, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world’s most recognizable aircraft and was the first wide-body ever produced. Manufactured by Boeing’s Commercial Airplane unitin the United States, the original version of the 747 was two and a half times larger in capacity than the Boeing 707, one of the common large commercial aircraft of the 1960s.
The Boeing 747 commercial passenger jet aircraft was First flown commercially in 1970, and held the passenger capacity record for 37 years. The four-engine 747 uses a double deck configuration for part of its length. It is available in passenger, freighter and other versions. Boeing designed the 747’s hump-like upper deck to serve as a first class lounge or (as is the general rule today) extra seating, and to allow the aircraft to be easily converted to a cargo carrier by removing seats and installing a front cargo door. Boeing did so because the company expected supersonic airliners (development of which was announced in the early 1960s) to render the 747 and other subsonic airliners obsolete, while the demand for subsonic cargo aircraft would be robust well into the future.
The 747 was expected to become obsolete after 400 were sold, but it exceeded critics’ expectations with production passing the 1,000 mark in 1993. By September 2012, 1,448 aircraft had been built, with 81 of the 747-8 variants remaining on order. The 747-400, the most common passenger version in service, is among the fastest airliners in service with a high-subsonic cruise speed of Mach 0.85–0.855 (up to 570 mph or 920 km/h). It has an intercontinental range of 7,260 nautical miles (8,350 mi or 13,450 km). The 747-400 passenger version can accommodate 416 passengers in a typical three-class layout, 524 passengers in a typical two-class layout, or 660 passengers in a high density one-class configuration. The newest version of the aircraft, the 747-8, is in production and received certification in 2011. Deliveries of the 747-8F freighter version to launch customer Cargolux began in October 2011; deliveries of the 747-8I passenger version to Lufthansa began in May 2012. The 747 is to be replaced by the Boeing Y3 (part of the Boeing Yellowstone Project) in the future.
An Animated reconstruction of The mostly missing Doctor Who story theUnderwater Menace is being released 13 November. It features the second Doctor Patrick Troughton, Anneka Wills, Michael Craze and Frazer Hines. It begins when The Second Doctor and his companions, Polly, Ben and Jamie, arrive on a seemingly deserted volcanic island. However they are captured by the survivors of Atlantis. Their high priest, Lolem, decides to sacrifice them to appease the great god Amdo. The Doctor encounters A missing scientist named Professor Zaroff, who was presumed dead. Nearby Polly is taken by Damon for conversion-surgery into a Fish Person, while Ben and Jamie are taken to work in a mine. Polly manages to escape and hide in the Temple of Amdo. Ben, Jamie, and two shipwrecked sailors, Sean and Jacko, manage to escape and discover Polly’s hiding place.
Zaroff tells the Doctor that he has a dastardly plan to drain the sea so Atlantis could come back to the surface. The Doctor finds a priest named Ramo along the way and tells him Zaroff’s plans. Ramo takes the Doctor to Thous, King of Atlantis, however he sides with Zaroff and The Doctor and the priest are taken to be sacrificed to Lolem at the temple of Amdo. However The Doctor escapes and takes Zaroff to the temple of Amdo guarded by Ramo and Polly, however Zaroff escapes taking Polly as a hostage. So The Doctor, Jamie, Sean, and Jacko attempt to rescue Polly. King Thous has a change of heart when he realises Zaroff’s plan could have fatal consequences for the fish people living in Atlantis, who have adapted to life underwater, and tries to stop him, however this has disastrous results. Later The Doctor discovers an injured, dying Thous and tries to come up with a plan to stop Zaroff, whilst keeping the population of Atlantis safe….
Veteran Irish-English actor Sir Michael John Gambon CBE tragically died 27 September 2023. He was born 19 October 1940 in the Cabra suburb of Dublin on 19 October 1940. His mother, Mary (née Hoare), was a seamstress, while his father, Edward Gambon, was an engineering operative during World War II. His father decided to seek work in the rebuilding of London, and moved the family to Mornington Crescent in London’s Camden borough when Gambon was six. His father arranged for him to be made a British citizen, a decision that would later allow him to receive a substantive (rather than honorary) knighthood. Brought up as a strict Catholic, he attended St Aloysius Boys’ School in Somers Town and served at the altar. He then matriculated to St Aloysius’ College in Highgate, whose former pupils include actor Peter Sellers. He later moved to North End, Kent, where he attended Crayford Secondary School but left with no qualifications at the age of 15. He then gained an apprenticeship as a toolmaker with Vickers-Armstrong. By the time he was 21, he was a qualified engineering technician. He kept the job for a further year, acquiring a lifelong passion for collecting antique guns, clocks, watches and classic cars
At age 24, Gambon wrote a letter to Micheál Mac Liammóir, the Irish theatre impresario who ran Dublin’s Gate Theatre, accompanied by a CV describing a rich and wholly imaginary theatre career: he was taken on and Gambon made his professional stage debut in the Gate Theatre’s 1962 production of Othello, playing “Second Gentleman” Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivier as one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre when, auditioning with the opening soliloquy from Richard III, he caught the eye of Laurence Olivier who was recruiting promising actors for his new National Theatre Company.[ Gambon, along with Robert Stephens, Derek Jacobi and Frank Finlay, was hired as one of the “to be renowned” and played any number of small roles, appearing on cast lists as “Mike Gambon”. The company initially performed at the Old Vic, their first production being Hamlet, directed by Olivier and starring Peter O’Toole. Gambon played for four years in many NT productions, including named roles in The Recruiting Officer and The Royal Hunt of the Sun, working with directors William Gaskill and John Dexter. and made his film debut in Othello (1965). After three years at the Old Vic, Olivier advised Gambon to gain experience in provincial rep. In 1967, he left the National Theatre for the Birmingham Repertory Company, which was to give him his first crack at the title roles in Othello, Macbeth and Coriolanus. In 1974, Eric Thompson cast him as the melancholy vet in Alan Ayckbourn’s The Norman Conquests at Greenwich. An appearance on the West End established him as a comic actor, squatting at a crowded dining table on a tiny chair and agonising over a choice between black or white coffee. He next appered in Peter Hall’s premiere staging of Harold Pinter’s, latest play.
He next appeared in John Dexter’ of The Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht at the National Theatre in 1980. Gambon perfoemed as Eddie in The National Theatre’s revival of A View from the Bridge in 1987 at the Cottesloe Theatre. directed by Alan Ayckbourn. He also appeared in Harold Pinter’s Old Times at the Haymarket Theatre and Ben Jonson’s Volpone and the brutal sergeant in Pinter’s Mountain Language. In 1995, Gambon starred in David Hare’s Skylight, with Lia Williams. In 2001, he played what he described as “‘a physically repulsive” Davies in Patrick Marber’s revival of Pinter’s The Caretaker. In 2002 he appeared opposite Daniel Craig as the father of a series of cloned sons in Caryl Churchill’s A Number at the Royal Court. In 2004, Gambon played the lead role (Hamm) in Samuel Beckett’s post-apocalyptic play Endgame at the Albery Theatre, London. In 2005, he portrayed Falstaff, in Nicholas Hytner’s National production of Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, co-starring with Matthew Macfadyen as Prince Hal. In 2006, he performed as Joe in Beckett’s Eh Joe, at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London. He also played Henry in Stephen Rea’s play about Samuel Beckett’s Embers for Radio 3. In 2007, he portrayed the character Sam in Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming for Radio 3. In 2008, Gambon appeared in the role of Hirst in No Man’s Land by Harold Pinter at the Gate Theatre, Dublin, opposite David Bradley as Spooner, in a production directed by Rupert Goold. Gambon read Hirst’s monologue After Pinter’s death on 24 December 2008. In 2010, Gambon returned once again to the Gate Theatre Dublin to appear in Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape, which transferred to London’s Duchess Theatre. Also in 2012, he starred with Eileen Atkins in an adaptation of Beckett’s radio play, All That Fall. Directed by Trevor Nunn. In 2013, Gambon took part in the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the National Theatre. In early 2015, Gambon announced that he was giving up stage work due to the increasing length of time it was taking him to memorise his lines,.
He made his film debut in Laurence Olivier’s Othello alongside Maggie Smith and Derek Jacobi in 1965. After his film debut, Gambon was asked by James Bond producer Cubby Broccoli to audition for the role in 1970, to replace George Lazenby. He continued acting in the British horror films Nothing But the Night (1973), and The Beast Must Die (1974). In 1985, he appeared in the British drama film Turtle Diarydirected by John Irvin with a screenplay adapted by Harold Pinter. The film starred Glenda Jackson andBen Kingley. Other notable films include The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), The Wings of the Dove (1997), The Insider (1999), Gosford Park (2001), Amazing Grace (2006), The King’s Speech (2010), Quartet (2012), and Victoria & Abdul (2017). Gambon also appeared in the Wes Anderson films The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). Gambon enhanced his stardom through his role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter film series from 2004 to 2011, replacing Richard Harris following his death in 2002.
Over his six-decade-long career, he received many awards and accolades including three Olivier Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four BAFTA Awards. In 1998, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama. Gambon appeared in many productions of works by William Shakespeare such as Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth and Coriolanus. Gambon was nominated for thirteen Olivier Awards, winning three times for A Chorus of Disapproval (1985), A View from the Bridge (1987), and Man of the Moment (1990). In 1997, Gambon made his Broadway debut in David Hare’s Skylight,earning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination. For his work on television, he received four BAFTA Awards for The Singing Detective (1986), Wives and Daughters (1999), Longitude (2000), and Perfect Strangers (2001). He also received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Path to War(2002) and Emma (2009). Gambon’s other notable projects include Cranford (2007) and The Casual Vacancy (2015). In 2017, he received the Irish Film & Television Academy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, he was listed at No. 27 on The Irish Times‘ list of Ireland’s greatest film actors
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