Rupert Grint Pays Highest Compliment to Dumbledore Actor Michael Gambon

Rupert Grint joined a chorus of tributes on Thursday as fellow Harry Potter actors and fans remembered Irish actor Michael Gambon, who died Wednesday at 82 after a battle with pneumonia.

Grint, who played Ronald Weasley throughout the eight-part Warner Bros. film series based on the books by J.K. Rowling, posted his tribute to Gambon on Instagram.

"So sad to hear about Michael," Grint's post began. "He brought so much warmth and mischief to every day on set. He captivated me as a kid and became a personal role model of mine for finding the fun and eccentricities in life. Sending all my love to his family, Rupert."

Accompanying Grint's post was a photo of Gambon as Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of the series' fictional wizarding school, Hogwarts. Gambon started in the role during the third movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and continued through the end of the series. The first to play Dumbledore on screen, Richard Harris, died after filming the second movie.

Harris' son, actor Jared Harris, said Gambon was "hilarious" and a "brilliant actor" in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"I saw him on stage several times, and he lives unforgettably in my memory. He took over Dumbledore from my father, which was fitting as he over took Brando as my father's favourite actor," the post said.

Several other Harry Potter actors also shared memories of Gambon and the times they spent working alongside him.

Ralph Fiennes, who played series villain Lord Voldemort, said he was "incredibly saddened" by Gambon's passing.

"He brought immeasurable joy to Harry Potter fans from all over the world with his humour, kindness and grace. We will forever hold his memory in our hearts," Fiennes said in an Instagram post accompanying a photo of himself and Gambon on set.

James Phelps, who played Grint's on-screen older brother, Fred Weasley, recalled on X the "many hours" he spent working with Gambon while filming the sixth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Between set-ups for the Dumbledore character's final scene, Phelps said Gambon helped him run through lines for a performance with the Manchester Hallé orchestra.

"It is a memory I've always had as one of the highlights of my HP days," Phelps wrote.

Jason Isaacs played Lucius Malfoy, the father of Harry Potter's nemesis, Draco Malfoy, in the series. Isaacs posted on X that he "learned what acting could be" by watching Gambon.

"The greatest thrill of being in the Potter films was that he knew my name and shared his fearless, filthy sense of fun with me," Isaacs said.

Rowling also penned a tribute to Gambon, whom she said she first saw act years before her stories were brought to the screen.

"The first time I ever laid eyes on him was in King Lear, in 1982, and if you'd told me then that brilliant actor would appear in anything I'd written, I'd have thought you were insane," Rowling tweeted. "Michael was a wonderful man in additional to being an outstanding actor, and I absolutely loved working with him, not only on Potter but also The Casual Vacancy. My deepest condolences go to Michael's family and everyone who loved him."

Newsweek reached out to Warner Bros. by email on Thursday for comment.