Albus Dumbledore is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. For most of the series, he served as the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts until 1997. He is considered one of the most powerful and influential wizards of his time, and is the founder and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation dedicated to fighting the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort.
Dumbledore is portrayed by Richard Harris in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). Following Harris' death in October 2002, Michael Gambon was cast in the role. He plays Dumbledore in six Harry Potter films, which were released from 2004 to 2011. Jude Law portrays a middle-aged version of Dumbledore in the prequel films Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022). John Lithgow is set to portray Dumbledore in the upcoming HBO series Harry Potter.
Character In a 1999 interview, Rowling stated that she imagined Dumbledore as elderly and stately, and compared him to John Gielgud. In the novels, Dumbledore is described as tall and thin, with a long and crooked nose, long fingers and bright blue eyes. His hair and beard are described as long and silver. He wears half-moon spectacles and a colourful array of robes. In 2000, Rowling said that Dumbledore is a hundred and fifty years old during the events of the novels. However, she has stated on her website that he was born in 1881, which makes him either 115 or 116 when he dies in the sixth novel.Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Bloomsbury Publishing. Chapter 1: "He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt ... His nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice ... His blue eyes were light, bright and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles."
Rowling has described Dumbledore as very wise and "the epitome of goodness". She said he is a mentor to Harry Potter, and he knows that Harry will need to learn difficult lessons to prepare him for challenges in his life. According to Rowling, Dumbledore "allows Harry to get into what he would not allow another pupil to do, and he also unwillingly permits Harry to confront things he'd rather protect him from." Dumbledore's demeanour is often described as serene, ethereal and composed, and he rarely displays strong emotions. He is eccentric, slightly effeminate and fond of knitting. He is known for his odd displays of whimsicality, and he often uses humour to put others at ease. His eyes are sometimes described as twinkling with kindness or mischief. Dumbledore is highly perceptive and emotionally intelligent, and has a deep capacity for love. Dumbledore's personality also has a more steely aspect. When he apprehends Barty Crouch Jr in Goblet of Fire, the look upon his face is described as full of "cold fury" and "more terrible than Harry could have ever imagined."
Dumbledore is considered by many characters to be the most powerful wizard alive. Some say he is the only wizard Voldemort ever feared. During his education at Hogwarts, Dumbledore was in Gryffindor House., page 106 He was the most brilliant student the school had ever known, winning "every prize of note that the school offered", and doing "things with a wand [the examiner had] never seen before". Rowling has said that Dumbledore is primarily self-taught, although he "had access to superb teachers at Hogwarts". Dumbledore readily acknowledges that he is unusually intelligent and an exceptionally powerful wizard. He is skilled in Occlumency, Legilimency and Transfiguration, and is the owner of the powerful Elder Wand, which is one of the Deathly Hallows.Rowling, J. K. (2007). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Bloomsbury Publishing. Chapter 24: Dumbledore is revealed to have been the owner and master of the Elder Wand.Rowling, J. K. (1998). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Bloomsbury Publishing. Chapter 12: Introduction of Fawkes as Dumbledore's pet phoenix.Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Bloomsbury Publishing. Chapter 5: Mr. Ollivander reveals that Harry's wand carries a phoenix feather as its magical core.
In spite of Dumbledore's many extraordinary qualities, he is a flawed character. According to Rowling, "Although Dumbledore seems to be so benign for six books, he's quite a Machiavellian figure, really. He's been pulling a lot of strings." In a 2005 interview, Rowling commented: "Immense brainpower does not protect you from emotional mistakes, and I think Dumbledore really exemplifies that." In the novels, Dumbledore admits a number of times to Harry that he makes mistakes, and since he is smarter than most people, his mistakes "tend to be correspondingly huger". Rowling has said that Dumbledore speaks for her, the author, as he knows almost everything about the Harry Potter universe.
Dumbledore describes his desire for power as his greatest flaw. He eventually finds that those best suited for power are those who do not seek it. When he and Grindelwald first meet, they make plans to enslave Muggles and re-establish wizards as the natural rulers of the world. Dumbledore becomes disillusioned with this idea after his sister Ariana is killed during a duel between himself, his brother Aberforth, and Grindelwald. Dumbledore becomes riddled with guilt over the circumstances surrounding the death of his sister. He is tortured for the rest of his life by the possibility that he might have been the one who cast the spell that killed her. When he looks into the Mirror of Erised, he sees himself redeemed in the eyes of his brother and his entire family alive and together.
The name "Dumbledore" is borrowed from a dialectal word for "bumblebee". Rowling chose the name because Dumbledore loves music, and she imagined him walking around and humming to himself frequently.
Appearances in novels
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Dumbledore is introduced in the opening chapter of the first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997). Under cover of night, he brings the infant Harry Potter to the home of Harry's uncle and aunt, Vernon and Petunia Dursley. Harry's parents were killed by the Dark wizard Voldemort, and Dumbledore hopes he will be safe with the Dursleys. He leaves Harry on the doorstep with a letter explaining the situation. When Harry arrives at Hogwarts ten years later, Dumbledore tells him about the Mirror of Erised, a magical object that protects the Philosopher's Stone. Dumbledore is summoned to the Ministry of Magic by a false message on the night when Harry, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Professor Quirinus Quirrell enter the dungeons to retrieve the Stone. He realises during the trip that he is needed at Hogwarts, and returns in time to rescue Harry from Quirrell and Voldemort.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Dumbledore returns in the second novel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998). Through a magical diary, Harry sees a younger Dumbledore in a series of flashbacks. The diary once belonged to Tom Riddle, who eventually became Voldemort. In one flashback, Harry sees Dumbledore questioning Riddle about a series of attacks on Muggle-born students. In the present, a basilisk emerges from the Chamber of Secrets and begins attacking people in Hogwarts. Following the attacks, Lucius Malfoy convinces the governors of Hogwarts to suspend Dumbledore from his position as Headmaster. Dumbledore is reinstated when it is revealed that Lucius coerced the governors into suspending him.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban At the beginning of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), Dumbledore is forced to accept the presence of Dementors at Hogwarts. The Dementors have been sent to protect the students from Sirius Black, a supposed murderer who escaped from the wizard prison Azkaban. When Black breaches Hogwarts, Dumbledore closes every entrance to the school and grounds. After the Dementors cause Harry to fall off his broom during a Quidditch match, Dumbledore becomes angry and uses his wand to help Harry return safely to the ground. Later, Dumbledore suggests that Hermione use her Time-Turner to save Black and Buckbeak the hippogriff from execution.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000), Dumbledore brings the Triwizard Tournament to Hogwarts. He also serves as a judge throughout the event. After the final task of the tournament, Harry returns from an encounter with Voldemort. Professor Mad-Eye Moody escorts Harry into the castle, and Dumbledore becomes suspicious. He discovers that Moody is actually Barty Crouch Jr., and that the real Moody is being held prisoner by Crouch. Later, Dumbledore listens to Harry's account of Voldemort's return.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix In the fifth novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003), Dumbledore is removed from his position as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, voted out of the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards, and is almost stripped of his Order of Merlin First Class due to his speeches regarding the return of Voldemort. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Magic attempts to discredit him and Harry, often through the Daily Prophet. Dumbledore enrages Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge when he intercedes at a hearing to prevent Harry from being expelled from Hogwarts.
The Ministry passes Educational Decree Twenty-two, which allows Fudge to appoint Dolores Umbridge as the professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Through her, Fudge gradually gains power over Hogwarts and Dumbledore, whom he fears is amassing an underage wizard army to overthrow the Ministry. Umbridge forbids students from practicing defensive spells in her class, which prompts Harry, Ron, and Hermione to form a secret practice group called Dumbledore's Army. When the Ministry discovers the group, Dumbledore shields his students from punishment by falsely claiming that it was his idea. He is removed from the position of headmaster for the second time.
When the Order of the Phoenix battles Voldemort's Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries, Dumbledore arrives to aid them. He subdues most of the Death Eaters and binds them with an Anti-Disapparition Jinx to prevent them from escaping. He then engages in a duel with Voldemort, who tries to possess Harry so Dumbledore will kill him. After this ruse fails, Voldemort is forced to flee with Bellatrix Lestrange. Several Ministry officials witness the end of the battle, which leads to Dumbledore being reinstated as headmaster. Dumbledore explains to Harry that Voldemort chose Harry as his equal, and that either he or Voldemort must eventually kill the other.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005), Dumbledore brings Harry along as he attempts to persuade Horace Slughorn to rejoin the Hogwarts faculty. Harry notices that Dumbledore's right hand is shrivelled and blackened. During the school year, Dumbledore uses the Pensieve to teach Harry about Voldemort's life and his rise to power. In one of the Pensieve visions, Harry witnesses Dumbledore's first encounter with the young Tom Riddle. Dumbledore had known from the beginning that Riddle was dangerous, but believed that Hogwarts would change him.