Albus Dumbledore

Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. For most of the series, he is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts. He is also the founder and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation dedicated to fighting the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort.

Dumbledore is widely regarded as one of the most powerful and influential wizards of his time. Renowned for his wisdom, kindness, and formidable magical abilities, he plays a crucial role in shaping the events of the wizarding world. As a mentor to Harry Potter, he provides guidance and crucial knowledge in the fight against Voldemort. Despite his benevolent image, Dumbledore's past is marked by tragedy and complexity, including his youthful association with Gellert Grindelwald, a dark wizard he later defeated. His philosophical views on power, love, and death are central themes in the series.

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's 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 the character 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 him in the upcoming HBO series Harry Potter.

Rowling has described Dumbledore as "the epitome of goodness". She said that he speaks for her, as he "knows pretty much everything" about the Harry Potter universe. Rowling mentioned that Dumbledore regrets "that he has always had to be the one who knew, and who had the burden of knowing. And he would rather not know." As a mentor to the central character Harry Potter, "Dumbledore is a very wise man who knows that Harry is going to have to learn a few hard lessons to prepare him for what may be coming in his life. He 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." In a 1999 interview, Rowling stated that she imagined Dumbledore "more as a John Gielgud type, you know, quite elderly and – and quite stately." During his time as a student, Dumbledore was in Gryffindor House. In a 2000 interview, Rowling said that Dumbledore "is a hundred and fifty" during the events of the novels, as said also by the character Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. However, she has stated on her website that he was born in 1881, which makes him either 115 or 116 at the time of his death.

In 2007, Rowling was asked whether Dumbledore finds "true love". Rowling said that she always thought of Dumbledore as being homosexual and that he had fallen in love with the corrupt wizard Gellert Grindelwald, which was Dumbledore's "great tragedy"; Rowling did not explicitly state whether Grindelwald returned his affections. Rowling explains this further by elaborating on the motivations behind Dumbledore's flirtation with the idea of wizard domination of Muggles: "He lost his moral compass completely when he fell in love and I think subsequently became very mistrustful of his own judgement in those matters so became quite asexual. He led a celibate and a bookish life."

The name "Dumbledore" is borrowed from a dialectal word from Hampshire, Cornwall, and elsewhere, chiefly for "bumblebee" (the first particle sharing origin, and ancient dor for "humming insect"). Rowling chose the name because Dumbledore loves music, and she imagined him walking around and humming to himself frequently.

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.

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.