A Different Dumbledore?
8/29/02

Veteran actor Richard Harris may have to be replaced in the third installment of the Harry Potter films as fears for his health grow. The famously hard-drinking Irishman was admitted to a London hospital last week, reportedly suffering from pneumonia. He completed filming of the second Harry Potter flick, The Chamber Of Secrets, although a double was needed for some scenes when he was feeling ill. The 71-year-old plays Professor Albus Dumbledore in the tales of the schoolboy wizard, but bosses at Warner Brothers will decide next month if he is fit enough to reprise the role in the next movie, The Prisoner Of Azkaban, which starts shooting in January. If Harris is deemed too ill to continue the role - he is signed up to appear in all seven mooted films based on J.K. Rowling's books - the favorite to take over is a virtual unknown. Harry Robinson, 72, is the spitting image of Harris and has appeared as his double in the previous two films. A source on the set says, "The producers are not confident Richard will be well enough and have told Harry there's an 80 per cent chance of him getting the part. He's already been told to start practicing Dumbledore's distinctive deep voice." Last night Robinson said, "I'd love the role but I can't talk about it." A spokesperson for Harris says, "He is still in hospital with a chest infection. It's too early to talk about Harry Potter."

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