He made his movie debut in the Laurence Olivier "Othello" in 1965. He then played romantic leads, notably in the early 1970s BBC television series, "The Borderers", in which he was swashbuckling Gavin Ker. As a result, Gambon was asked by James Bond producer Cubby Broccoli to audition for the role in 1970, to replace George Lazenby. His craggy looks soon made him into a character actor, although he won critical acclaim as Galileo in John Dexter's production of "The Life of Galileo" by Brecht at the National Theatre in 1980. But it was not until Dennis Potter's "The Singing Detective" (1986) that he became a household name. After this success, for which he won a BAFTA, his work includes movies such as "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover" which also starred Helen Mirren.