Richard Harris two films which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. First, as the gunfighter "English Bob" in the Western "Unforgiven" (1992); second, as the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius in Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" (2000). He also played a lead role alongside James Earl Jones in the Darrell Roodt film adaptation of "Cry, the Beloved Country" (1995). In 1999, Harris starred in the film "To Walk with Lions". After "Gladiator", Harris played the supporting role of Albus Dumbledore in the first two of the "Harry Potter" films, and as Abbé Faria in Kevin Reynolds' film adaptation of "The Count of Monte Cristo"
Harry Potter (film series) was released in November 2010, and "Part 2" was released in July 2011. Five of the series' eight films are among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time, with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2" the highest-grossing film in the series and one of 36 films to gross over $1 billion, ranking at number ten. Without inflation adjustment, it is the third highest-grossing film series with $7.7 billion in worldwide receipts. Late in 1997, film producer David Heyman's London offices received a copy of the first book in what would become Rowling's series of seven "Harry Potter"