Six-time Emmy-winning actor John Lithgow will take over from Richard Harris, Michael Gambon and Jude Law, who have all played Dumbledore on the big screen. Lithgow, best known for

John Lithgow has played everything from Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha to an extraterrestrial patriarch in 3rd Rock from the Sun. Next he will be the powerful, wise, and compassionate professor Dumbledore in HBO’s Harry Potter TV show. He confirmed the casting in a recent interview, saying it will “define me for the last chapter of my life.”

It seems John Lithgow spilled the (Bertie Bott's Every Flavor) beans about his involvement in HBO's in-the-works 'Harry Potter' series. 'A total surprise to me,' he says.