John Lithgow confirming he's been casted as Dumbledore in the new Harry Potter series will break major JK Rowling rule on sourcing British and Irish actors.

John Lithgow has revealed he has been cast as Albus Dumbledore in the HBO Harry Potter series after weeks of speculation. The six-time Emmy-winner, 79, becomes the fourth actor to play the old wise wizard after Michael Gambon,

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.”