Departures

Dianne Feinstein

A liberal legislator from California who used her position in the U.S. Senate to advance Democratic Party priorities, Feinstein died Sept. 29 aged 90. Feinstein entered electoral politics by winning a spot on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969. Tragedy lifted her to national prominence when she became the city’s mayor following the assassination of Mayor George Moscone and fellow Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. As mayor, she sparred with San Francisco radicals and earned a reputation as a pragmatic moderate in comparison. By 1992, she’d won a seat in the U.S. Senate, which she held until her death. In Congress, Feinstein spearheaded the 1994 assault weapons ban, promoted abortion, and pushed for mandates to increase automobile fuel efficiency.

Michael Gambon

Gambon, an acclaimed stage and screen actor whose portrayal of the wizard Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films capped a long and accomplished career, died Sept. 27. He was 82. The Irish-English actor caught his break when hired by Laurence Olivier to be one of the original members of the acting legend’s Royal National Theatre. After years portraying characters on the stage, he became a household name in the U.K. in 1986 when he took on the title role of the BBC hit The Singing Detective. In 2004, Gambon appeared in the third Harry Potter film as Albus Dumbledore, taking over for deceased actor Richard Harris.