"It's going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I'm afraid. But I'm very excited," the veteran actor said of the iconic role.

Albus Dumbledore’s half-moon spectacles will be handed down to none other than John Lithgow.

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.”