Sir Ian McKellen
McKellen at the premiere of The Return of the King in Wellington, New Zealand, 1 December 2003
Born | (1939-05-25) 25 May 1939 (age 74) Burnley, Lancashire, England
Alma mater | Cambridge University
Occupation | Actor
Years active | 1959?present
Partner(s) | Brian Taylor (1964?1972) Sean Mathias (1978?1988)
Parents | Denis Murray McKellen
Website
www.mckellen.com

Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He has won multiple Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is known for film roles such as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, Magneto in the X-Men films, and as Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code.

McKellen was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1979, was knighted in 1991 for services to the performing arts,[1] and was made a Companion of Honour for services to drama and to equality, in the 2008 New Year Honours.[2]

## Early life[edit]

McKellen was born in Burnley, Lancashire, England,[3] though he spent most of his early life in Wigan. Born shortly before the outbreak of World War II, the experience had some lasting impact on him. In response to an interview question when an interviewer remarked that he seemed quite calm in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks, he said: "Well, darling, you forget?I slept under a steel plate until I was four years old."[4]

McKellen's father, Denis Murray McKellen, a civil engineer, was a lay preacher, and both of his grandfathers were preachers. At the time of Ian's birth, his parents already had a five-year-old daughter, Jean. His home environment was strongly Christian, but non-orthodox. "My upbringing was of low nonconformist Christians who felt that you led the Christian life in part by behaving in a Christian manner to everybody you met."[4] When he was 12, his mother, Margery Lois (n?e Sutcliffe), died; his father died when he was 24. Of his coming out of the closet to his stepmother, Gladys McKellen, who was a member of the Religious Society of Friends, he said, "Not only was she not fazed, but as a member of a society which declared its indifference to people's sexuality years back, I think she was just glad for my sake that I wasn't lying anymore."[4]

McKellen attended Bolton School (boys division),[5] of which he is still a supporter, attending regularly to talk to pupils. McKellen's acting career started at Bolton Little Theatre, of which he is now the patron.[6] An early fascination with the theatre was encouraged by his parents, who took him on a family outing to Peter Pan at the Opera House in Manchester when he was three.[citation needed] When he was nine, his main Christmas present was a wood and bakelite, fold-away Victorian theatre from Pollocks Toy Theatres, with cardboard scenery and wires to push on the cut-outs of Cinderella and of Laurence Olivier's Hamlet.[citation needed] His sister took him to his first Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night,[7] by the amateurs of Wigan's Little Theatre, shortly followed by their Macbeth and Wigan High School for Girls' production of A Midsummer Night's Dream with music by Mendelssohn and with the role of Bottom played by Jean McKellen. (Jean continued to act, direct, and produce amateur theatre up to her death.)[8]

He won a scholarship to St Catharine's College, Cambridge, when he was eighteen, where he developed an attraction to Derek Jacobi.[9] He has characterised it as "a passion that was undeclared and unrequited".[4] He later stated, on Inside the Actors Studio, that he talked to Jacobi about this and that Jacobi then confessed to have had a crush on McKellen as well.[10]

## Career[edit]

### Theatre[edit]

While at Cambridge McKellen was a member of the Marlowe Society, appearing in Henry IV (as Shallow) alongside Trevor Nunn and Jacobi (March 1959), Cymbeline (as Posthumus, opposite Margaret Drabble as Imogen) and Doctor Faustus.[11][12][13] His first professional appearance was in 1961 at the Nottingham Playhouse, as Roper in A Man for All Seasons, although an audio recording of the Marlowe Society's Cymbeline had gone on commercial sale as part of the Argo Shakespeare series.[11][13] After four years in regional repertory theatres he made his first West End appearance, in A Scent of Flowers, regarded as a "notable success".[11] In 1965 he was a member of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company at the Old Vic, which led to r?les at the Chichester Festival. In the 1970s and 1980s McKellen became a well-known figure in British theatre, performing frequently at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, where he played several leading Shakespearean roles, including the titular part in Macbeth (which he had first assayed for Trevor Nunn in a "gripping...out of the ordinary" production, with Judi Dench, at Stratford in 1976), and Iago in Othello, in award-winning productions directed by Nunn.[11] Both of these productions were adapted into television films, also directed by Nunn.

In 2007 he returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company, in productions of King Lear and The Seagull, both directed by Trevor Nunn. In 2009 he appeared in a very popular revival of Waiting for Godot at London's Haymarket Theatre, directed by Sean Mathias and playing opposite Patrick Stewart.[14][15]

McKellen is Patron of English Touring Theatre and also President and Patron of the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain, an association of amateur theatre organisations throughout the UK.[16]

### Popular success[edit]

McKellen had taken film roles throughout his career?beginning in 1969 with his role of George Matthews in A Touch of Love, but it was not until the 1990s that he became more widely recognised in this medium, through several roles in blockbuster Hollywood films.[9]

In 1993, McKellen had a supporting role as a South African tycoon in the critically acclaimed[17] Six Degrees of Separation, in which he starred with Stockard Channing, Donald Sutherland, and Will Smith. In the same year, he appeared in minor roles in the television miniseries Tales of the City (based on the novel by his friend Armistead Maupin) and the film Last Action Hero, in which he played Death. The same year, McKellen appeared in the television film And the Band Played On, about the discovery of the AIDS virus, for which McKellen won a CableACE Award for Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries and was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.[18]

In 1995, he played the title role in the critical hit Richard III,[19] which transported the setting into an alternative 1930s wherein England is ruled by Fascists.[20] McKellen co-produced and co-wrote the film, adapting the play for the screen based on a stage production of Shakespeare's play directed by Richard Eyre for the Royal National Theatre, in which McKellen had appeared.[9][20] In McKellen's role as executive producer he returned his ?50,000 fee in order to complete the filming of the final battle.[21] In his review of the film, Hal Hinson of The Washington Post, called McKellen's performance a "lethally flamboyant incarnation" and said his "florid mastery ... dominates everything".[22] His performance in the title role garnered best actor nominations for the BAFTA Award and Golden Globe, and won the European Film Award for Best Actor. His screenplay was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

His breakthrough role among mainstream American audiences[citation needed] came with the modestly acclaimed[23] Apt Pupil, based on a story by Stephen King. McKellen portrayed an old Nazi officer, living under a false name in the U.S., who was befriended by a curious teenager (Brad Renfro) who threatened to expose him unless he told his story in detail. His casting was based partly on his performance in Cold Comfort Farm, seen by Apt Pupil director Bryan Singer, despite the BBC's refusal to release it in cinemas.[21] He was subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters, wherein he played James Whale, the director of Show Boat (1936) and Frankenstein.[9]

He reteamed with Bryan Singer to play the comic book supervillain Magneto in X-Men and its sequels X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand.[9] It was while filming X-Men that he was cast as the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson's three-film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (consisting of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King). McKellen received honors from the Screen Actors Guild for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his work in The Fellowship of the Ring and was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the same role. He also voiced Gandalf in the video game adaptions of the film trilogy as well as in The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age.[24] On 10 January 2011 it was officially confirmed that Mckellen would reprise the role of Gandalf in the three-part film adaptation of The Hobbit.[25]

McKellen in 2010

On 16 March 2002, he was the host on Saturday Night Live. In 2003, McKellen made a guest appearance as himself on the American cartoon show The Simpsons, in a special British-themed episode entitled "The Regina Monologues", along with Tony Blair and J. K. Rowling. In April and May 2005, he played the role of Mel Hutchwright in Granada Television's long running soap opera, Coronation Street, fulfilling a lifelong ambition. He is also known for his voicework, having narrated Richard Bell's film Eighteen, as a grandfather who leaves his World War II memoirs on audiocassette for his teenage grandson.

McKellen has appeared in limited release films, such as Emile (which was shot in a few days during the X2 shoot),[citation needed] Neverwas and Asylum. He appeared as Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code. During a 17 May 2006 interview on The Today Show with the Da Vinci Code cast and director, Matt Lauer posed a question to the group about how they would have felt if the film had borne a prominent disclaimer that it is a work of fiction, as some religious groups wanted.[26] McKellen responded, "I've often thought the Bible should have a disclaimer in the front saying 'This is fiction.' I mean, walking on water? It takes... an act of faith. And I have faith in this movie?? not that it's true, not that it's factual, but that it's a jolly good story." He continued, "And I think audiences are clever enough and bright enough to separate out fact and fiction, and discuss the thing when they've seen it".[26] McKellen appeared in the 2006 series of Ricky Gervais' comedy series Extras, where he played himself directing Gervais' character Andy Millman in a play about gay lovers. McKellen received a 2007 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy Series nomination for his performance. In 2009 he portrayed Number Two in The Prisoner, a remake of the 1967 cult series The Prisoner.[27] He will reprise his role as Magneto in X-Men: Days of Future Past, set for release in July 2014; he will share this role with Michael Fassbender, who played a younger version of the character in 2011's X-Men: First Class.[28]

## Personal life[edit]

McKellen and his first serious partner, Brian Taylor, a history teacher from Bolton, began their relationship in 1964.[29] It lasted for eight years, ending in 1972. They lived in London, where McKellen continued to pursue his career as an actor. For over a decade, he has lived in a five-story Victorian conversion in Narrow Street, Limehouse.[30] In 1978 he met his second partner, Sean Mathias, at the Edinburgh Festival. This relationship lasted until 1988. According to Mathias, the ten-year love affair was tempestuous, with conflicts over McKellen's success in acting versus Mathias' somewhat less-successful career.[citation needed] Mathias and McKellen remained friends, and Mathias directed McKellen in Waiting For Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2009. The pair have entered into business partnership with Evgeny Lebedev purchasing the lease on The Grapes public house in Narrow Street,[31] close to McKellen's home.[32]

A friend of Ian Charleson and a great admirer of his work, McKellen contributed a chapter to the 1990 book, For Ian Charleson: A Tribute.[33]

In the late 1980s, McKellen lost his appetite for meat except for fish, and so mostly excludes it from his diet.[34]

## Activism[edit]

### LGBT rights campaigning[edit]

Sir Ian Murray McKellen at Manchester Pride 2010
McKellen at Europride 2003 in Manchester.

While McKellen had made his sexual orientation known to his fellow actors early on in his stage career, it was not until 1988 that he came out to the general public, in a programme on BBC Radio 3.[35] The context that prompted McKellen's decision?? overriding any concerns about a possible negative effect on his career?? was that the controversial Section 28 of the Local Government Bill, simply known as Section 28, was under consideration in the British Parliament.[9] McKellen has stated that he was influenced in his decision by the advice and support of his friends, among them noted gay author Armistead Maupin.[9] In a 1998 interview that discusses the 29th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, McKellen commented, "I have many regrets about not having come out earlier, but one of them might be that I didn?t engage myself in the politicking."[36]

In 2003, during an appearance on Have I Got News For You, McKellen claimed that when he visited Michael Howard, then Environment Secretary (responsible for local government), in 1988 to lobby against Section 28, Howard refused to change his position but did ask him to leave an autograph for his children. McKellen agreed, but wrote, "Fuck off, I'm gay."[37] McKellen also described Howard's junior ministers, the Conservatives David Wilshire and Dame Jill Knight, who were the architects of Section 28, as the 'ugly sisters' of a political pantomime.[38]

Section 28, which proposed to prohibit local authorities from "promoting homosexuality" 'as a kind of pretended family relationship', was ambiguous and the actual impact of the amendment was uncertain.[39] McKellen became active in fighting the proposed law, and declared himself gay on a BBC Radio programme where he debated the subject of Section 28 with the conservative journalist Peregrine Worsthorne.[9] He has said of this period: "My own participating in that campaign was a focus for people [to] take comfort that if Ian McKellen was on board for this, perhaps it would be all right for other people to be as well, gay and straight".[4] Section 28 was, however, enacted and remained on the statute books until 2003.

McKellen has continued to be very active in LGBT rights efforts. In a statement on his website regarding his activism, the actor commented that:

> I have been reluctant to lobby on other issues I most care about ? nuclear weapons (against), religion (atheist), capital punishment (anti), AIDS (fund-raiser) because I never want to be forever spouting, diluting the impact of addressing my most urgent concern; legal and social equality for gay people worldwide.[40]

McKellen is a co-founder of Stonewall, a LGBT rights lobby group in the United Kingdom, named after the Stonewall riots.[41] McKellen is also patron of LGBT History Month,[42] Pride London, GAY-GLOS, The Lesbian Gay Foundation,[43] and FFLAG where he appears in their video "Parents Talking".[44]

In 1994, at the closing ceremony of the Gay Games, he briefly took the stage to address the crowd, saying, "I'm Sir Ian McKellen, but you can call me Serena" (this nickname, originally given to him by Stephen Fry, had been circulating within the gay community since McKellen's knighthood was conferred).[4] In 2002, he attended the Academy Awards with his then-boyfriend, New Zealander Nick Cuthell.

In 2006, McKellen spoke at the pre-launch of the 2007 LGBT History Month in the UK, lending his support to the organisation and its founder, Sue Sanders.[42] In 2007 McKellen became a patron of The Albert Kennedy Trust, an organisation that provides support to young, homeless and troubled LGBT people.[41]

In 2006, McKellen became a patron of Oxford Pride.[45] At the time he said:

> I have been to many Pride occasions across the World, from being Grand Marshall in San Francisco to the first ever gay march in Johannesburg in post-apartheid South Africa. Wherever gay people gather publicly to celebrate their sense of community, there are two important results. First, onlookers can be impressed by our confidence and determination to be ourselves and, second, gay people, of whatever age, can be comforted by the occasion to take first steps towards coming out and leaving the closet forever behind. I send my love to all members of Oxford Pride, their sponsors and supporters, of which I am proud to be one.[this quote needs a citation]

McKellen has taken his activism internationally, where it caused a major stir in Singapore. Invited to do an interview on a morning show, he shocked the interviewer by asking if they could recommend him a gay bar. The program immediately ended.[46] In December 2008, he was named in Out's annual Out 100 list.[47]

In 2010, McKellen extended his support for Liverpool's Homotopia festival in which a group of gay and lesbian Merseyside teenagers helped to produce an anti-homophobia campaign pack for schools and youth centres across the city.[48]

In May 2011, McKellen called Sergey Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow, a "coward" when he refused to allow gay parades in the city.[49]

In November 2012, McKellen took issue with Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key's quip that a radio host's shirt was a "gay red top".[50] Mr Key dismissed criticism, saying "gay" meant "weird". McKellen wrote on his blog that Mr Key should "watch his language" because "careless talk damages lives".[51] "Even as he supports the proposal to introduce same-gender marriages in New Zealand, I do hope John Key listens to his critics and appreciates their concern," McKellen wrote.[52]

### Charity work[edit]

In April 2010, along with Brian Cox and Eleanor Bron, appeared in a series of TV advertisements to support Age UK, the charity recently formed from the merger of Age Concern and Help the Aged. All three actors gave their time free of charge.[53]

### Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch[edit]

While in New Zealand filming The Hobbit in 2012, McKellen announced a special show 'Shakespeare, Tolkien, ITR and You!', with proceeds from the two shows going to help save the Isaac Theatre Royal, which suffered extensive damage during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. McKellen said he opted to help save the building as it was the last theatre he played in New Zealand (Waiting For Godot in 2010) and the locals' love for it made it a place worth contributing to.[54]

## Selected stage and screen credits[edit]

### Stage[edit]

The hands of McKellen on a 1999 Gods and Monsters plaque in London's Leicester Square.

- Much Ado About Nothing, Royal National Theatre, Old Vic, London, 1965
- Trelawny of the 'Wells', National Theatre, London Chichester Festival, 1965
- The Promise, West End; Broadway, 1967
- Edward II (in title role), Edinburgh Festival West End, 1969
- Hamlet (title role), UK/European Tour, 1971
- 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, UK Tour, 1972
- Dr Faustus (title role), Royal Shakespeare Company, Edinburgh Festival Aldwych Theatre (London), 1974
- King John, RSC, 1975
- Romeo and Juliet (as Romeo), RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon London, 1976
- The Winter's Tale, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1976
- Macbeth (title role), RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon Young Vic (London), 1976?1977
- The Alchemist, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon London, 1977
- Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, RSC, Barbican Arts Centre (London), 1977
- Three Sisters, RSC, UK Tour, 1978
- Bent, (as Max) Royal Court and Criterion, London, 1979
- Amadeus (as Salieri), Broadway, 1980
- Coriolanus (title role), National Theatre, 1984
- Wild Honey, National Theatre, 1984 ( Broadway, 1986)
- The Cherry Orchard (as Lopakhin), National Theatre, 1985
- The Duchess of Malfi, National Theatre, 1985
- The Real Inspector Hound, National Theatre, London Paris, 1985
- Othello (as Iago), RSC, London Stratford-upon-Avon, 1989
- Richard III (title role), National Theatre, world tour, 1990 US tour, 1992
- Uncle Vanya (title role), National Theatre, 1992
- Peter Pan (as Mr. Darling/Captain Hook), National Theatre, 1997
- An Enemy of the People, National Theatre, 1997 Ahmanson Theatre (Los Angeles), 1998
- Present Laughter, West Yorkshire Playhouse (Leeds, England), 1998
- Dance of Death, at the Broadhurst Theatre (New York) in 2001. At the Lyric Theatre (London, England) in 2003[55]
- Aladdin, (as Widow Twankie) Old Vic, 2004 2005
- The Cut, Donmar Warehouse, 2006
- King Lear by William Shakespeare, (as Lear), Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 2007; New Zealand, 2007; New York (Brooklyn Academy of Music), 2007, Minneapolis, 2007, New London Theatre (West End), 2007?8
- The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, (as Sorin), Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 2007; New York (Brooklyn Academy of Music), 2007 Minneapolis, 2007, New London Theatre (West End), 2007?8
- Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, (as Estragon), Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, 2009 and 2010; Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, 2010[56] and Fugard Theatre, Cape Town, South Africa, 2010
- The Syndicate by Eduardo De Filippo, Chichester Festival, 2011

### Filmography[edit]

Year | Title | Role | Notes
--- | --- | --- | ---
1966 | David Copperfield | David Copperfield | (TV)
1969 | The Promise | Leonidik |
Alfred the Great | Roger |
A Touch of Love | George Matthews |
1981 | Priest of Love | Lawrence |
Pillar of Fire | Narrator | Documentary
1982 | The Scarlet Pimpernel | Paul Chauvelin |
Walter | Walter | Royal Television Society Award for Best Performance
1983 | The Keep | Dr. Theodore Cuza |
1985 | Plenty | Sir Andrew Charleson |
Zina | Arthur Kronfeld |
1989 | Scandal | John Profumo |
1993 | Six Degrees of Separation | Geoffrey Miller |
The Ballad of Little Jo | Percy Corcoran |
Last Action Hero | Death | (cameo appearance)
And the Band Played On | Bill Kraus | CableACE Award for Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries Nominated?Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor ? Miniseries or a Movie
1994 | To Die For | Quilt Documentary Narrator | (voice)
The Shadow | Dr. Reinhardt Lane |
I'll Do Anything | John Earl McAlpine |
1995 | Restoration | Will Gates |
Cold Comfort Farm | Amos Starkadder | (TV)
Richard III | Richard III | European Film Award for Best Actor Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Film Nominated?BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated?BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated?Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor Nominated?Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Jack and Sarah | William |
1996 | Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny | Nicholas II | Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor ? Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated?Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor ? Miniseries or a Movie Nominated?Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor ? Series, Miniseries or Television Film
1997 | Swept from the Sea | Dr. James Kennedy |
Bent | Uncle Freddie |
1998 | Apt Pupil | Kurt Dussander | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
Gods and Monsters | James Whale | British Independent Film Award for Best Actor Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor National Board of Review Award for Best Actor Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor San Sebasti?n International Film Festival Award for Best Actor Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated?Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated?Golden Globe Award for Best Actor?? Motion Picture Drama Nominated?Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Nominated?Satellite Award for Best Actor?? Motion Picture Drama
1999 | David Copperfield | Mr. Creakle | (TV)
2000 | X-Men | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto | Nominated?Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Villain
2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Gandalf the Grey | Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated?Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated?BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated?DVD Exclusive Awards for Best Audio Commentary(shared with Elijah Wood and Liv Tyler) Nominated?Empire Award for Best British Actor Nominated?MTV Movie Award for Best Fight(shared with Christopher Lee) Nominated?Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated?Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Nominated?Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Gandalf the White | Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated?Empire Award for Best British Actor Nominated?Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast National Board of Review Award for Best Cast Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated?BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated?Empire Award for Best British Actor Nominated?Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated?Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
Emile | Emile | Nominated?Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
The Simpsons | Himself | The Regina Monologues episode
X2 | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto | Nominated?Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Villain
2004 | Eighteen | Jason Anders (in voice) |
2005 | Neverwas | Gabriel Finch |
Asylum | Dr. Peter Cleave |
The Magic Roundabout | Zebedee | (voice)
Coronation Street | Mel Hutchwright | (10 episodes)
2006 | Extras | Himself | Nominated?Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Flushed Away | The Toad | Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
X-Men: The Last Stand | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto | Nominated?Irish Film Television Award for Best International Actor Nominated?Teen Choice Awards for Movies ? Choice Sleazebag
The Da Vinci Code | Sir Leigh Teabing | Nominated?Teen Choice Awards for Movies ? Choice Sleazebag
2007 | Stardust | Narrator | (voice)
The Golden Compass | Iorek Byrnison | (voice)
2008 | King Lear | King Lear | Nominated?Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor ? Miniseries or a Movie
2009 | The Prisoner | Number Two | Nominated?Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor ? Miniseries or a Movie
2012 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Gandalf the Grey | post-production
2013 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
2014 | The Hobbit: There and Back Again | Announced
X-Men: Days of Future Past | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto | Shared with Michael Fassbender

### Music[edit]

- Vampire in the music video "Heart" by Pet Shop Boys
- The man who's "falling out of reach" in the music video "Falling Out of Reach" by Guillemots
- Appears on the Scissor Sisters track "Invisible Light", from their 2010 album "Night Work", reciting a passage regarding the "Invisible Light" of the title.[57]

### Audiobooks[edit]

- Audiobook narrator of Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series Wolf Brother, Spirit Walker, Soul Eater, Outcast, "Oath Breaker", "Ghost Hunter" As well as a version of Homer's The Odyssey.

### Other work[edit]

A recording of McKellen's voice is heard before performances at the Royal Festival Hall, reminding patrons to ensure their mobile phones and watch alarms are switched off, and to keep coughing to a minimum.[58][59]

He also took part in the 2012 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony as Prospero.[citation needed]

## Awards and honours[edit]

### Honours[edit]

He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1979, and knighted in 1991 New Year Honours for his outstanding work and contributions to theatre.[60][61][62] In the 2008 New Year Honours he was made a Companion of Honour (CH) for services to drama and to equality.[2]

### Honorary degrees[edit]

In 2001 McKellen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Bath.[63] In 2004 McKellen was conferred an honourary Doctor of Letters by Lancaster University. He was praised for his diversity of roles, his "deeply considered dramatic technique" and his Lancastrian roots.[64]

### Awards[edit]

- 1981: New York Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, for Amadeus
- 1984: London Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Revival, for Wild Honey
- 1984: London Evening Standard Award for Best Actor, for Coriolanus
- 1989: London Evening Standard Award for Best Actor, for Othello
- 1990: London Olivier Award for Best Actor, for Richard III
- 1998: Back Stage West Garland Awards, for his one-man show A Knight Out in Los Angeles
- 2004: Manila, Philippines Pride International Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement Distinction Award
- 2007: Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production, for Flushed Away
- In May 2007, he was named, by the Independent on Sunday Pink List, the fifth most influential gay person in Britain, down from the 1st place the previous year.[65]
- 2009: San Sebasti?n International Film Festival Donostia Award in recognition of an extensive professional career.[66]
- 2010: Empire Awards 2010: Empire Icon Award[67]

## References[edit]

Notes

1. ^ "Sir Ian McKellen". Cinema.com. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
2. ^ a b The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58557. p. 4. 29 December 2007. Retrieved 31 December 2007.
3. ^ Barratt 2006, p. 1.
4. ^ a b c d e f Steele, Bruce C. (11 December 2001). "The Knight's Crusade". The Advocate. pp. 36?38, 40?45. Archived from the original on 22 March 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
5. ^ "Famous Old Boltonians". Bolton School. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
6. ^ "Bolton Little Theatre". Bolton Little Theatre. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
7. ^ Curtis, Nick (9 December 2005). "Panto's grandest Dame". Evening Standard (London). Retrieved 7 February 2010.
8. ^ J. W. Braun, The Lord of the Films (ECW Press, 2009)
9. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ian McKellen." Host: James Lipton. Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 8 December 2002. No. 5, season 9.
10. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl1ffUGoLzo
11. ^ a b c d Trowbridge, Simon (2008). Stratfordians. Oxford, England: Editions Albert Creed. pp. 338?343. ISBN 978-0-9559830-1-6.
12. ^ "Marlowe Chronology". Cambridge University Marlowe Dramatic Society. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
13. ^ a b Drabble, Margaret (1993). "Stratford revisited". In Novy, Marianne. Cross-cultural performances: differences in women's re-visions of Shakespeare. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. p. 130. ISBN 0-252-06323-6.
14. ^ Paddock, Terri (31 October 2008). "McKellen Stewart Wait in Haymarket Godot". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
15. ^ Wolf, Matt (7 May 2009). "McKellen and Stewart Deliver a ?Godot? With a Difference". New York Times. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
16. ^ "The Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain". Littletheatreguild.org.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
17. ^ "Six Degrees of Separation (1993)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
18. ^ Sir Ian McKellen Emmy Nominated
19. ^ "Richard III (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
20. ^ a b "Notes". McKellen.com. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
21. ^ a b Empire, May 2006
22. ^ "A Rich 'Richard III' Rules". The Washington Post. 19 January 1996.
23. ^ "Apt Pupil (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
24. ^ "2000's". Ian McKellen. Retrieved 25 April 2008.
25. ^ Rottenberg, Josh (10 January 2011). "Hobbit' scoop: Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis on board". Insidemovies.ew.com. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
26. ^ a b "Ian McKellen Unable to Suspend Disbelief While Reading the Bible." Us Weekly. 17 May 2006. Video clip available here [1].
27. ^ Wilson, Benji (11 April 2010). "The Prisoner: remake of a 1960s TV classic". The Sunday Times (London).
28. ^ Keyes, Rob (27 November 2012). "Patrick Stewart Ian McKellen Join ?X-Men: Days of Future Past?". Screenrant. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
29. ^ "Ian McKellen Biography". Tiscali Film and TV. Retrieved 11 April 2005.
30. ^ "Sir Ian McKellen". The Times (London). 27 August 2005. Retrieved 10 September 2005.
31. ^ "The Grapes History", thegrapes.co.uk.
32. ^ "Sir Ian McKellen is Landlord Of The Rings", thesun.co.uk.
33. ^ Ian McKellen, Alan Bates, Hugh Hudson, et al. For Ian Charleson: A Tribute. London: Constable and Company, 1990. pp. 125?130.
34. ^ Correspondence with Ian McKellen?Vegetarianism from "Online Autobiography". Retrieved 4 February 2008.
35. ^ The programme is online: "Third Ear: Section 28", BBC Radio 3, 27 January 1988
36. ^ Mendelsohn, Scott, "Ian McKellen", BOMB Magazine Fall, 1998. Retrieved on [18 July 2012.]
37. ^ 10 things we didn't know this time last week. BBC News. 14 November 2003.
38. ^ "'Section 28'". www.mckellen.com. Retrieved 1 July 1998.
39. ^ "When gay became a four-letter word". BBC. 20 January 2000. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
40. ^ "Activism". mckellen.com. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
41. ^ a b "Ian McKellen becomes the Albert Kennedy Trust's new patron". The Albert Kennedy Trust. 5 January 2007.
42. ^ a b "LGBT History Month 2007 Pre Launch". LGBT History Month. 20 November 2006.
43. ^ "Aim High". the Lesbian Gay Foundation. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
44. ^ [www.fflag.org.uk FFLAG Official web site]
45. ^ "Patrons". Oxford Pride. Retrieved 15 June 2009. [dead link]
46. ^ "Ian McKellen's gay comment causes a stir on Singaporean TV." www.gmax.co.za.
47. ^ "Ian McKellen." Out. December 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
48. ^ Staff Writer. "Ian McKellen backs Liverpool anti-homophobia effort". Pink News. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
49. ^ By Advocate.com Editors. "McKellen Calls Moscow Mayor a Coward". The Advocate. Retrieved 18 July 2011. Text " News " ignored (help)
50. ^ "PM to radio host: 'You've got that gay red top on'". 3 News NZ. 6 November 2012.
51. ^ "Sir Ian McKellen tells Key to 'watch his language'". 3 News NZ. 6 November 2012.
52. ^ Ian McKellen. 5 November 2012 http://www.mckellen.com/writings/activism/121105-john-key.html `|url=` missing title (help).
53. ^ Sweney, Mark (19 April 2010). "Hollywood actors star in Age UK ad". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 21 April 2010.
54. ^ RadioLIVE. "Sir Ian McKellen on fundraising for the Isaac Theatre Royal". MediaWorks. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
55. ^ Staff (6 March 2003). "Dance of Death, Lyric Shaftesbury". BBC London. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
56. ^ "Sir Ian McKellen is mistaken for a tramp on a Melbourne bench between Waiting for Godot rehearsals". Alison Barclay (herald sun). 7 May 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
57. ^ Martin, Dan (14 April 2010). "Scissor Sisters collaborate with Ian McKellen: Lord of the Rings actor appears on final track of Scissor Sisters' long-awaited third album, Night Work". The Observer (London).
58. ^ White, Michael (20 June 2011). "How to deal with the very worst concert nuisances". The Daily Telegaph. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
59. ^ Jim Pritchard (July 2010). "Verdi, La traviata: Soloists, chorus and orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Conductor: Yves Abel. Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 8.7.2010". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
60. ^ Who's Who. London: A and C Black. 2006. ISBN 0-7136-7164-5.
61. ^ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 52382. pp. 1–2. 28 December 1990. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
62. ^ The London Gazette: no. 52543. p. 8208. 28 May 1991. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
63. ^ "Honorary Graduates 1989 to present - the University of Bath". Honorary Graduates 1989 to present - the University of Bath. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
64. ^ "Honourary Degrees". Lancaster University. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
65. ^ "Independent on Sunday Pink List 2007". London: Independent.co.uk. 6 May 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
66. ^ "Ian McKellen receives Donostia Award". Eitb.com. 23 September 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
67. ^ Masters, Tim (28 March 2010). "Sci-fi triumphs at Empire awards". BBC News. Retrieved 29 September 2010.

Bibliography

Barratt, Mike (2006), Ian McKellen: An Unofficial Biography, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-1074-X

## External links[edit]

| Wikimedia Commons has media related to API.

- McKellen Archives at the Victoria and Albert Museum London, Department of Theatre and Performance
- API at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
- API at the Internet Broadway Database
- API at the Internet Movie Database
- Template:Ymovies name

Awards for Ian McKellen
Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production
Hank Azaria/Ming-Na (1998) Eli Marienthal (1999) Tim Allen/Joan Cusack (2000) Eddie Murphy/Eartha Kitt (2001) Daveigh Chase (2002) Ellen DeGeneres (2003) Brad Bird (2004) Peter Sallis (2005) Ian McKellen (2006) Ian Holm (2007) Dustin Hoffman (2008) Jennifer Cody (2009) Jay Baruchel (2010) Bill Nighy (2011) Alan Tudyk (2012)
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Kevin Bacon (1995) Geoffrey Rush (1996) Jack Nicholson (1997) Ian McKellen (1998) Russell Crowe (1999)
Russell Crowe (2000) Russell Crowe (2001) Daniel Day-Lewis / Jack Nicholson (2002) Sean Penn (2003) Jamie Foxx (2004) Philip Seymour Hoffman (2005) Forest Whitaker (2006) Daniel Day-Lewis (2007) Sean Penn (2008) Jeff Bridges (2009)
Colin Firth (2010) George Clooney (2011) Daniel Day-Lewis (2012)
Template:DramaDesk One-Person Show 1984?2000
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play (1975–2000)
Anthony Hopkins (1975) John Wood (1976) Al Pacino (1977) Barnard Hughes (1978) Philip Anglim (1979) John Rubinstein (1980) Ian McKellen (1981) Christopher Plummer (1982) Harvey Fierstein (1983) Dustin Hoffman (1984) John Lithgow (1985) Ed Harris (1986) James Earl Jones (1987) Ron Silver (1988) Philip Bosco (1989) Nathan Lane (1990) Ron Rifkin (1991) Brian Bedford (1992) Ron Leibman (1993) Brian Bedford (1994) Ralph Fiennes (1995) Frank Langella (1996) David Morse / Christopher Plummer (1997) Anthony LaPaglia (1998) Brian Dennehy (1999) Stephen Dillane (2000)
Complete list (1975–2000) (2001–2025)
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (1990–2009)
Charles Durning (1990) Louis Gossett, Jr. (1991) Maximilian Schell (1992) Beau Bridges (1993) Edward James Olmos (1994) Donald Sutherland (1995) Ian McKellen (1996) George C. Scott (1997) Don Cheadle/Gregory Peck (1998) Peter Fonda (1999) Robert Downey, Jr. (2000) Stanley Tucci (2001) Donald Sutherland (2002) Jeffrey Wright (2003) William Shatner (2004) Paul Newman (2005) Jeremy Irons (2006) Jeremy Piven (2007) Tom Wilkinson (2008) John Lithgow (2009)
Complete list (1970–1989) (1990–2009) (2010–2029)
Template:IndependentSpiritBestMaleLead 1985?1999
National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
Ray Milland (1945) Laurence Olivier (1946) Michael Redgrave (1947) Walter Huston (1948) Ralph Richardson (1949) Alec Guinness (1950) Richard Basehart (1951) Ralph Richardson (1952) James Mason (1953) Bing Crosby (1954) Ernest Borgnine (1955) Yul Brynner (1956) Alec Guinness (1957) Spencer Tracy (1958) Victor Sjöström (1959) Robert Mitchum (1960) Albert Finney (1961) Jason Robards (1962) Rex Harrison (1963) Anthony Quinn (1964) Lee Marvin (1965) Paul Scofield (1966) Peter Finch (1967) Cliff Robertson (1968) Peter O'Toole (1969) George C. Scott (1970) Gene Hackman (1971) Peter O'Toole (1972) Al Pacino / Robert Ryan (1973) Gene Hackman (1974) Jack Nicholson (1975) David Carradine (1976) John Travolta (1977) Jon Voight / Laurence Olivier (1978) Peter Sellers (1979) Robert De Niro (1980) Henry Fonda (1981) Ben Kingsley (1982) Tom Conti (1983) Victor Banerjee (1984) William Hurt / Raúl Juliá (1985) Paul Newman (1986) Michael Douglas (1987) Gene Hackman (1988) Morgan Freeman (1989) Robert De Niro / Robin Williams (1990) Warren Beatty (1991) Jack Lemmon (1992) Anthony Hopkins (1993) Tom Hanks (1994) Nicolas Cage (1995) Tom Cruise (1996) Jack Nicholson (1997) Ian McKellen (1998) Russell Crowe (1999) Javier Bardem (2000) Billy Bob Thornton (2001) Campbell Scott (2002) Sean Penn (2003) Jamie Foxx (2004) Philip Seymour Hoffman (2005) Forest Whitaker (2006) George Clooney (2007) Clint Eastwood (2008) George Clooney / Morgan Freeman (2009) Jesse Eisenberg (2010) George Clooney (2011) Bradley Cooper (2012)
Template:OlivierAward PlayActor 1985?2000
Laurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a Revival
Alan Howard (1976) Ian McKellen (1977) Alan Howard (1978) Warren Mitchell (1979) Jonathan Pryce (1980) Daniel Massey (1981) Stephen Moore (1982) Derek Jacobi (1983) Ian McKellen (1984) Brian Cox (1988)
Template:OlivierAward SpecialAward 2001?2025 Template:Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor 1991?2010 Template:ScreenActorsGuildAward CastMotionPicture 2001?2010
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Martin Landau (1994) Ed Harris (1995) Cuba Gooding, Jr. (1996) Robin Williams (1997) Robert Duvall (1998) Michael Caine (1999) Albert Finney (2000) Ian McKellen (2001) Christopher Walken (2002) Tim Robbins (2003) Morgan Freeman (2004) Paul Giamatti (2005) Eddie Murphy (2006) Javier Bardem (2007) Heath Ledger (2008) Christoph Waltz (2009) Christian Bale (2010) Christopher Plummer (2011) Tommy Lee Jones (2012)
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (1976–2000)
John Wood (1976) Al Pacino (1977) Barnard Hughes (1978) Tom Conti (1979) John Rubinstein (1980) Ian McKellen (1981) Roger Rees (1982) Harvey Fierstein (1983) Jeremy Irons (1984) Derek Jacobi (1985) Judd Hirsch (1986) James Earl Jones (1987) Ron Silver (1988) Philip Bosco (1989) Robert Morse (1990) Nigel Hawthorne (1991) Judd Hirsch (1992) Ron Leibman (1993) Stephen Spinella (1994) Ralph Fiennes (1995) George Grizzard (1996) Christopher Plummer (1997) Anthony LaPaglia (1998) Brian Dennehy (1999) Stephen Dillane (2000)
Complete list (1947–1975) (1976–2000) (2001–2025)

Authority control | VIAF: 84227912

Persondata
Name | McKellen, Ian
Alternative names |
Short description | English actor
Date of birth | 25 May 1939
Place of birth | Burnley, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
Date of death |
Place of death |