Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He has played roles on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is regarded as a British cultural icon and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991. He has received numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, six Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards and five Emmy Awards. McKellen made his stage debut in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre as a member of its repertory company, and in 1965 made his first West End appearance. In 1969, he was invited to join the Prospect Theatre Company to play the lead parts in Shakespeare's Richard II and Marlowe's Edward II. In the 1970s, McKellen became a stalwart of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Great Britain. He has earned five Olivier Awards for his roles in Pillars of the Community (1977), The Alchemist (1978), Bent (1979), Wild Honey (1984), and Richard III (1995). McKellen made his Broadway debut in The Promise (1965). He received the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus (1980). He was further nominated for Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare (1984). He returned to Broadway in Wild Honey(1986), Dance of Death (1990), No Man's Land (2013), and Waiting for Godot (2013), the latter two being a joint production with Patrick Stewart. McKellen achieved worldwide fame for his film roles, including the titular King in Richard III(1995), James Whale in Gods and Monsters (1998), Magneto in the X-Men films, Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003) and The Hobbit (2012–2014) trilogies. Other notable film roles include A Touch of Love (1969), Plenty (1985), Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Restoration (1995), Flushed Away (2006), Mr. Holmes (2015), and The Good Liar (2019). McKellen came out as gay in 1988, and has since championed LGBT social movements worldwide. He was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in October 2014. McKellen is a cofounder of Stonewall, an LGBT rights lobby group in the United Kingdom, named after the Stonewall riots. He is also patron of LGBT History Month, Pride London, Oxford Pride, GayGlos, LGBT Foundation and FFLAG. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ian McKellen, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Credits
- 2027 · The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum as Gandalf
- 2026 · Avengers: Doomsday as Magneto
- 2025 · Billy & Dom Eat the World as Himself
- 2024 · The Critic as Jimmy Erskine
- 2024 · Hamlet as Hamlet
- 2024 · ted as Narrator (voice)
- 2022 · Freedom: 50 Years of Pride as Self
- 2020 · Reunited Apart as Self
- 2019 · Cats as Gus, the Theatre Cat
- 2019 · The Good Liar as Roy Courtnay
- 2019 · On Broadway as Self
- 2018 · All Is True as Earl of Southampton
- 2018 · McKellen: Playing the Part as Himself
- 2017 · Animal Crackers as Horatio P. Huntington (voice)
- 2017 · Beauty and the Beast as Cogsworth
- 2017 · Edmund the Magnificent as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2016 · National Theatre Live: No Man's Land as Spooner
- 2015 · Mr. Holmes as Sherlock Holmes
- 2014 · Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- 2014 · The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as Gandalf the Grey
- 2014 · Trailblazer Honors as Self - Speaker
- 2014 · X-Men: Days of Future Past as Magneto
- 2014 · Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
- 2013 · The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug as Gandalf the Grey
- 2013 · The Wolverine: Path of a Ronin as Self
- 2013 · The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot as Self
- 2013 · The Wolverine as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (uncredited)
- 2013 · Vicious as Freddie Thornhill
- 2012 · The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as Gandalf the Grey
- 2011 · Perspectives as
- 2011 · The Betty Driver Story as Self
- 2009 · The Prisoner as 2 / Curtis
- 2009 · Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
- 2007 · The Golden Compass as Iorek Byrnison (voice)
- 2007 · Stardust as Narrator (voice)
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self - Guest
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2006 · Flushed Away as The Toad (voice)
- 2006 · The One Show as Self - Guest
- 2006 · The Da Vinci Code as Sir Leigh Teabing
- 2006 · Doogal as Zebedee (voice)
- 2005 · Neverwas as Gabriel Finch
- 2005 · Asylum as Dr. Peter Cleave
- 2005 · Extras as Ian McKellen
- 2005 · Ringers: Lord of the Fans as Self
- 2004 · The Magic Roundabout as Zebedee (voice)
- 2004 · Who Do You Think You Are? as Self
- 2004 · The Paul O'Grady Show as
- 2003 · The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as Gandalf
- 2003 · Beyond the Movie: The Return of the King as Self
- 2003 · Real Time with Bill Maher as Self
- 2003 · Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
- 2002 · The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as Gandalf
- 2002 · Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway as Self
- 2001 · Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring as Self
- 2001 · The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring as Gandalf
- 2001 · Passage to Middle-Earth: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' as Self
- 2000 · X-Men: The Mutant Watch as Self - 'Magneto'
- 1999 · David Copperfield as Creakle
- 1999 · Family Guy as Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (voice)
- 1998 · Apt Pupil as Kurt Dussander
- 1998 · Swept from the Sea as Dr. James Kennedy
- 1998 · Parkinson as Self
- 1997 · Bent as Uncle Freddie
- 1997 · The View as Self - Guest
- 1997 · A Bit Of Scarlet as Narrator
- 1995 · Restoration as Will Gates
- 1995 · Richard III as Richard III
- 1995 · Cold Comfort Farm as Amos Starkadder
- 1994 · The Shadow as Dr. Reinhardt Lane
- 1993 · Six Degrees of Separation as Geoffrey
- 1993 · Tales of the City as Archibald Anson Gidde
- 1993 · And the Band Played On as Bill Kraus
- 1993 · The Ballad of Little Jo as Percy Corcoran
- 1993 · Last Action Hero as Death
- 1990 · Have I Got News for You as Self
- 1990 · Othello as Iago
- 1989 · The Simpsons as Ian McKellen (voice)
- 1989 · Countdown to War as Adolf Hitler
- 1989 · Scandal as John Profumo
- 1985 · Plenty as Sir Andrew Charleson
- 1984 · Playing Shakespeare as
- 1983 · The Keep as Dr. Theodore Cuza
- 1983 · Walter and June as Walter
- 1982 · The Scarlet Pimpernel as Chauvelin
- 1978 · An Audience with... as Self
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- 1974 · Playhouse as Alexander
- 1969 · Sesame Street as Himself
- 1967 · Omnibus as Self - Reading Poetry
- 1965 · BBC Play of the Month as Captain Plume
- 1965 · BBC Play of the Month as Simon Bliss
- 1965 · BBC Play of the Month as Ross / T.E. Lawrence
- 1965 · BBC Play of the Month as George Tesman
- 1960 · Coronation Street as Mel Hutchwright
- 1956 · Tony Awards as Self - Winner
- 1956 · Tony Awards as Self - Presenter
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self - Presenter
- Future · Schadenfreude as Continuity Announcer
- 2025 · A World War II Fairy Tale: The Making of Michael Mann's 'The Keep' as Self (archive footage)
- 2025 · The Christophers as
- 2024 · Dragfox as Ginger Snap the Fox (Speaking) (voice)
- 2023 · The One Note Man as Narrator (voice)
- 2021 · Hating Peter Tatchell as Self
- 2021 · Infinitum: Subject Unknown as Dr. Charles Marland-White
- 2018 · National Theatre Live: King Lear as King Lear
- 2017 · The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin as Self
- 2016 · Shakespeare Live! From the RSC as Self - Performer
- 2015 · The Dresser as Norman
- 2014 · Nelson Mandela Redrawn as Self
- 2014 · X-Men: Days of Future Past (The Rogue Cut) as Magneto
- 2013 · Muse of Fire as Self
- 2012 · Doctor Who: The Snowmen as The Great Intelligence (voice)
- 2008 · King Lear as King Lear
- 2007 · The Art of Breaking Character as Self
- 2007 · Guerrilla Distribution as Himself
- 2005 · The Hobart Shakespeareans as Himself
- 2005 · Eighteen as Jason Anders (voice)
- 2004 · A Filmmaker's Journey: Making 'The Return of the King' as Self
- 2004 · Frodo Is Great... Who Is That?!! as Self
- 2004 · The Making of the Return of the King as Self
- 2003 · The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision as Self
- 2003 · The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men! Making 'X2' as
- 2003 · Churchill as Himself - Narrator (voice)
- 2003 · The Making of The Two Towers as
- 2003 · X-Men: Premieres Around the World as Self
- 2003 · Film Collectibles: Capturing Movie Memories as Self
- 2003 · Émile as Emile
- 2000 · Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man as Narrator (voice)
- 1999 · The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale as Self
- 1998 · Gods and Monsters as James Whale
- 1996 · An Evening with Lily Savage as Self
- 1996 · Rasputin as Tsar Nicholas II
- 1995 · Jack & Sarah as William
- 1994 · To Die For as Quilt Documentary Narrator (voice)
- 1993 · Camp Christmas as
- 1988 · Windmills of the Gods as Chairman
- 1988 · Scarfe's Follies as
- 1985 · Zina as Kronfeld
- 1982 · Walter as Walter
- 1981 · Pillar of Fire as Narrator
- 1979 · Every Good Boy Deserves Favour as Alexander Ivanov
- 1978 · Armchair Thriller as Anthony Skipling
- 1972 · Country Matters as David Masterman
- 1970 · Hamlet as Hamlet
- 1970 · Edward II as King Edward
- 1970 · The Tragedy of King Richard II as King Richard II
- 1966 · David Copperfield as David Copperfield
- Future · Untitled Anthony Hopkins Documentary as Self
- 2025 · Dragged Through Time as
- 2025 · Ken Dodd: A Legacy of Happiness as
- 2024 · The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I Loved as
- 2024 · The Life and Death of Lily Savage as Self
- 2022 · Quintessentially British as Self
- 2022 · Hamlet Within as
- 2021 · Great British Theatre as
- 2020 · Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU as
- 2020 · Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet as
- 2017 · The Paul O'Grady Story as Self
- 2017 · How a Kite Flies as Mr. Kite (voice)
- 2016 · Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage as Self
- 2016 · Shakespeare on Stage, Screen and Elsewhere with Ian McKellen as
- 2016 · Play the Devil: Making Richard III as
- 2016 · Shakespeare on Film as
- 2016 · All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film as Prospero's Speech Reader (voice)
- 2016 · The Roof as And Even Yet Another Fan
- 2015 · Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC as Self (archive footage)
- 2014 · Miss in Her Teens as The Prologue
- 2013 · The Egg Trick as Magician
- 2012 · London 2012: Paralympics Opening Ceremony as Self
- 2011 · Looking for Lowry as Himself
- 2010 · Lady Grey London as
- 2010 · Small-Time Revolutionary as Hamish Miller (voice)
- 2010 · A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation as Narrator (voice)
- 2009 · Theatreland as Himself
- 2007 · For the Love of God as The Jackdaw
- 2006 · X-Men: The Last Stand as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto
- 2006 · Saint of 9/11 as Narrator
- 2004 · Peter Tatchell: Just Who Does He Think He Is? as
- 2003 · X2 as Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
- 2003 · Evolution X - The Making of X-Men as
- 2001 · Quest for the Ring as Self
- 2001 · Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love as Narrator (voice)
- 2000 · Now You See Him: 'The Invisible Man' Revealed! as Self
- 2000 · X-Men as Magneto
- 1999 · After Stonewall as Self
- 1997 · Surviving Friendly Fire as
- 1994 · Stonewall 25: Global Voices of Pride and Protest as
- 1994 · Inside the Actors Studio as Self
- 1994 · David Macaulay: Roman City as Augustus Caesar (voice)
- 1994 · I'll Do Anything as John Earl McAlpine
- 1993 · Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up as Narration (voice)
- 1992 · Gladio as Aldo Moro (voice)
- 1987 · Süleyman the Magnificent as Narrator
- 1982 · Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare as
- 1981 · Priest of Love as D.H. Lawrence
- 1980 · Dying Day as Antony Skipling
- 1979 · Macbeth as Macbeth
- 1974 · Graceless Go I as Tony
- 1972 · Hedda Gabler as George Tesman
- 1969 · The Promise as
- 1969 · Alfred the Great as Roger
- 1969 · A Touch of Love as George
- 1965 · The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne as Wolf
- Future · Richard II as Richard II
- Future · No Man's Land as Spooner