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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

201

Gender

Male

Birthday

1939-05-25 (86 years old)

Place of Birth

Burnley, Lancashire, England, UK

Also Known As

Иэн МакКеллен

Sir Ian McKellen

Sir Ian Murray McKellen

Σερ Ίαν Μάρεϊ ΜακΚέλεν

Ίαν ΜακΚέλεν

Ίαν Μάρεϊ ΜακΚέλεν

Ian McKellern

이안 맥켈런

イアン・マッケラン

伊恩·麦凯伦

伊恩·麥克連

Єн Маккеллен

ایان مک‌کلن

ی ین مک‌کلن

إيان ماكلين

Ian McKellen

Biography

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

Acting

The Da Vinci Code

2006

The Da Vinci Code

as

Sir Leigh Teabing

Gods and Monsters

1998

Gods and Monsters

as

James Whale

The Golden Compass

2007

The Golden Compass

as

Iorek Byrnison (voice)

Stardust

2007

Stardust

as

Narrator (voice)

Swept from the Sea

1998

Swept from the Sea

as

Dr. James Kennedy

Jack & Sarah

1995

Jack & Sarah

as

William

And the Band Played On

1993

And the Band Played On

as

Bill Kraus

Neverwas

2005

Neverwas

as

Gabriel Finch

Richard III

1995

Richard III

as

Richard III

Flushed Away

2006

Flushed Away

as

The Toad (voice)

The Scarlet Pimpernel

1982

The Scarlet Pimpernel

as

Chauvelin

Doogal

2006

Doogal

as

Zebedee (voice)

Asylum

2005

Asylum

as

Dr. Peter Cleave

The Shadow

1994

The Shadow

as

Dr. Reinhardt Lane

Scandal

1989

Scandal

as

John Profumo

Cold Comfort Farm

1995

Cold Comfort Farm

as

Amos Starkadder

Apt Pupil

1998

Apt Pupil

as

Kurt Dussander

Last Action Hero

1993

Last Action Hero

as

Death

The Keep

1983

The Keep

as

Dr. Theodore Cuza

Macbeth

1979

Macbeth

as

Macbeth

Plenty

1985

Plenty

as

Sir Andrew Charleson

Émile

2003

Émile

as

Emile

X-Men

2000

X-Men

as

Magneto

X2

2003

X2

as

Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto

X-Men: The Last Stand

2006

X-Men: The Last Stand

as

Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto

King Lear

2008

King Lear

as

King Lear

The Magic Roundabout

2004

The Magic Roundabout

as

Zebedee (voice)

Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man

2000

Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man

as

Narrator (voice)

Rasputin

1996

Rasputin

as

Tsar Nicholas II

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

as

Gandalf the Grey

Priest of Love

1981

Priest of Love

as

D.H. Lawrence

Gladio

1992

Gladio

as

Aldo Moro (voice)

Bent

1997

Bent

as

Uncle Freddie

The Ballad of Little Jo

1993

The Ballad of Little Jo

as

Percy Corcoran

Alfred the Great

1969

Alfred the Great

as

Roger

Walter

1982

Walter

as

Walter

Richard II

Richard II

as

Richard II

Saint of 9/11

2006

Saint of 9/11

as

Narrator

Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude

as

Continuity Announcer

A Touch of Love

1969

A Touch of Love

as

George

Theatreland

2009

Theatreland

as

Himself

To Die For

1994

To Die For

as

Quilt Documentary Narrator (voice)

Walter and June

1983

Walter and June

as

Walter

Muse of Fire

2013

Muse of Fire

as

Self

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour

1979

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour

as

Alexander Ivanov

A Bit Of Scarlet

1997

A Bit Of Scarlet

as

Narrator

The Critic

2024

The Critic

as

Jimmy Erskine

Miss in Her Teens

2014

Miss in Her Teens

as

The Prologue

Othello

1990

Othello

as

Iago

Zina

1985

Zina

as

Kronfeld

For the Love of God

2007

For the Love of God

as

The Jackdaw

The One Note Man

2023

The One Note Man

as

Narrator (voice)

All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film

2016

All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film

as

Prospero's Speech Reader (voice)

Hamlet

2024

Hamlet

as

Hamlet

Mr. Holmes

2015

Mr. Holmes

as

Sherlock Holmes

I'll Do Anything

1994

I'll Do Anything

as

John Earl McAlpine

The Wolverine

2013

The Wolverine

as

Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (uncredited)

Animal Crackers

2017

Animal Crackers

as

Horatio P. Huntington (voice)

Hamlet

1970

Hamlet

as

Hamlet

Looking for Lowry

2011

Looking for Lowry

as

Himself

Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC

2015

Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC

as

Self (archive footage)

The Dresser

2015

The Dresser

as

Norman

Doctor Who: The Snowmen

2012

Doctor Who: The Snowmen

as

The Great Intelligence (voice)

Beauty and the Beast

2017

Beauty and the Beast

as

Cogsworth

Edward II

1970

Edward II

as

King Edward

Shakespeare Live! From the RSC

2016

Shakespeare Live! From the RSC

as

Self - Performer

Restoration

1995

Restoration

as

Will Gates

Hedda Gabler

1972

Hedda Gabler

as

George Tesman

Dragfox

2024

Dragfox

as

Ginger Snap the Fox (Speaking)

The Roof

2016

The Roof

as

And Even Yet Another Fan

The Good Liar

2019

The Good Liar

as

Roy Courtnay

Cats

2019

Cats

as

Gus, the Theatre Cat

All Is True

2018

All Is True

as

Earl of Southampton

David Macaulay: Roman City

1994

David Macaulay: Roman City

as

Augustus Caesar (voice)

Edmund the Magnificent

2017

Edmund the Magnificent

as

Self - Narrator (voice)

How a Kite Flies

2017

How a Kite Flies

as

Mr. Kite (voice)

The Egg Trick

2013

The Egg Trick

as

Magician

Eighteen

2005

Eighteen

as

Jason Anders (voice)

Small-Time Revolutionary

2010

Small-Time Revolutionary

as

Hamish Miller (voice)

The Tragedy of King Richard II

1970

The Tragedy of King Richard II

as

King Richard II

Countdown to War

1989

Countdown to War

as

Adolf Hitler

X-Men: The Mutant Watch

2000

X-Men: The Mutant Watch

as

Self - 'Magneto'

Infinitum: Subject Unknown

2021

Infinitum: Subject Unknown

as

Dr. Charles Marland-White

On Broadway

2019

On Broadway

as

Self

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

2010

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

as

Self (archive footage)

Lord of the Piercing

2002

Lord of the Piercing

as

Gandalf the Grey (archive footage)

Avengers: Doomsday

2026

Avengers: Doomsday

as

Magneto

The Simpsons

The Simpsons

as

Ian McKellen (voice)

The One Show

The One Show

as

Self - Guest

The View

The View

as

Self - Guest

Armchair Thriller

Armchair Thriller

as

Anthony Skipling

BBC Play of the Month

BBC Play of the Month

as

Captain Plume

David Copperfield

David Copperfield

as

David Copperfield

Churchill

Churchill

as

Himself - Narrator (voice)

Country Matters

Country Matters

as

David Masterman

Vicious

Vicious

as

Freddie Thornhill

Extras

Extras

as

Ian McKellen

Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live

as

Self - Host

Sesame Street

Sesame Street

as

Himself

Trailblazer Honors

Trailblazer Honors

as

Self - Speaker

ted

ted

as

Narrator (voice)

The Prisoner

The Prisoner

as

2 / Curtis

Tales of the City

Tales of the City

as

Archibald Anson Gidde

Family Guy

Family Guy

as

Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (voice)

Coronation Street

Coronation Street

as

Mel Hutchwright

Pillar of Fire

Pillar of Fire

as

Narrator

Parkinson

Parkinson

as

Self

Golden Globe Awards

Golden Globe Awards

as

Self - Presenter

Omnibus

Omnibus

as

Self - Reading Poetry

Tony Awards

Tony Awards

as

Self - Winner

Production

Crew

Directing