Ian McKellen
male
Born on May 25, 1939 (86 years old)
From Burnley, Lancashire, England, UK
Known for Acting
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.
Cast Credits
- 2025
- 2024
- 2023
- 2022
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film
as
Prospero's Speech Reader (voice)
2016
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
as
Self - Performer
2016
The Roof
as
And Even Yet Another Fan
2016
Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage
as
Self
2016
National Theatre Live: No Man's Land
as
Spooner
2016
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Shakespeare on Stage, Screen and Elsewhere with Ian McKellen
2016
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Shakespeare on Film
2016
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Play the Devil: Making Richard III
2016
- 2015
Mr. Holmes
as
Sherlock Holmes
2015
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
as
Self (archive footage)
2015
The Dresser
as
Norman
2015
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Mutant vs. Machine: The Making of 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'
as
Self
2015
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The Appendices, Part Eleven: The Gathering Storm
as
Self
2015
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The Appendices, Part Twelve: Here at Journey's End
as
Self
2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as
Self - Guest
2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as
Self
2015
- 2014
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
as
Gandalf the Grey
2014
X-Men: Days of Future Past
as
Magneto
2014
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Miss in Her Teens
as
The Prologue
2014
Nelson Mandela Redrawn
as
Self
2014
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The Appendices, Part Nine: Into the Wilderland
as
Self
2014
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The Appendices, Part Ten: The Journey to Erebor
as
Self
2014
Trailblazer Honors
as
Self - Speaker
2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as
Self - Guest
2014
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
as
Self
2014
- 2013
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
as
Gandalf the Grey
2013
Muse of Fire
as
Self
2013
The Wolverine
as
Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (uncredited)
2013
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
as
Self
2013
The Egg Trick
as
Magician
2013
The Wolverine: Path of a Ronin
as
Self
2013
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The Appendices, Part Seven: A Long-Expected Journey
as
Self
2013
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The Appendices, Part Eight: Return to Middle-earth
as
Self
2013
Vicious
as
Freddie Thornhill
2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005
- 2004
Peter Tatchell: Just Who Does He Think He Is?
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
2004
My First Time
as
Narrator
2004
The Appendices, Part Five: The War of the Ring
as
Self
2004
The Appendices, Part Six: The Passing of an Age
as
Self
2004
The Paul O'Grady Show
2004
Who Do You Think You Are?
as
Self
2004
- 2003
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
as
Gandalf
2003
Emile
as
Emile
2003
X2
as
Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
2003
Beyond the Movie: The Return of the King
as
Self
2003
Evolution X - The Making of X-Men
2003
The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men! Making X2
as
Self
2003
X-Men: Premieres Around the World
as
Self
2003
The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision
as
Self
2003
The Making of 'The Two Towers'
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as
Self
2003
Churchill
as
Self - Narrator (voice)
2003
Real Time with Bill Maher
as
Self
2003
- 2002
- 2001
- 2000
- 1998
- 1997
- 1996
- 1995
- 1994
The Shadow
as
Dr. Reinhardt Lane
1994
To Die For
as
Quilt Documentary Narrator (voice)
1994
Stonewall 25: Global Voices of Pride and Protest
as
Self
1994
I'll Do Anything
as
John Earl McAlpine
1994
David Macaulay: Roman City
as
Augustus Caesar (voice)
1994
Age of Dissent
as
Self
1994
Inside the Actors Studio
as
Self
1994
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
as
Self
1994
- 1993
And the Band Played On
as
Bill Kraus
1993
Six Degrees of Separation
as
Geoffrey
1993
Last Action Hero
as
Death
1993
The Ballad of Little Jo
as
Percy Corcoran
1993
Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up
as
Narration (voice)
1993
Camp Christmas
1993
Tales of the City
as
Archibald Anson Gidde
1993
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
as
Self - Guest
1993
Late Show with David Letterman
as
Self - Guest
1993
- 1992
- 1990
- 1989
- 1985
- 1983
- 1982
- 1981
- 1979
- 1970
- 1969
- 1965
- 2027
- 2026
- 2021
- 1999
- 1988
- 1987
- 1980
- 1974
- 1984
- 1978
- 1975
- 1972
- 1967
- 1966
- 1964
- 1960
- 1953
- 1944
