Originals for Paramount+
Download Search New Upcoming Discover Home
Ian McKellen
3 FOLLOWERS • 67 CREDITS • MAY 25, 1939 • 86
Follow
Biography
more
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, and he has been nominated 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), 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 co-founded Stonewall, an LGBT rights lobby group in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall riots. He also patronises LGBT History Month, Pride London, Oxford Pride, GayGlos, LGBT Foundation and FFLAG.
Overview
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, and he has been nominated 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), 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 co-founded Stonewall, an LGBT rights lobby group in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall riots. He also patronises LGBT History Month, Pride London, Oxford Pride, GayGlos, LGBT Foundation and FFLAG.
Known For
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Tony Awards
BBC Play of the Month
The Graham Norton Show
Golden Globe Awards
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Doctor Who
Family Guy
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The Simpsons
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Sesame Street
Real Time with Bill Maher
Omnibus
Parkinson
The One Show
Who Do You Think You Are?
David Copperfield
Extras
ted
Coronation Street
The Wolverine
The Oscars
Stardust
Avengers: Doomsday
David Copperfield
Deadpool & Wolverine
Last Action Hero
Beauty and the Beast
Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage
Cats
Cold Comfort Farm
X-Men: The Mutant Watch
The Keep
The Golden Compass
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
X-Men: Days of Future Past
X2
Six Degrees of Separation
Scandal
Windmills of the Gods
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men! Making 'X2'
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
The Da Vinci Code
Flushed Away
Asylum
X-Men: The Last Stand
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
X-Men
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film
Hedda Gabler
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up
The Good Liar
Marley
Saturday Night Live
The Dresser
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Prisoner
Hamlet
Gods and Monsters
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Tragedy of King Richard II
Originals for Paramount+
Never miss a Paramount+ Original with the Unofficial app, your go-to source for release dates, updates, and notifications, ensuring you're always in the loop on your favorite shows and actors!
Get