Ian McKellen is an English Actor well known for his stage acting roles in Shakespeare’s plays, science fiction, and fantasy movies. He provided the voice of Gandalf for several video game adaptations of the Lord of the Rings films,[48] then reprised the role on screen in Jackson's film adaptation of The Hobbit, which was released in three parts from 2012 to 2014.[49]. [60], McKellen and his first partner, Brian Taylor, a history teacher from Bolton, began their relationship in 1964. The other actors of "The Fellowship" (Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Sean Bean, Dominic Monaghan and Viggo Mortensen) have the same tattoo. [66], McKellen has a tattoo of the Elvish number nine, written using J. R. R. Tolkien's constructed script of Tengwar, on his shoulder in reference to his involvement in the Lord of the Rings and the fact that his character was one of the original nine companions of the Fellowship of the Ring. [13] When he was nine, his main Christmas present was a fold-away wood and bakelite 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. He was honoured by the organisation in 2012[98] and hosted their annual Make Believe on Broadway Gala in November 2013. [93], In April 2010, along with actors Brian Cox and Eleanor Bron, McKellen 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. [41] In 1995, he played the title role in Richard III,[42] which transported the setting into an alternative 1930s in which England is ruled by fascists. In 1981 McKellen won a Tony Award for his performance as Antonio Salieri in a Broadway production of Amadeus. [102], A friend of Ian Charleson and an admirer of his work, McKellen contributed an entire chapter to For Ian Charleson: A Tribute. [26] He later reprised his role of Magneto in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, sharing the role with Michael Fassbender, who played a younger version of the character in 2011's X-Men: First Class. [88], McKellen has taken his activism internationally, and caused a major stir in Singapore, where he was invited to do an interview on a morning show and shocked the interviewer by asking if they could recommend him a gay bar; the programme immediately ended. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1961, McKellen made his professional debut in Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons. Ian McKellen as Richard III gloating, “Was ever woman in this humour wooed?” in, Patrick Stewart (left) and Ian McKellen in Samuel Beckett's, Ian McKellen (left) as Gandalf and Elijah Wood as Frodo in. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. He left the group in 1974 to join the Royal Shakespeare Company at the invitation of Barton. [82], McKellen is a co-founder of Stonewall, an LGBT rights lobby group in the United Kingdom, named after the Stonewall riots. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Ian McKellen, in full Sir Ian Murray McKellen, (born May 25, 1939, Burnley, Lancashire, England), British actor of great versatility, noted for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and for his eclectic filmography. From Sidney Poitier to Star Trek, pack your bags and journey to Hollywood in this study of movie stars. In a new interview with … He appeared in the modestly acclaimed film[46] Apt Pupil, which was directed by Bryan Singer and based on a story by Stephen King. After his coming out as gay to his stepmother, Gladys McKellen, who was a Quaker, 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. Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart's Relationship Explained Garry O'Connor explores the fascinating friendship in his new book, Ian McKellen: A Biography . [27][28][29] During this period McKellen had already been directed by Peter Hall, John Barton and Dadie Rylands, all of whom would have a significant impact on McKellen's future career. McKellen agreed, but wrote, "Fuck off, I'm gay. He received Laurence Olivier Awards for his work in the London stagings of such plays as Bent (1979), Wild Honey (1984), and Richard III (1991). Who Is Ian McKellen? They lived in London, where McKellen continued to pursue his career as an actor. The 81 … Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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". Sir Ian McKellen is over the moon as he revealed that he received the first of two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. In the 1970s, McKellen became a stalwart of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Great Britain. McKellen later reprised the role of Gandalf in a series of films (2012, 2013, 2014) based on Tolkien’s The Hobbit (1937). Sir Ian McKellen is one of the most high-profile gay public figures in Britain. [19] In 2002, he was the Celebrity Grand Marshal of the San Francisco Pride Parade[87] and he attended the Academy Awards with his then-boyfriend, New Zealander Nick Cuthell. [18] His home environment was strongly Christian, but non-orthodox. McKellen's acting career started at Bolton Little Theatre, of which he is now the patron. Tolkien’s epic fantasy (1954–55). NHS England said in a press release that McKellen, 81, formed one of the first "eligible groups" for the vaccine, which is being rolled out to people over the age 80, health care workers and care home residents. Ian McKellen is an English stage and screen actor. Sir Ian McKellen received the coronavirus vaccine in London and he’s hoping to convince other people to do the same as soon as possible. He is the recipient of seven Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BIF Award, two Saturn Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, and two Critics' Choice Awards. [99] He garnered publicity for the organisation by stripping down to his Lord of the Rings underwear on stage. Ian McKellen further added that he is very happy for his X-Men co-star Elliot Page and is disappointed in himself that he wasn’t able to detect what Elliot Page’s difficulty was with communicating, back in the days. Widely regarded as one of greatest stage and screen actors both in his native Great Britain and internationally, twice nominated for the Oscar and recipient of every major theatrical award in the UK and US, Ian Murray McKellen was born on May 25, 1939 in Burnley, Lancashire, England, to Margery Lois (Sutcliffe) and Denis Murray McKellen, a civil engineer and lay preacher. McKellen’s other movie credits included the X-Men series (2000, 2003, 2006, 2014), in which he was cast as supervillain Magneto, and The Da Vinci Code (2006). [31][32] He 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. In 1965, McKellen made his first West End appearance. [74], On 16 December 2020, McKellen received the new COVID-19 vaccine, recommending it to everyone.[75]. McKellen’s subtlety and exactitude as an actor were showcased in the character study Mr. Holmes (2015), about the attempts of a nonagenarian Sherlock Holmes to resolve a case that has bedeviled him for 30 years. [21], McKellen attended Bolton School (Boys' Division),[22] of which he is still a supporter, attending regularly to talk to pupils. [13] Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, his family moved to Wigan. A six-episode second series began airing in June 2015.[53][54]. Ian McKellen as Magneto. While McKellen had made his sexual orientation known to 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. [94], A cricket fan since childhood, McKellen umpired in March 2011 for a charity cricket match in New Zealand to support earthquake victims of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.[95][96]. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [84] In 2007, he became a patron of The Albert Kennedy Trust, an organisation that provides support to young, homeless and troubled LGBT people.[83]. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. [61] Their relationship lasted for eight years, ending in 1972. In 2007 he returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company, in productions of King Lear and The Seagull, both directed by Trevor Nunn. McKellen had taken film roles throughout his career—beginning in 1969 with his role of George Matthews in A Touch of Love, and his first leading role was in 1980 as D. H. Lawrence in Priest of Love,[39] but it was not until the 1990s that he became more widely recognised in this medium after several roles in blockbuster Hollywood films. McKellen also has a history of supporting individual theatres. In 1998 he portrayed director James Whale in Gods and Monsters, for which he received his first Academy Award nomination, for best actor. He was named to the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in 2007. Photo is dated --1981. He achieved wor… [56] In 2017, McKellen portrayed Cogsworth in the live-action adaptation of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, directed by Bill Condon (which marked the third collaboration between Condon and McKellen, after Gods and Monsters and Mr. Holmes) and co-starred alongside Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. 2m Followers, 113 Following, 374 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Ian McKellen (@ianmckellen) Corrections? [63], McKellen is an atheist. [97] Only Make Believe creates and performs interactive plays in children's hospitals and care facilities. During a promotional campaign of his biographical movie, Ian McKellen: A Biography, the actor admitted having diagnosed with prostate cancer, in an interview with the Daily Mirror. In 2003, during an appearance on Have I Got News For You, McKellen claimed 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 made his first professional appearance in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre, 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. Section 28 never applied in Northern Ireland. This is an original press photo. [2][3] A recipient of every major theatrical award in the UK, McKellen is regarded as a British cultural icon. — Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) December 17, 2020. Greg said on 9/Sep/13 If Patrick stewart is listed at 5'8", which seems about right, probably no less, McKellen must be about 5'11" at least, probably closer to … Conductor: Yves Abel. 5'10" seems more believable for Mckellen. [67], McKellen was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006. [89] In December 2008, he was named in Out's annual Out 100 list. John Rhys-Davies, whose character was also one of the original nine companions, arranged for his stunt double to get the tattoo instead. [44] In his review of the film, The Washington Post film critic Hal Hinson called McKellen's performance a "lethally flamboyant incarnation" and said his "florid mastery ... dominates everything". Has also received nominations for two Academy Awards, and four BAFTAs 60 ] McKellen! He stated on his blog that `` there is no cause for alarm while every effort has been made honorary! 26 ] [ 54 ] of Great Britain cancer ; his father died When was... 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