Ian McKellen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Ian McKellen
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McKellen at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2013.
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| Born |
Ian Murray McKellen
25 May 1939 |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Partner(s) | Brian Taylor (1964–1972) Sean Mathias (1978–1988) |
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CBE, CH (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor in theatre and movies. He got a Tony Award and two Oscar nominations.
He was born in Burnley, Lancashire. In 1939, he moved to Wigan. In 1951, he moved to Bolton.
His work has spanned genres from serious Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction movies.
Best known for his roles as Gandalf in the 2001-2003 Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, as Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code, and as Magneto in the X-Men series of movies. He is openly gay and is a prominent activist for the rights of LGBT people.
He was made a CBE in 1979 and knighted in 1990 for his outstanding work and contributions to the theatre. In 2008 he was made a Companion of Honour.
McKellen said in 2012 that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006.
Movies
- Apt Pupil (1998)
- Gods and Monsters (1998)
- X-Men (2000)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
- X2: X-Men United (2003)
- Emile, (2005)
- Asylum, (2005)
- The Magic Roundabout, as Zebedee (2005) (movie known as "Dougal" in the United States)
- Flushed Away, (2006)
- The Da Vinci Code, (as Sir Leigh Teabing) (2006)
- X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Images for kids
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McKellen with actors Billy Crudup and Patrick Stewart on 24 September 2013 for a press junket at Sardi's restaurant for Waiting for Godot and No Man's Land.
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McKellen at the premiere of The Return of the King in Wellington, New Zealand, 1 December 2003.
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McKellen at Manchester Pride 2010
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McKellen at Europride 2003 in Manchester.
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The hands of McKellen on a 1999 Gods and Monsters plaque in London's Leicester Square
