Ian McKellen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ian McKellen
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McKellen in 2013
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Ian Murray McKellen
25 May 1939 Burnley, Lancashire, England
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| Education | St Catharine's College, Cambridge (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1958–present |
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Works
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Full list |
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| Awards | Full list |
Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is a famous English actor. He has performed in many plays and movies, from classic Shakespearean stories to popular fantasy and science fiction films. People see him as a very important British cultural figure. Queen Elizabeth II made him a "Sir" in 1991. He has won many awards, including a Tony Award, six Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. He was also nominated for two Academy Awards.
McKellen started acting on stage in 1961. In 1965, he first appeared in London's West End theatre. He joined the Prospect Theatre Company in 1969, playing lead roles in Shakespeare's Richard II and Christopher Marlowe's Edward II. In the 1970s, McKellen became a key actor for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Great Britain. He won five Olivier Awards for his roles in plays like Pillars of the Community (1977), The Alchemist (1978), Wild Honey (1984), and Richard III (1995). He made his first appearance on Broadway in The Promise (1965). He later won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for playing Antonio Salieri in Amadeus (1980). He also returned to Broadway in plays like Wild Honey (1986) and Waiting for Godot (2013), often with his friend Patrick Stewart.
McKellen became famous worldwide for his movie roles. These include playing the 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) movie series. He also appeared in films like Plenty (1985), Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Restoration (1995), Flushed Away (2006), Mr. Holmes (2015), and The Good Liar (2019).
McKellen has been a strong supporter of human rights and equality around the world. He was given the Freedom of the City of London in October 2014. He also helped start Stonewall, a group that works for equal rights in the United Kingdom.
Contents
Early Life and Education
McKellen was born on 25 May 1939, in Burnley, England. His parents were Margery Lois and Denis Murray McKellen. He had an older sister named Jean. Just before Second World War started in September 1939, his family moved to Wigan. They lived there until Ian was twelve, then moved to Bolton in 1951. Living through the war as a child had a big impact on him. He later said he realized "war wasn't normal" only after peace returned.
McKellen's father was a civil engineer and a church leader. Both of his grandfathers were also preachers. His family was very Christian, but not in a strict way. He said his upbringing taught him to "behave in a Christian manner to everybody you met." When he was 12, his mother passed away. His father passed away when Ian was 25.
McKellen went to Bolton School (Boys' Division) and still supports it today. His acting career began at Bolton Little Theatre, where he is now a patron. His parents encouraged his early interest in theatre. When he was three, they took him to see Peter Pan in Manchester. For Christmas when he was nine, he received a toy theatre with cardboard scenery.
His sister took him to his first Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night, performed by local amateur actors. She also acted in and directed amateur theatre.
In 1958, at 18, McKellen won a scholarship to St Catharine's College, Cambridge. There, he studied English literature. He is now an Honorary Fellow of the college. At Cambridge, McKellen was part of the Marlowe Society. He acted in 23 plays in three years, including famous roles in Henry IV and Cymbeline.
Acting Career Highlights
Early Stage Success
McKellen first acted professionally in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. After four years in regional theatres, he made his first appearance in London's West End theatre in A Scent of Flowers. In 1965, he joined Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company. With the Prospect Theatre Company, McKellen became well-known for his performances in Shakespeare's Richard II and Christopher Marlowe's Edward II at the Edinburgh Festival in 1969.
One of McKellen's first big TV roles was in the BBC's 1966 show David Copperfield. He started taking film roles in 1969 with A Touch of Love. His first main film role was in 1980 as D. H. Lawrence in Priest of Love. However, he became more widely known in movies in the 1990s.
In the 1970s, McKellen became a major star in British theatre. He often performed at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. He played many important Shakespearean characters. From 1973 to 1974, McKellen toured the UK and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He performed in plays like The Way of the World, The Wood Demon, and King Lear. The next year, he starred in Shakespeare's King John. From 1976 to 1977, he played Romeo in Romeo & Juliet. The following year, he was King Leontes in The Winter's Tale.
In 1976, McKellen played the main role in Shakespeare's Macbeth with Judi Dench. He also played Iago in Othello. Both of these plays were made into TV films. In 1979, McKellen received great praise for his role as Antonio Salieri in the Broadway play Amadeus. For this role, McKellen won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
In 1981, McKellen played writer and poet D. H. Lawrence in the film Priest of Love. In 1985, he starred in Plenty, a film with Meryl Streep and Sting. The film was about an Englishwoman's experiences during World War II.
Becoming a Well-Known Actor
In 1986, he returned to Broadway in Wild Honey. In 1989, he played Iago again in Othello for the Royal Shakespeare Company. McKellen also starred in the British drama Scandal (1989). When his friend Patrick Stewart decided to join the American TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation, McKellen advised him not to leave his theatre career. However, McKellen later admitted Stewart made a good choice, as it made him a global star. McKellen later followed his example, co-starring with Stewart in the X-Men movies.
From 1990 to 1992, he toured the world in a popular show of Richard III, playing the main character. For this performance, he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor.
In 1993, he starred in the film Six Degrees of Separation with Will Smith. That same year, he appeared in the western The Ballad of Little Jo and the action comedy Last Action Hero with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The next year, he was in The Shadow and I'll Do Anything.
In 1995, McKellen helped write the movie Richard III. This film changed Shakespeare's play to a 1930s British setting. McKellen played the main role. Critics praised his performance. He was nominated for BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actor. He also appeared in the historical drama Restoration (1995) and the romantic comedy Jack and Sarah (1995).
In 1993, he appeared in the TV show Tales of the City. Later that year, McKellen was in the TV film And the Band Played On, about the discovery of HIV. For his role, McKellen won a CableACE Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award. From 1993 to 1997, McKellen toured with a one-man show called A Knights Out. From 1997 to 1998, he starred in An Enemy of the People. In 1998, he appeared in the thriller Apt Pupil, directed by Bryan Singer. McKellen played a former officer living in the US. That same year, he played James Whale in Gods and Monsters. For this role, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.
In 1995, he was in the BBC TV film Cold Comfort Farm. The next year, he played Tsar Nicholas II in the HBO movie Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996). For this, McKellen was nominated for an Emmy Award and won a Golden Globe Award. McKellen also appeared as Mr. Creakle in the BBC series David Copperfield (1999).
Global Stardom
In 1999, McKellen was chosen by director Bryan Singer to play the supervillain Magneto in the 2000 film X-Men and its sequels X2: X-Men United (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). He played Magneto again in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past.
While filming X-Men in 1999, McKellen was cast as the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson's movie series The Lord of the Rings. These films were released between 2001 and 2003. He won a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in The Fellowship of the Ring. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the same role. He also voiced Gandalf in several video games based on the movies.
McKellen returned to Broadway in 2001 in the play The Dance of Death with Helen Mirren. Critics praised his performance. McKellen toured with the play in London and Australia. On 16 March 2002, he hosted Saturday Night Live.
In 2003, McKellen appeared as himself on The Simpsons in a special British episode. In 2005, he played Mel Hutchwright in the British TV show Coronation Street. He also narrated the film Eighteen.
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McKellen appeared in films like Emile, Neverwas, and Asylum. In 2006, he played Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code with Tom Hanks. McKellen appeared in the 2006 BBC comedy series Extras, playing himself. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for this role. In 2007, McKellen narrated the fantasy film Stardust. That same year, he voiced the bear Iorek Byrnison in The Golden Compass.
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In 2007, he returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company in King Lear and The Seagull. In 2009, he played Number Two in The Prisoner, a remake of an old TV series. In 2009, he appeared in a very popular show of Waiting for Godot in London, acting with Patrick Stewart. From 2013 to 2014, McKellen and Stewart starred in both Waiting for Godot and No Man's Land on Broadway. McKellen is also a patron of the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain. In August 2012, he took part in the opening ceremony of the London Paralympics, playing Prospero from The Tempest.
Recent Work
McKellen played Gandalf again in Peter Jackson's three Hobbit movies: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). He also played Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto again in The Wolverine (2013) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). In November 2013, McKellen appeared in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary comedy The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot. From 2013 to 2016, McKellen co-starred in the ITV sitcom Vicious as Freddie Thornhill, with Derek Jacobi. The show was about an elderly couple who had been together for 50 years.
In 2015, McKellen worked again with director Bill Condon, playing an elderly Sherlock Holmes in the mystery film Mr. Holmes with Laura Linney. In the film, Holmes, at 93, tries to remember details of his last case as his mind is fading. Critics praised McKellen's performance. In October 2015, McKellen appeared as Norman in a BBC Two show called The Dresser, with Anthony Hopkins. For this, McKellen was nominated for a British Academy Television Award.
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In 2017, McKellen played Cogsworth in the live-action movie Beauty and the Beast, directed by Bill Condon. The film was very successful, earning over $1.2 billion worldwide. In 2017, McKellen appeared in the documentary McKellen: Playing the Part, which explored his life and acting career.
In October 2017, McKellen played King Lear at the Chichester Festival Theatre. He said this would likely be his "last big Shakespearean part." He performed the play in London in 2018. McKellen voiced Dr. Cecil Pritchfield in Family Guy in 2018. He appeared in Kenneth Branagh's historical drama All is True (2018). To celebrate his 80th birthday in 2019, McKellen performed a one-man show called Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU. The show toured the UK and Ireland, raising money for charities.
In 2019, he worked with Condon for the fourth time in the thriller The Good Liar with Helen Mirren. That same year, he appeared as Gus the Theatre Cat in the movie musical Cats. In 2021, he played the main role in a new production of Hamlet. Since November 2021, McKellen and ABBA member Björn Ulvaeus have posted Instagram videos of them knitting Christmas sweaters. In 2023, they were knitting stage clothes for Kylie Minogue.
In 2023, he starred in the thriller The Critic. In April 2024, McKellen starred as John Falstaff in Player Kings, a play based on Shakespeare's Henry IV Parts 1 and 2. During a performance on 17 June 2024, McKellen fell off the stage but was reported to be in good spirits and recovering. He later withdrew from the remaining performances on medical advice.
Personal Life
McKellen's first relationship was with Brian Taylor, a history teacher, from 1964 to 1972. In 1978, he met his second partner, Sean Mathias. This relationship lasted until 1988. They remained friends, and Mathias later directed McKellen in Waiting for Godot in 2009. McKellen has lived in Narrow Street, Limehouse, London, for over 25 years.
McKellen does not believe in a god.
Since the late 1980s, he has mostly eaten a pescetarian diet, meaning he eats fish but no other meat.
In 2001, Ian McKellen received the Artist Citizen of the World Award from France.
McKellen has a tattoo of the Elvish number nine on his shoulder. This is a reference to his role in Lord of the Rings and that his character was one of the nine companions in the Fellowship of the Ring. Most of the other actors from "The Fellowship" have the same tattoo.
McKellen was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006. In 2012, he shared on his blog that "There is no cause for alarm. I am examined regularly and the cancer is contained. I've not needed any treatment."
In early 2013, McKellen became a marriage officiant to marry his friend and X-Men co-star Patrick Stewart to singer Sunny Ozell.
McKellen received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Cambridge University on 18 June 2014. He was made a Freeman of the City of London on 30 October 2014. He is also an emeritus Fellow of St Catherine's College, Oxford.
Activism
Equality Rights
McKellen has been open about his personal life since 1988. This decision was influenced by a law being considered in the British Parliament called Section 28. This law would have stopped local authorities from promoting certain types of family relationships. McKellen felt it was important to speak out. He has said that his involvement helped others feel more comfortable. Section 28 was eventually removed from law in 2000 in Scotland and 2003 in England and Wales.
In 2003, McKellen shared a story about visiting a government official in 1988 to argue against Section 28. The official asked for an autograph for his children. McKellen agreed, but wrote a strong message.
McKellen continues to be very active in supporting equality rights. He has stated on his website that he focuses on "legal and social equality for people worldwide."
McKellen is a co-founder of Stonewall, a group that works for equal rights in the United Kingdom. He is also a patron of LGBT History Month, Pride London, and other organizations that support equality.
In 1994, at the closing ceremony of the Gay Games, he jokingly called himself "Serena," a nickname given to him by Stephen Fry after he was knighted. In 2002, he was the Celebrity Grand Marshal of the San Francisco Pride Parade. In 2006, McKellen spoke at the launch of the 2007 LGBT History Month in the UK. In 2007, he became a patron of The Albert Kennedy Trust, which helps young people who are homeless or in trouble.
In 2006, he became a patron of Oxford Pride, saying that such events help people feel confident and comfortable being themselves.
McKellen has also taken his activism to other countries. In Singapore, he caused a stir by asking on a TV show if they could recommend a certain type of bar, which led to the show ending quickly. In December 2008, he was named in Out magazine's annual Out 100 list.
In 2010, McKellen supported Liverpool's Homotopia festival, where teenagers created an anti-bullying campaign for schools. In May 2011, he called the mayor of Moscow a "coward" for not allowing certain parades in the city.
In 2014, he was named in the top 10 on the World Pride Power list.
Charity Work
In April 2010, McKellen appeared in TV advertisements for Age UK, a charity that helps older people. He gave his time for free.
McKellen is a big fan of cricket. In March 2011, he helped umpire a charity cricket match in New Zealand to support victims of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
McKellen is an honorary board member for Only Make Believe, an organization that performs plays in children's hospitals. He was honored by them in 2012 and hosted their gala in 2013. He even wore his Lord of the Rings underwear on stage to get attention for the charity!
McKellen also supports individual theatres. In 2012, while filming The Hobbit in New Zealand, he announced a special tour to raise money for the Isaac Theatre Royal, which was damaged in an earthquake. In July 2017, he performed a new one-man show at Park Theatre (London), donating the money to the theatre.
On 1 June 2020, McKellen joined Josh Gad's YouTube series Reunited Apart with his Lord of the Rings co-stars. The show brings together movie casts and encourages donations to charities.
Other Work
McKellen was a friend of actor Ian Charleson and wrote a chapter in a book honoring him. You can hear a recording of McKellen's voice before performances at the Royal Festival Hall, reminding people to turn off their phones. He also played Prospero from Shakespeare's The Tempest at the 2012 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony in London.
Accolades and Honours
McKellen has been nominated for two Academy Awards for his roles in Gods and Monsters (1999) and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). He has also been nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards. McKellen has received two Tony Award nominations, winning for Best Actor in a Play for Amadeus in 1981. He has also been nominated for 12 Laurence Olivier Awards (Olivier Awards), winning 6 awards for his performances in plays like Pillars of the Community (1977), The Alchemist (1978), Wild Honey (1984), Richard III (1991), and Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU (2020).
He has also received many honorary awards, including a Lifetime Achievement & Distinction Award in 2004 and the Olivier Awards's Society Special Award in 2006. He also received The Lebedev Special Award in 2009. The next year, he received an Empire Award's Empire Icon Award. In 2017, he received an Honorary Award from the Istanbul International Film Festival. The BBC has said his "performances have guaranteed him a place in the canon of English stage and film actors." McKellen was given an Honorary Fellowship of the British Shakespeare Association in 2020.
McKellen was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1979. He was then knighted in 1991 for his services to acting. In 2008, he was made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) for his work in drama and equality.
Images for kids
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McKellen in 2013
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McKellen (Antonio Salieri) alongside Jane Seymour (Constanze Mozart) in Amadeus, c. 1981
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McKellen at the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in Wellington, 1 December 2003
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McKellen with Kate Winslet at the 60th British Academy Film Awards in 2007
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McKellen at the 2007 BAFTA Awards
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McKellen with Billy Crudup and Patrick Stewart promoting Waiting for Godot and No Man's Land (2013)
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McKellen in 2019
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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
See also
In Spanish: Ian McKellen para niños
