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 |
| Awards | Full list |
Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is a famous English actor. He is known for acting on both the stage and in movies. He has played many different roles, from characters in Shakespeare's plays to heroes and villains in fantasy and science fiction films.
Many people see him as a British cultural icon. In 1991, Queen Elizabeth II made him a knight for his work in acting. He has won many awards, including a Tony Award and a Golden Globe Award. He has also been nominated for two Academy Awards. To many fans, he is best known for playing Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, and Magneto in the X-Men films.
McKellen has also spent many years working for equal rights for all people. He helped start Stonewall, a group in the United Kingdom that works to achieve equality.
Contents
Early Life and School
Ian McKellen was born on May 25, 1939, in Burnley, a town in Lancashire, England. His parents were Margery and Denis McKellen, and he has an older sister named Jean. When he was very young, his family moved to Wigan just before World War II started. He said that living through the war as a child had a big impact on him.
His family was Christian, and they taught him to be kind to everyone. His mother passed away from breast cancer when he was 12, and his father died when he was 25. A fun fact about his family is that his great-great-grandfather, Robert J. Lowes, helped create the modern weekend by campaigning for a half-day off on Saturdays.
McKellen's love for acting began at a young age. His parents took him to see Peter Pan when he was three. For Christmas one year, he received a toy theatre. His sister Jean also loved acting and would take him to see his first Shakespeare plays.
In 1958, he won a scholarship to St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he studied English literature. At Cambridge, he joined the Marlowe Society, a famous acting club. He acted in 23 plays in just three years and became known for his amazing performances.
Acting Career
A Star on the Stage
McKellen began his professional acting career in 1961. He quickly became a well-known actor in British theatre. In 1969, he joined the Prospect Theatre Company and played the main characters in Shakespeare's Richard II and Marlowe's Edward II.
During the 1970s, he performed often with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. He played famous Shakespearean roles like Romeo, Macbeth, and Iago in Othello. He won five Olivier Awards, which are the biggest awards in British theatre.
In 1980, he starred on Broadway in the play Amadeus. He played the composer Antonio Salieri. His performance was a huge success, and he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
Becoming a Movie Star
Although he had been in movies since the 1960s, McKellen became famous worldwide in the 1990s and 2000s. In 1995, he co-wrote and starred in the movie Richard III. The film set Shakespeare's story in the 1930s. His performance earned him nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award.
In 1998, he played movie director James Whale in Gods and Monsters. For this role, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
The X-Men and The Lord of the Rings
In 2000, McKellen played the powerful villain Magneto in the movie X-Men. He played the character again in several sequels, including X2: X-Men United (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
While filming X-Men, he was cast in another huge role: the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003). This role made him a global star. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. He later returned as Gandalf in the three-part movie series The Hobbit (2012–2014).
Recent Work
McKellen has continued to work in movies, television, and theatre. In 2015, he played an elderly Sherlock Holmes in the film Mr. Holmes. In 2017, he was the voice of Cogsworth in the live-action Disney movie Beauty and the Beast.
He has also starred in many plays. In 2013, he and his friend Patrick Stewart starred in two plays on Broadway, Waiting for Godot and No Man's Land. To celebrate his 80th birthday in 2019, he toured with a one-man show, raising money for theatres across the United Kingdom.
In 2024, he starred as John Falstaff in Player Kings, a play based on Shakespeare's Henry IV plays. During one performance, he fell from the stage but recovered quickly. He is set to play Magneto again in the movie Avengers: Doomsday, planned for 2026.
Personal Life and Activism
McKellen is an atheist, which means he does not believe in a god. He has a tattoo of the number nine in Elvish, a language from The Lord of the Rings. He got the tattoo with seven other actors from the Fellowship of the Ring.
In 2006, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but he has said that it is contained and he has not needed treatment. In 2014, he was made a Freeman of the City of London, a special honor.
Fighting for Equal Rights
McKellen is a strong supporter of LGBT rights. In 1988, he publicly announced he was gay to protest a law called Section 28. This law tried to stop the "promotion" of homosexuality. He felt it was important to speak out for what he believed in.
He is a co-founder of Stonewall, a group that campaigns for the rights of lesbian, gay, bi, and trans people in the UK. He is also a patron of many other charities and groups that support equality. He has said he wants to help achieve "legal and social equality for gay people worldwide."
Awards and Honours
Ian McKellen has received many awards for his acting. He has been nominated for two Academy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, and has won a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, and six Laurence Olivier Awards.
For his services to acting, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1979. In 1991, he was made a knight, which is why he is called "Sir Ian." In 2008, he was made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for his work in drama and for equality.
Images for kids
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McKellen (as Antonio Salieri) with Jane Seymour in the play Amadeus, around 1981.
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McKellen with Kate Winslet at the British Academy Film Awards in 2007.
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McKellen at the 2007 BAFTA Awards.
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McKellen in 2019.
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McKellen at Europride in Manchester in 2003.
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See also
In Spanish: Ian McKellen para niños
- List of British actors
- List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Great Britain
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
- List of actors with two or more Academy Award nominations in acting categories
- List of LGBTQ Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of Golden Globe winners
