Ian McKellen
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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, as well as nominations 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), Flushed Away (2006), 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 is a cofounder of Stonewall, an LGBT rights lobby group in the United Kingdom, named after the Stonewall riots. He is also patron of LGBT History Month, Pride London, Oxford Pride, GayGlos, LGBT Foundation and FFLAG. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ian McKellen, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known for
Credits
Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
as Magneto
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
as Gandalf
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
as Gandalf
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
as Gandalf the Grey
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
as Gandalf
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
as Gandalf the Grey
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
as Gandalf the Grey
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
as Cogsworth
Ebenezer (2026)
as Jacob Marley
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
as Magneto
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
as Sir Leigh Teabing
Flushed Away (2006)
as The Toad (voice)
Stardust (2007)
as Narrator (voice)
Cats (2019)
as Gus, the Theatre Cat
The Golden Compass (2007)
as Iorek Byrnison (voice)
Last Action Hero (1993)
as Death
Mr. Holmes (2015)
as Sherlock Holmes
The Christophers (2026)
as Julian Sklar
The Shadow (1994)
as Dr. Reinhardt Lane
King Lear (2008)
as King Lear
The Good Liar (2019)
as Roy Courtnay
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin (2017)
as Self
Apt Pupil (1998)
as Kurt Dussander
Thin Ice (1995)
as Ian McKellen
The Wolverine (2013)
as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (uncredited)
I'll Do Anything (1994)
as John Earl McAlpine
Emile (2003)
as Emile
Jack & Sarah (1995)
as William
The Keep (1983)
as Dr. Theodore Cuza
Animal Crackers (2018)
as Horatio P. Huntington (voice)
Theatreland (2009)
as Self
The Magic Roundabout (2005)
as Zebedee (voice)
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (2027)
as Gandalf
The Promise (1969)
Actor
Gods and Monsters (1998)
as James Whale
Gladio (1992)
as Aldo Moro (voice)
A Touch of Love (1969)
as George
And the Band Played On (1993)
as Bill Kraus
Zina (1985)
as Kronfeld
The Roof (2016)
as And Even Yet Another Fan
Restoration (1995)
as Will Gates
Dragfox (2024)
as Ginger Snap the Fox (Speaking) (voice)
Asylum (2005)
as Dr. Peter Cleave
Frank and Percy (2026)
as Percy
Richard III (1995)
as Richard III
Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
as Geoffrey
The Dresser (2015)
as Norman
Scandal (1989)
as John Profumo
The Fellowship of the Ring: Cameras in Middle-earth (2002)
as Self
McKellen: Playing the Part (2018)
as Self
The Fellowship of the Ring: From Book to Script (2002)
as Self
Alfred the Great (1969)
as Roger
All Is True (2018)
as Earl of Southampton
The Critic (2024)
as Jimmy Erskine
Infinitum: Subject Unknown (2021)
as Dr. Charles Marland-White
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Road Goes Ever On.. (2002)
as Self
Priest of Love (1981)
as D.H. Lawrence
Muse of Fire (2013)
as Self
The Betty Driver Story (2011)
as Self
X-Men: Premieres Around the World (2003)
as Self
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Cast (2002)
as Self
Miss in Her Teens (2014)
as The Prologue
The Fellowship of the Ring: Scale (2002)
as Self
Bent (1997)
as Uncle Freddie
Swept from the Sea (1998)
as Dr. James Kennedy
An Evening with Lily Savage (1996)
as Self
Hedda Gabler (1972)
as George Tesman
X3: The Excitement Continues (2006)
as Self
The Fellowship of the Ring: Designing and Building Middle-earth (2002)
as Self
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
as Chauvelin
X-Men: The Mutant Watch (2000)
as Self - 'Magneto'
Brett Ratner's X-Diaries (2006)
as Self
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC (2016)
as Self - Performer
Rasputin (1996)
as Tsar Nicholas II
Doogal (2006)
as Zebedee (voice)
Neverwas (2005)
as Gabriel Finch
Plenty (1985)
as Sir Andrew Charleson
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love (2001)
as Narrator (voice)
A Simple Matter of Justice (1993)
as Self
Doctor Who: The Snowmen (2012)
as The Great Intelligence (voice)
The Wolverine: Path of a Ronin (2013)
as Self
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (2013)
as Self
A Filmmaker's Journey: Making 'The Return of the King' (2004)
as Self
Double Take: Xavier & Magneto (2014)
as Self
The Ballad of Little Jo (1993)
as Percy Corcoran
On Broadway (2019)
as Self
Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
as Self
The Making of 'The Two Towers' (2006)
as Self
Craven Arms (1972)
as David Masterman
Scarfe's Follies (1988)
Actor
Shakespeare on Film (2016)
Actor
Graceless Go I (1974)
as Tony
Tea with Judi Dench featuring Ian McKellen (2026)
as Self
Macbeth (1979)
as Macbeth
Frodo Is Great... Who Is That?!! (2004)
as Self
Beyond the Movie: The Return of the King (2003)
as Self
Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare (1982)
Actor
Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet (2020)
Actor
Eighteen (2005)
as Jason Anders (voice)
Nelson Mandela Redrawn (2014)
as Self
LS Lowry: The Unheard Tapes (2026)
as L S Lowry
London 2012: Paralympics Opening Ceremony (2012)
as Self
Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005)
as Self
Pet Shop Boys: Cubism (2007)
as Self- voice
Hamlet (2024)
as Hamlet
Hating Peter Tatchell (2021)
as Self
Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU (2020)
Actor
After Stonewall (1999)
as Self
Quest for the Ring (2001)
as Self
Passage to Middle-Earth: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' (2001)
as Self
The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I Loved (2024)
Actor
Play the Devil: Making Richard III (2016)
Actor
Age of Dissent (1994)
as Self
Evolution X - The Making of X-Men (2003)
Actor
Untitled Anthony Hopkins Documentary (—)
as Self
National Theatre Live: King Lear (2018)
as King Lear
The Egg Trick (2013)
as Magician
A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation (2010)
as Narrator (voice)
My First Time (2004)
as Narrator
The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men! Making X2 (2003)
as Self
The Making of 'The Return of the King' (2006)
as Self
The Paul O'Grady Story (2017)
as Self
A World War II Fairy Tale: The Making of Michael Mann's 'The Keep' (2025)
as Self (archive footage)
Süleyman the Magnificent (1987)
as Narrator
Surviving Friendly Fire (1997)
Actor
Cold Comfort Farm (1995)
as Amos Starkadder
Looking for Lowry (2011)
as Self
How a Kite Flies (2017)
as Mr. Kite (voice)
Ken Dodd: A Legacy of Happiness (2025)
Actor
The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision (2003)
as Self
Schadenfreude (2025)
as Continuity Announcer
Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage (2016)
as Self
Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man (2000)
as Narrator (voice)
The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne (1965)
as Wolf
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1979)
as Alexander Ivanov
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC (2015)
as Self (archive footage)
Othello (1990)
as Iago
David Macaulay: Roman City (1994)
as Augustus Caesar (voice)
For the Love of God (2007)
as The Jackdaw
Countdown to War (1989)
as Adolf Hitler
The One Note Man (2023)
as Narrator (voice)
The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale (1999)
as Self
Now You See Him: 'The Invisible Man' Revealed! (2000)
as Self
Freedom: 50 Years of Pride (2022)
as Self
The Life and Death of Lily Savage (2024)
as Self
The Tragedy of King Richard II (1970)
as King Richard II
Saint of 9/11 (2006)
as Narrator
National Theatre Live: No Man's Land (2016)
as Spooner
Quintessentially British (2022)
as Self
All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film (2016)
as Prospero's Speech Reader (voice)
Walter (1982)
as Walter
Camp Christmas (1993)
Actor
A Bit Of Scarlet (1997)
as Narrator
X-Men (2000)
as Magneto
The Two Towers: Designing Middle-earth (2003)
as Self
Walter and June (1983)
as Walter
Peter Tatchell: Just Who Does He Think He Is? (2004)
Actor
To Die For (1994)
as Quilt Documentary Narrator (voice)
Edmund the Magnificent (2017)
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Edward II (1970)
as King Edward
No Man's Land (—)
as Spooner
Dying Day (1980)
as Antony Skipling
Hamlet Within (2022)
Actor
The Hobart Shakespeareans (2005)
as Self
The Art of Breaking Character (2007)
as Self
Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up (1993)
as Narration (voice)
Hamlet (1970)
as Hamlet
Stonewall 25: Global Voices of Pride and Protest (1994)
as Self
Small-Time Revolutionary (2010)
as Hamish Miller (voice)
X2 (2003)
as Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto
Shakespeare on Stage, Screen and Elsewhere with Ian McKellen (2016)
Actor
Guerrilla Distribution (2007)
as Self