In 1995, he played the title role in Richard III, which transported the setting into an alternative 1930s in which England is ruled by fascists.
Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor whose career spans six decades.
He was awarded Freedom of the City of London in October 2014. ==Early life and education == McKellen was born on 25 May 1939 in Burnley, Lancashire, the son of Margery Lois (née Sutcliffe) and Denis Murray McKellen.
Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, his family moved to Wigan.
They lived there until Ian was twelve years old, before relocating to Bolton in 1951, after his father had been promoted.
At that young age he was already giving performances that have since become legendary such as his Justice Shallow in Henry IV alongside Trevor Nunn and Derek Jacobi (March 1959), Cymbeline (as Posthumus, opposite Margaret Drabble as Imogen) and Doctor Faustus.
He started his professional career in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre as a member of their highly regarded repertory company.
The documentary explores McKellen's life and career as an actor. In 2019, McKellen reunited with Condon in The Good Liar, in which he starred alongside Helen Mirren, and additionally played Gus the Theatre Cat in Cats, an adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, directed by Tom Hooper, and also featuring Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, Idris Elba, and Judi Dench. ==Personal life== McKellen and his first partner, Brian Taylor, a history teacher from Bolton, began their relationship in 1964.
In 1965, McKellen made his first West End appearance.
In 1965 he was a member of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company at the Old Vic, which led to roles at the Chichester Festival.
In 2009 he portrayed Number Two in The Prisoner, a remake of the 1967 cult series The Prisoner.
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, and he firmly established himself as one of the country's foremost classical actors.
In the 1970s, McKellen became a stalwart of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Great Britain.
Their relationship lasted for eight years, ending in 1972.
In 1978 he met his second partner, Sean Mathias, at the Edinburgh Festival.
In the late 1980s, he lost his appetite for every kind of meat but fish, and has since followed a mainly pescetarian diet.
In 1981 he received his first Tony Award nomination and win for Best Actor for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus. McKellen was knighted in the 1991 New Year Honours for services to the performing arts, and made a Companion of Honour for services to drama and to equality in the 2008 New Year Honours.
McKellen has received two Tony Award nominations winning for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in Amadeus in 1981.
He is gay and has been open about his sexuality since 1988, and continues to champion LGBT social movements worldwide.
This relationship lasted until 1988, and according to Mathias, was tempestuous, with conflicts over McKellen's success in acting versus Mathias's somewhat less-successful career.
He is also an Emeritus Fellow of St Catherine's College, Oxford. ==Activism== ===LGBT rights=== 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.
Section 28 never applied in Northern Ireland. 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.
Lawrence in Priest of Love, but it was not until the 1990s that he became more widely recognised in this medium after several roles in blockbuster Hollywood films.
In 1981 he received his first Tony Award nomination and win for Best Actor for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus. McKellen was knighted in the 1991 New Year Honours for services to the performing arts, and made a Companion of Honour for services to drama and to equality in the 2008 New Year Honours.
In 1993, he had a supporting role as a South African tycoon in the critically acclaimed Six Degrees of Separation, in which he starred with Stockard Channing, Donald Sutherland, and Will Smith.
McKellen is also patron of LGBT History Month, Pride London, Oxford Pride, GAY-GLOS, LGBT Foundation, and FFLAG where he appears in their video "Parents Talking". In 1994, at the closing ceremony of the Gay Games, he briefly took the stage to address the crowd, saying, "I'm Sir Ian McKellen, but you can call me Serena": This nickname, given to him by Stephen Fry, had been circulating within the gay community since McKellen's knighthood was conferred.
In 1995, he played the title role in Richard III, which transported the setting into an alternative 1930s in which England is ruled by fascists.
He was subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters, wherein he played James Whale, the director of Frankenstein. In 1999 McKellen was cast, again under the direction of Bryan Singer, to play the comic book supervillain Magneto in the 2000 film X-Men and its sequels X2: X-Men United (2003) and The Last Stand (2006).
In a 1998 interview that discusses the 29th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, McKellen commented, I have many regrets about not having come out earlier, but one of them might be that I didn't engage myself in the politicking.
He was subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters, wherein he played James Whale, the director of Frankenstein. In 1999 McKellen was cast, again under the direction of Bryan Singer, to play the comic book supervillain Magneto in the 2000 film X-Men and its sequels X2: X-Men United (2003) and The Last Stand (2006).
He later reprised his role of Magneto in 2014's Days of Future Past, sharing the role with Michael Fassbender, who played a younger version of the character in 2011's First Class. While filming the first X-Men film in 1999, McKellen was cast as the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson's three-film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (consisting of The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003) ).
He was subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters, wherein he played James Whale, the director of Frankenstein. In 1999 McKellen was cast, again under the direction of Bryan Singer, to play the comic book supervillain Magneto in the 2000 film X-Men and its sequels X2: X-Men United (2003) and The Last Stand (2006).
Section 28 was, however, enacted and remained on the statute books until 2000 in Scotland and 2003 in England and Wales.
In 2001, Ian McKellen received the Artist Citizen of the World Award (France). McKellen has a tattoo of the Elvish number nine, written using J.
He provided the voice of Gandalf for several video game adaptations of the Lord of the Rings films, then reprised the role on screen in Jackson's film adaptation of The Hobbit, which was released in three parts from 2012 to 2014. On 16 March 2002, he hosted Saturday Night Live.
In 2002, he was the Celebrity Grand Marshal of the San Francisco Pride Parade and he attended the Academy Awards with his then-boyfriend, New Zealander Nick Cuthell.
In 2003, McKellen made a guest appearance as himself on the American cartoon show The Simpsons in a special British-themed episode entitled "The Regina Monologues", along with the then UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and author J.
Section 28 was, however, enacted and remained on the statute books until 2000 in Scotland and 2003 in England and Wales.
Section 28 never applied in Northern Ireland. 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.
He has also received 12 Laurence Olivier Awards nominations winning 6 awards for his performances in Pillars of the Community (1977), The Alchemist (1978), Bent (1979), Wild Honey (1984), Richard III (1991), and With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU (2020). He has also received various honorary awards including Pride International Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement & Distinction Award in 2004, Olivier Awards's Society's Special Award in 2006.
In April and May 2005, he played the role of Mel Hutchwright in Granada Television's long running British soap opera, Coronation Street, fulfilling a lifelong ambition.
During a 17 May 2006 interview on The Today Show with the Da Vinci Code cast and director Ron Howard, Matt Lauer posed a question to the group about how they would have felt if the film had borne a prominent disclaimer that it is a work of fiction, as some religious groups wanted.
McKellen appeared in the 2006 BBC series of Ricky Gervais' comedy series Extras, where he played himself directing Gervais' character Andy Millman in a play about gay lovers.
John Rhys-Davies, whose character was also one of the original nine companions, arranged for his stunt double to get the tattoo instead. McKellen was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006.
In 2006, McKellen spoke at the pre-launch of the 2007 LGBT History Month in the UK, lending his support to the organisation and its founder, Sue Sanders.
In 2007, he became a patron of The Albert Kennedy Trust, an organisation that provides support to young, homeless and troubled LGBT people. In 2006, he became a patron of Oxford Pride, stating:I send my love to all members of Oxford Pride, their sponsors and supporters, of which I am proud to be one...
He has also received 12 Laurence Olivier Awards nominations winning 6 awards for his performances in Pillars of the Community (1977), The Alchemist (1978), Bent (1979), Wild Honey (1984), Richard III (1991), and With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU (2020). He has also received various honorary awards including Pride International Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement & Distinction Award in 2004, Olivier Awards's Society's Special Award in 2006.
Both of these productions were adapted into television films, also directed by Nunn. In 2007 he returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company, in productions of King Lear and The Seagull, both directed by Trevor Nunn.
McKellen received a 2007 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor – Comedy Series nomination for his performance.
In 2006, McKellen spoke at the pre-launch of the 2007 LGBT History Month in the UK, lending his support to the organisation and its founder, Sue Sanders.
In 2007, he became a patron of The Albert Kennedy Trust, an organisation that provides support to young, homeless and troubled LGBT people. In 2006, he became a patron of Oxford Pride, stating:I send my love to all members of Oxford Pride, their sponsors and supporters, of which I am proud to be one...
In 1981 he received his first Tony Award nomination and win for Best Actor for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus. McKellen was knighted in the 1991 New Year Honours for services to the performing arts, and made a Companion of Honour for services to drama and to equality in the 2008 New Year Honours.
In December 2008, he was named in Out annual Out 100 list. In 2010, McKellen extended his support for Liverpool's Homotopia festival in which a group of gay and lesbian Merseyside teenagers helped to produce an anti-homophobia campaign pack for schools and youth centres across the city.
In 2009 he appeared in a very popular revival of Waiting for Godot at London's Haymarket Theatre, directed by Sean Mathias, and playing opposite Patrick Stewart.
In 2009 he portrayed Number Two in The Prisoner, a remake of the 1967 cult series The Prisoner.
The two remained friends, with Mathias later directing McKellen in Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2009.
He also received Evening Standard Awards The Lebedev Special Award in 2009.
In December 2008, he was named in Out annual Out 100 list. In 2010, McKellen extended his support for Liverpool's Homotopia festival in which a group of gay and lesbian Merseyside teenagers helped to produce an anti-homophobia campaign pack for schools and youth centres across the city.
In May 2011, he called Sergey Sobyanin, Moscow's mayor, a "coward" for refusing to allow gay parades in the city. In 2014, he was named in the top 10 on the World Pride Power list. ===Charity work=== 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.
McKellen said he opted to help save the building as it was the last theatre he played in New Zealand (Waiting for Godot in 2010) and the locals' love for it made it a place worth supporting.
He later reprised his role of Magneto in 2014's Days of Future Past, sharing the role with Michael Fassbender, who played a younger version of the character in 2011's First Class. While filming the first X-Men film in 1999, McKellen was cast as the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson's three-film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (consisting of The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003) ).
In May 2011, he called Sergey Sobyanin, Moscow's mayor, a "coward" for refusing to allow gay parades in the city. In 2014, he was named in the top 10 on the World Pride Power list. ===Charity work=== 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.
All three actors gave their time free of charge. 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. McKellen is an honorary board member for the New York- and Washington, D.C.-based organization Only Make Believe.
While in New Zealand filming The Hobbit in 2012, he announced a special New Zealand tour "Shakespeare, Tolkien, and You!", with proceeds going to help save the Isaac Theatre Royal, which suffered extensive damage during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
In late August 2012, he took part in the opening ceremony of the London Paralympics, portraying Prospero from The Tempest. In October 2017, McKellen played King Lear at Chichester Festival Theatre, a role which he said was likely to be his "last big Shakespearean part".
He provided the voice of Gandalf for several video game adaptations of the Lord of the Rings films, then reprised the role on screen in Jackson's film adaptation of The Hobbit, which was released in three parts from 2012 to 2014. On 16 March 2002, he hosted Saturday Night Live.
In 2012, he stated on his blog that "There is no cause for alarm.
He was honoured by the organisation in 2012 and hosted their annual Make Believe on Broadway Gala in November 2013.
While in New Zealand filming The Hobbit in 2012, he announced a special New Zealand tour "Shakespeare, Tolkien, and You!", with proceeds going to help save the Isaac Theatre Royal, which suffered extensive damage during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
He also took part in the 2012 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony in London as Prospero from Shakespeare's The Tempest. ==Acting credits== == Awards and honours == McKellen has received two Academy Award nominations for his performances in Gods and Monsters (1999), and The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).
In 2013, McKellen co-starred in the ITV sitcom Vicious as Freddie Thornhill, alongside Derek Jacobi.
A six-episode second series began airing in June 2015. In November 2013, McKellen appeared in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary comedy homage The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.
I've not needed any treatment." McKellen became an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church in early 2013 in order to preside over the marriage of his friend and X-Men co-star Patrick Stewart to the singer Sunny Ozell. McKellen was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters by Cambridge University on 18 June 2014.
He was honoured by the organisation in 2012 and hosted their annual Make Believe on Broadway Gala in November 2013.
He was awarded Freedom of the City of London in October 2014. ==Early life and education == McKellen was born on 25 May 1939 in Burnley, Lancashire, the son of Margery Lois (née Sutcliffe) and Denis Murray McKellen.
He later reprised his role of Magneto in 2014's Days of Future Past, sharing the role with Michael Fassbender, who played a younger version of the character in 2011's First Class. While filming the first X-Men film in 1999, McKellen was cast as the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson's three-film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (consisting of The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003) ).
He provided the voice of Gandalf for several video game adaptations of the Lord of the Rings films, then reprised the role on screen in Jackson's film adaptation of The Hobbit, which was released in three parts from 2012 to 2014. On 16 March 2002, he hosted Saturday Night Live.
I've not needed any treatment." McKellen became an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church in early 2013 in order to preside over the marriage of his friend and X-Men co-star Patrick Stewart to the singer Sunny Ozell. McKellen was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters by Cambridge University on 18 June 2014.
He was made a Freeman of the City of London on Thursday 30 October 2014.
In May 2011, he called Sergey Sobyanin, Moscow's mayor, a "coward" for refusing to allow gay parades in the city. In 2014, he was named in the top 10 on the World Pride Power list. ===Charity work=== 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.
A six-episode second series began airing in June 2015. In November 2013, McKellen appeared in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary comedy homage The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.
In October 2015, McKellen appeared as Norman to Anthony Hopkins' Sir in a BBC Two production of Ronald Harwood's The Dresser, alongside Edward Fox and Emily Watson.
In late August 2012, he took part in the opening ceremony of the London Paralympics, portraying Prospero from The Tempest. In October 2017, McKellen played King Lear at Chichester Festival Theatre, a role which he said was likely to be his "last big Shakespearean part".
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.
He performed the play at the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End during the summer of 2018. To celebrate his 80th birthday, in 2019 McKellen performed in a one man stage show titled With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU celebrating the various performances throughout his career.
He performed the play at the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End during the summer of 2018. To celebrate his 80th birthday, in 2019 McKellen performed in a one man stage show titled With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU celebrating the various performances throughout his career.
The documentary explores McKellen's life and career as an actor. In 2019, McKellen reunited with Condon in The Good Liar, in which he starred alongside Helen Mirren, and additionally played Gus the Theatre Cat in Cats, an adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, directed by Tom Hooper, and also featuring Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, Idris Elba, and Judi Dench. ==Personal life== McKellen and his first partner, Brian Taylor, a history teacher from Bolton, began their relationship in 1964.
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