Ian McKellen
Biography
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
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
The Simpsons
1989
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
Late Show with David Letterman
1993
Family Guy
1999
Saturday Night Live
1975
The Graham Norton Show
2007
The Graham Norton Show
2007
Coronation Street
1960
The View
1997
Filmography
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
as Self - Guest · 2009
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self - Guest · 2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self · 2015
The Simpsons
as Ian McKellen (voice) · 1989
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self - Guest · 2014
Late Show with David Letterman
as Self - Guest · 1993
Family Guy
as Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (voice) · 1999
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host · 1975
The Graham Norton Show
as Self - Guest · 2007
The Graham Norton Show
as Self · 2007
Coronation Street
as Mel Hutchwright · 1960
The View
as Self - Guest · 1997
Sesame Street
as Self · 1969
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self · 2003
Real Time with Bill Maher
as Self · 2003
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
as Self - Guest · 1993
Avengers: Doomsday
as Magneto · 2026
The One Show
as Self - Guest · 2006
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Presenter · 1944
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Winner · 1944
Tony Awards
as Self - Winner · 1956
The Wednesday Play
as Wolf · 1964
Have I Got News for You
as Self · 1990
The South Bank Show
· 1978
The Talk
as Self · 2010
American Playhouse
as Archibald Anson Gidde · 1982
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
as Gandalf · 2001
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
as Self · 2014
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
as Gandalf · 2003
ted
as Narrator (voice) · 2024
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
as Gandalf the Grey · 2014
BBC Play of the Month
as Captain Plume · 1965
BBC Play of the Month
as Simon Bliss · 1965
BBC Play of the Month
as Ross / T.E. Lawrence · 1965
BBC Play of the Month
as George Tesman · 1965
ITV Playhouse
as Tony · 1967
Film '72
as Self · 1971
Playhouse
as Alexander · 1974
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
as Gandalf · 2002
Omnibus
as Self - Reading Poetry · 1967
Parkinson
as Self · 1998
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
as Gandalf the Grey · 2012
The Paul O'Grady Show
· 2004
An Audience with...
as Self · 1978
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
as Self · 2002
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
as Lyov · 1969
The Oscars
as Self · 1953
TFI Friday
· 1996
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
as Gandalf the Grey · 2013
Who Do You Think You Are?
as Self · 2004
Beauty and the Beast
as Cogsworth · 2017
Parkinson
as Self - Guest · 2004
X-Men: Days of Future Past
as Magneto · 2014
Flushed Away
as The Toad (voice) · 2006
The Da Vinci Code
as Sir Leigh Teabing · 2006
HARDtalk
· 1997
Extras
as Ian McKellen · 2005
The Golden Compass
as Iorek Byrnison (voice) · 2007
Ebenezer
as Jacob Marley · 2026
Last Action Hero
as Death · 1993
Stardust
as Narrator (voice) · 2007
Tales of the City
as Archibald Anson Gidde · 1993
Mr. Holmes
as Sherlock Holmes · 2015
Country Matters
as David Masterman · 1972
Theatre Night
as Iago · 1985
Reunited Apart
as Self · 2020
Playing Shakespeare
· 1984
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
as Self · 1994
Trailblazer Honors
as Self - Speaker · 2014
Perspectives
· 2011
David Copperfield
as Creakle · 1999
The Good Liar
as Roy Courtnay · 2019
Vicious
as Freddie Thornhill · 2013
The Prisoner
as 2 / Curtis · 2009
The Shadow
as Dr. Reinhardt Lane · 1994
The Christophers
as Julian Sklar · 2026
Cats
as Gus, the Theatre Cat · 2019
Animal Crackers
as Horatio P. Huntington (voice) · 2018
Apt Pupil
as Kurt Dussander · 1998
Gods and Monsters
as James Whale · 1998
Amol Rajan Interviews
as Self - Interviewed Guest · 2021
And the Band Played On
as Bill Kraus · 1993
The Dresser
as Norman · 2015
Solo
· 1970
The Keep
as Dr. Theodore Cuza · 1983
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
as Gandalf · 2027
The Wolverine
as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (uncredited) · 2013
Richard III
as Richard III · 1995
Asylum
as Dr. Peter Cleave · 2005
David Copperfield
as David Copperfield · 1966
Six Degrees of Separation
as Geoffrey · 1993
I'll Do Anything
as John Earl McAlpine · 1994
The Magic Roundabout
as Zebedee (voice) · 2005
Churchill
as Self - Narrator (voice) · 2003
The Critic
as Jimmy Erskine · 2024
Thin Ice
as Ian McKellen · 1995
Windmills of the Gods
as Chairman · 1988
Restoration
as Will Gates · 1995
Swept from the Sea
as Dr. James Kennedy · 1998
The Scarlet Pimpernel
as Chauvelin · 1982
All Is True
as Earl of Southampton · 2018
A Touch of Love
as George · 1969
Scandal
as John Profumo · 1989
Billy & Dom Eat the World
as Self · 2025
Pillar of Fire
as Narrator · 1981
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
as Self · 2013
Muse of Fire
as Self · 2013
Bent
as Uncle Freddie · 1997
Doogal
as Zebedee (voice) · 2006
The Making of 'The Two Towers'
as Self · 2006
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
as Self · 2017
Inside the Actors Studio
as Self · 1994
Doctor Who: The Snowmen
as The Great Intelligence (voice) · 2012
Gladio
as Aldo Moro (voice) · 1992
Passage to Middle-Earth: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings'
as Self · 2001
The Making of 'The Return of the King'
as Self · 2006
X-Men: The Mutant Watch
as Self - 'Magneto' · 2000
Cold Comfort Farm
as Amos Starkadder · 1995
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
as Alexander Ivanov · 1979
Evolution X - The Making of X-Men
· 2003
Ringers: Lord of the Fans
as Self · 2005
Neverwas
as Gabriel Finch · 2005
Dragfox
as Ginger Snap the Fox (Speaking) (voice) · 2024
McKellen: Playing the Part
as Self · 2018
The Wolverine: Path of a Ronin
as Self · 2013
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
as Self - Performer · 2016
The Betty Driver Story
as Self · 2011
The Ballad of Little Jo
as Percy Corcoran · 1993
Hating Peter Tatchell
as Self · 2021
Jack & Sarah
as William · 1995
Emile
as Emile · 2003
Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring
as Self · 2001
Infinitum: Subject Unknown
as Dr. Charles Marland-White · 2021
King Lear
as King Lear · 2008
Zina
as Kronfeld · 1985
A Filmmaker's Journey: Making 'The Return of the King'
as Self · 2004
Saint of 9/11
as Narrator · 2006
Rasputin
as Tsar Nicholas II · 1996
Brett Ratner's X-Diaries
as Self · 2006
On Broadway
as Self · 2019
Alfred the Great
as Roger · 1969
The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I Loved
· 2024
Beyond the Movie: The Return of the King
as Self · 2003
X3: The Excitement Continues
as Self · 2006
National Theatre Live: King Lear
as King Lear · 2018
Frodo Is Great... Who Is That?!!
as Self · 2004
The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men! Making X2
as Self · 2003
Quest for the Ring
as Self · 2001
Plenty
as Sir Andrew Charleson · 1985
The Fellowship of the Ring: Cameras in Middle-earth
as Self · 2002
The Fellowship of the Ring: Scale
as Self · 2002
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
as Narrator (voice) · 2001
National Theatre Live: No Man's Land
as Spooner · 2016
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Cast
as Self · 2002
Frank and Percy
as Percy · 2026
The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale
as Self · 1999
Miss in Her Teens
as The Prologue · 2014
The Fellowship of the Ring: From Book to Script
as Self · 2002
Walter and June
as Walter · 1983
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Road Goes Ever On..
as Self · 2002
An Evening with Lily Savage
as Self · 1996
A World War II Fairy Tale: The Making of Michael Mann's 'The Keep'
as Self (archive footage) · 2025
Freedom: 50 Years of Pride
as Self · 2022
Nelson Mandela Redrawn
as Self · 2014
Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage
as Self · 2016
Hedda Gabler
as George Tesman · 1972
The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision
as Self · 2003
The Promise
· 1969
Double Take: Xavier & Magneto
as Self · 2014
X-Men: Premieres Around the World
as Self · 2003
David Macaulay: Roman City
as Augustus Caesar (voice) · 1994
The Roof
as And Even Yet Another Fan · 2016
Theatreland
as Self · 2009
Macbeth
as Macbeth · 1979
Untitled Anthony Hopkins Documentary
as Self
Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man
as Narrator (voice) · 2000
Craven Arms
as David Masterman · 1972
Eighteen
as Jason Anders (voice) · 2005
The Art of Breaking Character
as Self · 2007
Ken Dodd: A Legacy of Happiness
· 2025
The Tragedy of King Richard II
as King Richard II · 1970
Scarfe's Follies
· 1988
After Stonewall
as Self · 1999
LS Lowry: The Unheard Tapes
as L S Lowry · 2026
Priest of Love
as D.H. Lawrence · 1981
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
as Self (archive footage) · 2015
The Life and Death of Lily Savage
as Self · 2024
A Simple Matter of Justice
as Self · 1993
Countdown to War
as Adolf Hitler · 1989
Pet Shop Boys: Cubism
as Self- voice · 2007
For the Love of God
as The Jackdaw · 2007
A Bit Of Scarlet
as Narrator · 1997
The Paul O'Grady Story
as Self · 2017
Walter
as Walter · 1982
Hamlet
as Hamlet · 2024
The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne
as Wolf · 1965
London 2012: Paralympics Opening Ceremony
as Self · 2012
Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet
· 2020
Now You See Him: 'The Invisible Man' Revealed!
as Self · 2000
Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare
· 1982
All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film
as Prospero's Speech Reader (voice) · 2016
How a Kite Flies
as Mr. Kite (voice) · 2017
A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation
as Narrator (voice) · 2010
Schadenfreude
as Continuity Announcer · 2025
Hamlet Within
· 2022
Shakespeare on Stage, Screen and Elsewhere with Ian McKellen
· 2016
Stonewall 25: Global Voices of Pride and Protest
as Self · 1994
Othello
as Iago · 1990
Tea with Judi Dench featuring Ian McKellen
as Self · 2026
The One Note Man
as Narrator (voice) · 2023
No Man's Land
as Spooner
Graceless Go I
as Tony · 1974
The Fellowship of the Ring: Designing and Building Middle-earth + Weta Workshop + Costume Design
as Self · 2002
Edward II
as King Edward · 1970
Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU
· 2020
Camp Christmas
· 1993
Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up
as Narration (voice) · 1993
X-Men: The Last Stand
as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto · 2006
To Die For
as Quilt Documentary Narrator (voice) · 1994
Great British Theatre
· 2021
Looking for Lowry
as Self · 2011
Edmund the Magnificent
as Self - Narrator (voice) · 2017
Play the Devil: Making Richard III
· 2016
Peter Tatchell: Just Who Does He Think He Is?
· 2004
X-Men
as Magneto · 2000
The Egg Trick
as Magician · 2013
Surviving Friendly Fire
· 1997
Hamlet
as Hamlet · 1970
Small-Time Revolutionary
as Hamish Miller (voice) · 2010
Süleyman the Magnificent
as Narrator · 1987
Shakespeare on Film
· 2016
Dying Day
as Antony Skipling · 1980
Guerrilla Distribution
as Self · 2007
X2
as Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto · 2003
Age of Dissent
as Self · 1994
Quintessentially British
as Self · 2022
My First Time
as Narrator · 2004
The Hobart Shakespeareans
as Self · 2005