Sir Ian Murray McKellen CH, CBE (born 25 May 1939 in Burnley, Lancashire) is an English Shakespearian actor.
Widely known for his roles as Gandalf in film adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien's Legendarium, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, and the Marvel Comics Mutant Magneto in the X-Men (Film Series), as well as the title character in his 1995 Setting Update adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard III. He also lent his voice to a certain polar bear, and the Great Intelligence in the 2012 Doctor Who Christmas Special. He starred with Derek Jacobi in a series called Vicious, a gay Dom Com about a long-partnered male couple.
He's also openly gay and an ardent supporter of gay rights. He came out to the public in a 1988 BBC radio interview when the British government was in the process of passing Section 28
, a law that effectively prohibited schools from even mentioning homosexuality in any sort of context to students (it was in force from 1988 to 2003). He notes that, although he'd been out to family, friends, and coworkers, coming out to the general public was such a liberating experience that he gained access to a new level of emotion and he could add more depth to his acting.
He's also authorized to perform marriages, as he officiated the September 2013 wedding of his friend Patrick Stewart to Sunny Ozell.
Filmography:
Film
- 1983 The Keep as Dr. Theodore Cuza
- 1989 Scandal as John Profumo
- 1993 The Ballad of Little Jo as Percy Corcoran
- 1993 Last Action Hero as Death
- 1993 Six Degrees of Separation as Geoffrey
- 1994 The Shadow (1994) as Dr. Reinhardt Lane
- 1995 Restoration as Will Gates
- 1995 Richard III as Richard III
- 1996 Rasputin as Czar Nicholas II
- 1998 Gods and Monsters as James Whale
- 1998 Apt Pupil as Kurt Dussander
- X-Men (Film Series) and Marvel Cinematic Universe as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto
- 2000 X-Men 1
- 2002 X2: X-Men United
- 2006 X-Men: The Last Stand
- 2013 The Wolverine
- 2014 X-Men: Days of Future Past
- 2026 Avengers: Doomsday
- Tolkien's Legendarium adaptations as Gandalf
- 2005 Neverwas as Gabriel Finch
- 2006 The Da Vinci Code as Sir Leigh Teabing
- 2006 Flushed Away as The Toad (voice)
- 2007 The Golden Compass as Iorek Byrnison (voice)
- 2015 Mr. Holmes as Sherlock Holmes
- 2017 Beauty and the Beast as Cogsworth (voice)
- 2017 Animal Crackers as Horatio P. Huntington (voice)
- 2019 Cats as Gus the Theater Cat
- 2026 The Christophers as Julian Sklar
- 2026 Ebenezer as Jacob Marley
Television
- 1979 Macbeth (televised stage production) as MacBeth
- 1982 The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982) as Paul Chauvelin
- 1993 And the Band Played On as Bill Kraus
- 1999 David Copperfield as Mr. Creakle
- 2003 The Simpsons: "The Regina Monologues" As Himself
- 2006 Extras as Ian McKellen
- 2009 The Prisoner (2009) as 2
- 2012 Doctor Who: "The Snowmen" as the Great Intelligence (voice)
- 2013-2016 Vicious as Freddie Thornhill
- 2024 Ted as the Narrator
Tropes associated with his work:
- Actor Allusion: His appearance on Have I Got News for You had constant references to his role in The Lord of the Rings.
- Enforced Method Acting: He hosted Saturday Night Live, and in one sketch played Dame Maggie Smith, being interviewed on Weekend Update. At one point he asked Jimmy Fallon, "Kiss for luck?" Fallon leaned over, clearly expecting a peck on the cheek. Ian grabbed him and gave him an open-mouthed smooch right on the lips, leaving Fallon visibly stunned.
- Large Ham: Like any self-respecting legend of the stage, he can really bring the ham when called upon. Just check him giving instructions on changing a flat tire.
- Meta Casting: In Gods and Monsters, he played James Whale, the director of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, who was homosexual like McKellen.
- Running Gag: He is often invited to speak at schools and universities. Every time, he makes this joke in reference to a certain scene from The Lord of the Rings.
- What Could Have Been:
- He was considered to play Commander Swanbeck in Mission: Impossible II, but turned it down due to starring in a play in London.
- Alongside Derek Jacobi, he was considered to voice Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney).
- Alongside Patrick Stewart, Tim Curry and Christopher Lloyd, he was considered to voice Jafar in Aladdin.
- He was offered the role of Dumbledore after Richard Harris had died, but turned it down. This was fueled by Harris having referred to McKellen (along with his own co-star in Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, Kenneth Branagh) as "technically brilliant, but passionless". McKellen decided "I couldn’t take over the part from an actor I knew didn’t approve of me."
- ‘I get mistaken for Sir Michael Gambon’...
