Ian McKellen
Birthdate
May 25, 1939 (84 years old)
Place of Birth
Burnley, Lancashire, England, UK
Known For
Acting
Details
Birthdate
May 25, 1939 (84 years old)
Place of Birth
Burnley, Lancashire, England, UK
Known For
Acting
Biography
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE (born May 25, 1939) is an English actor. He is the recipient of six Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BIF Award, two Saturn Awards, four Drama Desk Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards. He has also received two Academy Award nominations, eight BAFTA film and TV nominations and five Emmy Award nominations. McKellen's work spans genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. His notable film roles include Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies and Magneto in the X-Men films.
Ian McKellen's LGBTQ+ Titles
Bent
Uncle Freddie
And the Band Played On
Bill Kraus
Gods and Monsters
James Whale
Eighteen
Jason Anders (voice)
McKellen: Playing the Part
Himself
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
Self
Hating Peter Tatchell
Self
Acting (177)
Hamlet Revenant
Marley as Scrooge (rumored)
Richard II as Richard II
Schadenfreude as Continuity Announcer
Untitled Anthony Hopkins Documentary as Self
Dragfox as Ginger Snap the Fox
2024
The Life and Death of Lily Savage as Self
2024
Hamlet as Hamlet
2024
ted as Narrator (voice) (2 episodes)
2023
The Critic as Jimmy Erskine
2023
The One Note Man as Narrator (voice)
2022
Quintessentially British as Self
2022
Hamlet Within
2022
Amol Rajan Interviews Ian McKellen as Self
2021
Hating Peter Tatchell as Self
2021
Great British Theatre (5 episodes)
2021
Infinitum: Subject Unknown as Dr. Charles Marland-White
2020
Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU
2020
Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet
2019
Cats as Gus, the Theatre Cat
2019
The Good Liar as Roy Courtnay
2019
On Broadway as Self
2018
All Is True as Earl of Southampton
2018
National Theatre Live: King Lear as King Lear
2018
McKellen: Playing the Part as Himself
2017
Animal Crackers as Horatio P. Huntington (voice)
2017
The Paul O'Grady Story as Himself
2017
How a Kite Flies as Mr. Kite (voice)
2017
Beauty and the Beast as Cogsworth
2017
2017
Edmund the Magnificent as Self - Narrator (voice)
2016
Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage as Self
2016
National Theatre Live: No Man's Land as Spooner
2016
Play the Devil: Making Richard III
2016
Shakespeare on Film
2016
Shakespeare on Stage, Screen and Elsewhere with Ian McKellen
2016
All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film as Prospero's Speech Reader (voice)
2016
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC as Self - Performer
2016
The Roof as And Even Yet Another Fan
2015
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC as Self (archive footage)
2015
The Dresser as Norman
2015
Mr. Holmes as Sherlock Holmes
2014
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self (1 episode)
2014
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as Gandalf
2014
Nelson Mandela Redrawn as Self
2014
Trailblazer Honors as Speaker (1 episode)
2014
X-Men: Days of Future Past as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto
2014
Miss in Her Teens as The Prologue
2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self (1 episode)
2013
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug as Gandalf
2013
The Wolverine: Path of a Ronin as Self
2013
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot as Himself
2013
Muse of Fire as Self
2013
The Wolverine as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (uncredited)
2013
The Egg Trick as Magician
2013
Vicious as Freddie Thornhill (12 episodes)
2012
Doctor Who: The Snowmen as The Great Intelligence (voice)
2012
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as Gandalf
2012
London 2012: Paralympics Opening Ceremony as Himself
2011
Looking for Lowry as Himself
2011
The Betty Driver Story as Himself (as Sir Ian McKellan)
2010
Lady Grey London
2010
Small-Time Revolutionary as Hamish Miller (voice)
2010
A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation as Narrator (voice)
2010
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy as Self (archive footage)
2009
The Prisoner as 2 / Curtis (6 episodes)
2009
Theatreland as Himself
2008
King Lear as King Lear
2007
The Golden Compass as Iorek Byrnison (voice)
2007
Stardust as Narrator (voice)
2007
For the Love of God as The Jackdaw
2007
The Graham Norton Show as Self (8 episodes)
2007
The Graham Norton Show as Self (archive footage) (1 episode)
2007
The Graham Norton Show as Self - Guest (3 episodes)
2006
Flushed Away as The Toad (voice)
2006
The One Show as Self - Guest (2 episodes)
2006
X-Men: The Last Stand as Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
2006
The Da Vinci Code as Sir Leigh Teabing
2006
Saint of 9/11 as Narrator
2006
Doogal as Zebedee (voice)
2005
Neverwas as Gabriel Finch
2005
Asylum as Dr. Peter Cleave
2005
The Hobart Shakespeareans as Himself
2005
Extras as Ian McKellen (1 episode)
2005
Doctor Who as Voice of the Snowman (1 episode)
2005
The Magic Roundabout as Zebedee (voice)
2005
Ringers: Lord of the Fans as Self
2005
Eighteen as Jason Anders (voice)
2004
Who Do You Think You Are? as Self (1 episode)
2004
The Paul O'Grady Show (1 episode)
2004
Frodo Is Great... Who Is That?!! as Himself
2004
Peter Tatchell: Just Who Does He Think He Is?
2003
The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision as Self
2003
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as Gandalf
2003
Churchill as Himself - Narrator (voice) (3 episodes)
2003
X2 as Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
2003
Real Time with Bill Maher as Self (2 episodes)
2003
X-Men: Premieres Around the World as Self
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (1 episode)
2003
Émile as Emile
2003
Film Collectibles: Capturing Movie Memories as Himself
2002
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as Gandalf
2002
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway as Self (1 episode)
2001
Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring as Self
2001
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring as Gandalf
2001
A Passage to Middle-earth: Making of 'Lord of the Rings' as Self
2001
Quest for the Ring as Self
2001
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love as Narrator (voice)
2000
Now You See Him: 'The Invisible Man' Revealed! as Self
2000
X-Men as Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
2000
X-Men: The Mutant Watch as Self - 'Magneto'
2000
Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man as Narrator (voice)
1999
David Copperfield as Creakle (2 episodes)
1999
The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale as Self
1999
Family Guy as Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (voice) (1 episode)
1998
Apt Pupil as Kurt Dussander
1998
Swept from the Sea as Dr. James Kennedy
1998
Gods and Monsters as James Whale
1997
Bent as Uncle Freddie
1997
The View as Self - Guest (2 episodes)
1997
Surviving Friendly Fire
1997
A Bit Of Scarlet as Narrator
1996
An Evening with Lily Savage as Self
1996
Rasputin as Tsar Nicholas II
1995
Richard III as Richard III
1995
Restoration as Will Gates
1995
Jack & Sarah as William
1995
Cold Comfort Farm as Amos Starkadder
1994
To Die For as Quilt Documentary Narrator (voice)
1994
Stonewall 25: Global Voices of Pride and Protest
1994
Inside the Actors Studio as Self (1 episode)
1994
The Shadow as Dr. Reinhardt Lane
1994
David Macaulay: Roman City as Augustus Caesar (voice)
1994
I'll Do Anything as John Earl McAlpine
1993
Six Degrees of Separation as Geoffrey
1993
Tales of the City as Archibald Anson Gidde (2 episodes)
1993
And the Band Played On as Bill Kraus
1993
The Ballad of Little Jo as Percy Corcoran
1993
Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up as Narration (voice)
1993
Last Action Hero as Death
1992
Gladio as Aldo Moro (voice)
1990
Othello as Iago
1989
The Simpsons (1 episode)
1989
Countdown to War as Adolf Hitler
1989
Scandal as John Profumo
1988
Windmills of the Gods as Chairman (2 episodes)
1985
Zina as Kronfeld
1985
Plenty as Sir Andrew Charleson
1984
Playing Shakespeare (9 episodes)
1983
The Keep as Dr. Theodore Cuza
1983
Walter and June as Walter
1982
The Scarlet Pimpernel as Chauvelin
1982
Walter as Walter
1982
Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare
1981
Pillar of Fire as Narrator (20 episodes)
1981
Priest of Love as D.H. Lawrence
1979
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour as Alexander Ivanov
1979
Macbeth as Macbeth
1978
The Vanishing Army
1978
Armchair Thriller as Anthony Skipling (60 episodes)
1978
An Audience with... as Self (1 episode)
1975
Saturday Night Live as Self - Host (1 episode)
1974
Playhouse (3 episodes)
1972
Hedda Gabler as George Tesman
1972
Country Matters as David Masterman (13 episodes)
1970
Hamlet as Hamlet
1970
Edward II as King Edward
1970
The Tragedy of King Richard II as King Richard II
1969
The Promise
1969
Sesame Street as Himself (1 episode)
1969
Alfred the Great as Roger
1969
A Touch of Love as George
1966
David Copperfield as David Copperfield (13 episodes)
1965
The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne as Wolf
1965
BBC Play of the Month as Captain Plume (1 episode)
1960
Coronation Street as Mel Hutchwright (13 episodes)
1953
The Oscars as Self (3 episodes)
Production (2)
2019
The Isle
• Associate Producer
1995
Richard III
• Executive Producer
Writing (1)
1995
Richard III
• Screenplay