Historical Figures Codexery

Ian McKellen

English actor, stage and screen icon, knighted in 1991.

The English actor is frequently described as one of the UK's finest performers, recognized for his wide-ranging work in Shakespeare, modern theatre, fantasy, and science fiction.[1] In 1988, McKellen publicly disclosed his homosexuality, and from that point he has been a prominent advocate for LGBT rights movements globally.[2]

Quick Facts

Birth name
Ian Murray McKellen
Born
25 May 1939
Birthplace
Burnley, Lancashire, England
Occupation
Actor
Years active
1958–present
Partner
Brian Taylor (1964–1972); Sean Mathias (1978–1988)
Education
University of Cambridge (BA)

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

In 1969, he joined the Prospect Theatre Company to play lead parts in Shakespeare's Richard II and Marlowe's Edward II at the Edinburgh Festival.[3] He became a stalwart of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Great Britain in the 1970s.[4] McKellen played Magneto in the X-Men film series starting in 2000 and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy from 2001 to 2003.[5][6] In 2024, McKellen starred as John Falstaff in Player Kings at the Noël Coward Theatre in London's West End.[7]

At age 18 in 1958, McKellen earned a scholarship to St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he pursued English literature.[8] His first professional stage appearance occurred in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, where he performed the part of Roper in A Man for All Seasons.[9] Queen Elizabeth II conferred a knighthood upon McKellen in 1991.[1]

What the cited sources add

The same source notes his family moved to Wigan just before the Second World War.[10] McKellen told the BBC that working with Anthony Hopkins on The Dresser was "bliss" and the main reason he signed up.[11] The drama in The Dresser takes place backstage during the Blitz, where an aging actor-manager prepares for King Lear with his dresser.[11] Co-star Emily Watson said working with McKellen and Hopkins was an almost religious experience.[11]

McKellen's official website records that his sister took him to his first Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night, performed by Wigan's Little Theatre.[10] His parents fostered his early love for theatre by taking him, at age three, to see Peter Pan at Manchester Opera House.[10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Ian McKellen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "British Actor Ian Mckellen in China for Shakespeare on Film", 13 November 2016; "Thirty of the very best of British", The Daily Telegraph, 13 November 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Ian McKellen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ian McKellen receives Freedom of the City award for gay rights activism", The Independent, 31 October 2014; "Ian McKellen becomes the Albert Kennedy Trust's new patron", The Albert Kennedy Trust, 5 January 2007; "LGBT History Month 2007 PreLaunch", LGBT History Month, 20 November 2006; "Aim High", the Lesbian & Gay Foundation (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Ian McKellen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Steven, "Obituary: Toby Robertson, OBE, theatre director", The Scotsman, 6 September 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Ian McKellen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart head to Broadway together in two shows", 24 January 2013 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Ian McKellen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 8 December 2002. No. 5, season 9; Keyes, "Patrick Stewart & Ian McKellen Join 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'", Screenrant, 27 November 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Ian McKellen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "2000's", Ian McKellen Official Website (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Ian McKellen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Akbar, "Player Kings review – Ian McKellen's richly complex Falstaff is magnetic", The Guardian, 11 April 2024; Hemming, "Ian McKellen is an unforgettable Falstaff in Player Kings — review", Financial Times, 12 April 2024; Benedict, "'Player Kings' Review: Ian McKellen and Toheeb Jimoh Give Star Turns in a Chilly New Take on Shakespeare's 'Henry IV'", Variety, 12 April 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Ian McKellen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 8 December 2002. No. 5, season 9 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Ian McKellen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Trowbridge, "Stratfordians", Editions Albert Creed, 2008, p. 338–343; Drabble, "Cross-cultural performances: differences in women's re-visions of Shakespeare", University of Illinois Press, 1993, p. 130; Trowbridge, "Stratfordians", Editions Albert Creed, 2008, p. 338–343 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. "Ian McKellen From the Beginning", Ian McKellen Official Website. facts only, no text reused. mckellen.com
  11. "Ian McKellen: 'Working with Anthony Hopkins was bliss'", BBC News, 31 October 2015. facts only, no text reused. bbc.co.uk

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ian McKellen (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

More in Writers & Journalists

Victor McLaglenDavid NivenAlan RickmanRussell CroweDesi ArnazGary ColemanPeter FalkMike FarrellKelsey GrammerDavid JanssenKyle MacLachlanFred MacMurray

Elsewhere in Historical Figures

Henry Ford · Explorers & BusinessPeng Dehuai · Rulers & LeadersH. G. Wells · Notable FiguresAbd al-Rahman III · Notable FiguresZalman Schachter-Shalomi · Religious FiguresGary Lineker · Sports Figures

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →