Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen,
CBE, (born
May 25,
1939) is an
English stage and
screen actor, the recipient of a
Tony Award and two
Oscar nominations. McKellen is best known to moviegoers for his roles as
Gandalf in the
2001–
2003 Lord of the Rings film trilogy and as
Magneto in the
X-Men series of movies. His work has spanned genres from serious
Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is also known as an activist for the
rights of the
LGBT community.
He was made a
CBE in
1979 and knighted in
1990 for his outstanding work and contributions to the theatre.
McKellen was born in
Burnley,
Lancashire,
England, though spent most of his early life in
Wigan and later attended the prestigious
Bolton School. Born shortly before the outbreak of
World War II, the experience had some lasting impact on him. In an interview with
The Advocate magazine (
December 25,
2001), when an interviewer remarked that he seemed quite calm in the aftermath of the
September 11 terrorist attack, he said: "Well, darling, you forget — I slept under a steel plate until I was four years old."
McKellen's father, Denis Murray McKellen, a
civil engineer, was a
lay preacher, and both of his grandfathers were preachers as well. His home environment was strongly
Christian, but non-orthodox. "My upbringing was of low nonconformist Christians who felt that you led the Christian life in part by behaving in a Christian manner to everybody you met."
When he was 12, his mother, Margery Lois McKellen (born Sutcliffe) died; his father died when he was 24. When he
came out of the closet to his stepmother, Gladys McKellen, who was a
Friend (Quaker): "Not only was she not fazed, but as a member of a society which declared its indifference to people's sexuality years back, I think she was just glad for my sake that I wasn't lying any more."
McKellen's acting career started while he was still a boy. He won a scholarship to
St. Catharine's College,
University of Cambridge, when he was 18, where he developed an intense crush on
Derek Jacobi. He has characterized it as "a passion that was undeclared and unrequited."
He and his first serious partner, Brian Taylor, began their relationship in 1964. It was a relationship that was to last for eight years, ending in 1972. They lived in
London, where McKellen continued to pursue his career as an actor. For over a decade he has lived in a five-story Victorian conversion in
Narrow Street,
Limehouse,
London.
In 1978 he met his second partner,
Sean Mathias, at the
Edinburgh Festival. According to Mathias, the ten-year love affair was tempestuous, with conflicts over McKellen's success in acting versus Mathias' somewhat less-successful career. Mathias said that "in those days, the world was far more
homophobic, and me being the young, pretty boy — people wouldn't take me seriously as an actor, being Ian's boyfriend." Mathias was 22 when they met; McKellen 39. However, Mathias also says McKellen "did nothing but help me" in his career.
McKellen made his stage début in
Coventry in 1961 and his
West End début in 1964. He was already a major name in the theatre, dubbed "the
Olivier from Wigan" at age thirty, before later establishing himself as a television and film actor. His first film role — in the unfinished
The Bells of Hell Go Ting-A-Ling-A-Ling (1966) — produced a £4000 fee that helped fund his
repertory work for a time, but the experience contributed to a focus on the stage,
[Empire, May 2006] which remained the medium he was best known for well into the fourth decade of his career.
The role that made McKellen famous was his 1969 portrayal of King
Edward II of England in the
Prospect Theatre Company's touring production of
Marlowe's
Edward II. The production was controversial for its explicit torture scenes and implicit homosexuality. He later reprised the role for the
BBC. In 1972, he founded the
Actors' Company with his friend
Edward Petherbridge, and this was the beginning of his reputation as a spokesman for actors and the British theatre in general. Between 1974 and 1978, he enhanced his reputation with leading roles in
Royal Shakespeare Company productions such as
Romeo and Juliet (in which he played opposite
Francesca Annis) and
Macbeth (opposite
Judi Dench).
McKellen starred on
Broadway in
Bent, a play about gay men in
Nazi death camps, starting in 1979. Despite his role in this ground-breaking play, which brought to public view for the first time in a widespread way the
persecution of gays in Nazi Germany, McKellen was not yet out publicly. At first, he was unsure whether he dared to take the role. "As impressed as I was by it, I thought 'My God! Do I dare be in this?' And
[then-boyfriend] Sean read it and replied, 'Well you have to do it'."
proved to be of great significance to McKellen. Since starring in the original Broadway production of
Bent, he has been involved in two other productions of the play. In 1990 he starred in the revival at the
National Theatre in London directed by Mathias, and also made a supporting appearance in the movie version, also directed by Mathias, which was released in
1997.
McKellen's talents won him successively more important and visible parts, until eventually in 1980 he won the role of
Salieri in the
Broadway production of
Amadeus. He was awarded the
Tony Award for his performance, the most prestigious award given to actors in live theatre in the
United States. His appearance as
Walter, a mentally-retarded adult, in a
1982 television play shown on the first night of
Channel 4's broadcasting, won him a new following; but he was still a relative unknown to much of the U.S. public.
In 1994 McKellen put together a one-man show,
A Knight Out. The show was very successful, and he still performs it today, considering it a perpetual "work in progress". He is a benefactor of the
Rose Theatre in London and in January 2006 unveiled a
blue plaque on the outside of the building.
McKellen had taken film roles throughout his career - beginning in 1969 with
A Touch of Love, if we exclude
The Bells of Hell Go Ting-A-Ling-A-Ling (1966) for being unreleased - but it was not until the 1990s that he became more widely recognised in this medium, eventually attaining global stardom through several roles in blockbuster Hollywood movies.
In
1993, McKellen had a supporting role as a South African tycoon in the
sleeper hit Six Degrees of Separation, in which he starred with
Stockard Channing,
Donald Sutherland, and
Will Smith. In the same year, he was also exposed to North American audiences in minor roles in the television
miniseries Tales of the City (based on the novel by his friend
Armistead Maupin) and the movie
Last Action Hero, in which he played
Death. Also in 1993, McKellen played a large role in the TV movie
And the Band Played On, about the discovery of the
AIDS virus.
In
1995, he played the title role in
Richard III, a film he also co-wrote (adapting the play for the screen based on a stage production of Shakespeare's play directed by
Richard Eyre for the
Royal National Theatre) and co-produced. In McKellen's role as executive producer he returned his £50,000 fee in order to complete the filming of the final battle.
His performance in the title role was critically acclaimed, and he was nominated for
Golden Globe and
BAFTA awards, and won the
European Film Award for best actor.
His breakthrough role for mainstream American audiences came with the modestly-acclaimed
Apt Pupil, based on a story by
Stephen King. McKellen portrayed an old Nazi officer, living under a
false name in the U.S., who was befriended by a curious teenager (
Brad Renfro) who threatened to expose him unless he told his story in detail. His casting was based partly on his performance in
Cold Comfort Farm, seen by
Apt Pupil-director
Bryan Singer despite the
BBFC's refusal to release it in cinemas.
He was subsequently nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1998 film
Gods and Monsters, where he played
James Whale, gay director of
Show Boat (1936) and
Frankenstein.
More recently, McKellen has become a major global star by playing leading roles in blockbuster films, notably
Magneto in
X-Men and its sequels
X2 and
X-Men: The Last Stand; and
Gandalf in the three films that constitute the screen adaptation of
The Lord of the Rings (
The Fellowship of the Ring,
The Two Towers, and
The Return of the King). For
The Fellowship of the Ring he was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
On March 16, 2002, he was the host on
Saturday Night Live. 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
Tony Blair and
J. K. Rowling. In April and May 2005, he played the role of Mel Hutchwright in
Granada Television's long running soap opera,
Coronation Street. He is also known for his voicework, having most recently narrated
Richard Bell's
Eighteen, as a grandfather who leaves his WWII memoirs on audiocassette for his teenage grandson.
Most recently, McKellen has appeared in the limited release films
Neverwas and
Asylum. He has appeared as Sir Leigh Teabing in
The Da Vinci Code. During a May 17, 2006 interview on
The Today Show with the
Da Vinci Code cast and director,
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.
[Philip Pullella, "Boycott Da Vinci Code film", Reuters 28 April 2006. Accessed 20 May 2006.] McKellen responded, "I've often thought the
Bible should have a disclaimer in the front saying 'This is fiction.' I mean, walking on water? It takes. . . an act of faith. And I have faith in this movie—not that it's true, not that it's factual, but that it's a jolly good story." He continued, "And I think audiences are clever enough and bright enough to separate out fact and fiction, and discuss the thing when they've seen it."
["Ian McKellen Unable to Suspend Disbelief While Reading the Bible", Us Weekly 17 May 2006. Video clip available here.]While McKellen was always out to his co-actors, his public persona was another matter. It was not until 1988 that he came out to the general public, in a
Radio Four debate. The context that prompted McKellen's decision â€" overriding concerns about a possible negative effect on his career â€" was that a controversial amendment was under consideration in the
United Kingdom Parliament, known as "
Section 28". By this time, McKellen's ten-year relationship with Mathias had ended, removing the additional concern of what effect his coming out would have on his partner's career. McKellen also drew on the advice and support of his friends, among them noted gay author
Armistead Maupin.
In 2003, during an appearance on
Have I Got News For You, McKellen revealed that when he visited
Michael Howard, the
Tory then-
Home Secretary, in 1988 to lobby against Section 28, Howard refused to change his position but did ask him to leave an autograph for his children. McKellen agreed, but wrote "Fuck off, I'm gay."
[10 things we didn't know this time last week. BBC News. 14 November 2003.]The amendment in question,
Section 28 of the Local Government Bill proposed to prohibit local authorities from promoting homosexuality 'as a kind of pretended family relationship'. The drafting was open to several interpretations and the actual impact of the amendment was uncertain. McKellen became active in fighting the proposed law, and declared himself gay in a debate with the conservative journalist
Peregrine Worsthorne, which was aired by the
BBC's
Radio Four. "My own participating in that campaign was a focus for people [to] take comfort that if Ian McKellen was on board for this, perhaps it would be all right for other people to be as well, gay and straight," he said.
Section 28 was, however, enacted and remained on the statute books until 2003. In the intervening period McKellen continued to fight for its repeal and criticised
British Prime Minister Tony Blair for failing to concern himself with the issue.
McKellen has continued up to the present to be very active in
gay rights efforts. He is a co-founder of
Stonewall (UK), a gay rights lobby group in the United Kingdom, named after the
Stonewall riots. McKellen is also Patron of GAY-GLOS, formerly known as Gay & Lesbian 'Friend' Helpline (Gloucestershire).
In 1994, he made a bit of a splash at the closing ceremony of the
Gay Games, where he stood before a crowd of gay athletes and their supporters and fans to say, "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 2002 he attended the Academy Awards with his then-boyfriend, New Zealander
Nick Cuthell - possibly a first for a major nominee since
Nigel Hawthorne, the first openly gay performer to be nominated for an
Academy Award, who attended the ceremonies with his partner, Trevor Bentham, in 1995. Not only did McKellen and Cuthell hold hands on the red carpet but affectionately placed hands on each other's knees during the ceremony.
*1981: New York
Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, for
Amadeus*1983: London
Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Revival, for
Wild Honey*1984: London
Evening Standard Award for Best Actor, for
Coriolanus*1989: London
Evening Standard Award for Best Actor, for
Othello*1990: London
Olivier Award for Best Actor, for
Richard III*1996:
European Film Award for Best Actor, for
Richard III*1997:
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie, for
Rasputin*1998:
National Board of Review for Best Actor, for
Gods and Monsters*1999:
Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor, for
Gods and Monsters*2002:
Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor, for
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingTheatre
Much Ado About Nothing,
Royal National Theatre,
Old Vic, London, 1965
Trelawney of the "Wells", National Theatre, London &
Chichester Festival, 1965
The Promise,
West End;
Broadway, 1967
Edward II (in title role),
Edinburgh Festival & West End, 1969
Hamlet (title role), UK/European Tour, 1971
'Tis Pity She's a Whore, UK Tour, 1972
Dr Faustus (title role),
Royal Shakespeare Company, Edinburgh Festival & Aldwych Theatre (London), 1974
King John, RSC, 1975
Romeo and Juliet (as Romeo), RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon & London, 1976
The Winter's Tale, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1976
Macbeth (title role), RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon &
Young Vic (London), 1976-1977
The Alchemist, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon & London, 1977
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, RSC,
Barbican Arts Centre (London), 1977
Three Sisters, RSC, UK Tour, 1978
Bent, West End, 1979
Amadeus (as Salieri), Broadway, 1980
Coriolanus (title role), National Theatre, 1984
Wild Honey, National Theatre, 1984 (& Broadway, 1986)
The Cherry Orchard (as Lopakhin), National Theatre, 1985
The Duchess of Malfi, National Theatre, 1985
The Real Inspector Hound, National Theatre, London & Paris, 1985
Othello (as Iago), RSC, London & Stratford-upon-Avon, 1989
Richard III (title role), National Theatre, world tour, 1990 & US tour, 1992
Uncle Vanya (title role), National Theatre, 1992
Peter Pan (as Mr. Darling/Captain Hook), National Theatre, 1997
An Enemy of the People, National Theatre, 1997 &
Ahmanson Theatre (Los Angeles), 1998
Present Laughter,
West Yorkshire Playhouse (Leeds, England), 1998
Aladdin, Old Vic, 2004 & 2005
The Cut, Donmar Warehouse, 2006
King Lear by
William Shakespeare, (as Lear), Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 2007
The Seagull by
Anton Chekov, (as Sorin), Courtyard Theatre, Strafford-upon-Avon, 2007
Film
A Touch of Love (as
George Matthews), (1969)
Alfred the Great (as
Roger), (1969)
The Promise (as
Leonidik), (1969)
Priest of Love (as
D.H. Lawrence), (1981)
The Keep, (1983)
Plenty, (1985)
Scandal (as
John Profumo), (1989)
Six Degrees of Separation, (1993)
Last Action Hero, (As Death) (1993)
The Ballad of Little Jo (1993)
The Shadow, (1994)
Restoration, (1995)
Richard III, (1995)
Cold Comfort Farm, (1996)
Bent, (1997)
Apt Pupil, (1998)
Gods and Monsters, (1998)
X-Men, (as
Magneto),(2000)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, (as
Gandalf the Grey) (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, (as
Gandalf the White) (2002)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, (as
Gandalf the White) (2003)
X2: X-Men United, (as
Magneto) (2003)
Emile, (2005)
Asylum, (2005)
The Magic Roundabout, as Zebedee (2005) (film known as "Dougal" in the United States)
Flushed Away, (2006)
The Da Vinci Code, (as
Sir Leigh Teabing) (2006)
X-Men: The Last Stand, (as
Magneto) (2006)
(Narrator of) Mummy: The Inside Story
*The Colossus, (as Cecil Rhodes) (2007)
*Magneto'', (as
Magneto) (2007)
Television
David Copperfield (title role), (1966)
Hay Fever, (1968)
Keats (as
John Keats), (1970)
Edward II, (1970)
The Tragedy of King Richard II, (1970)
Hedda Gabler, (1972)
Macbeth, (1979)
The Scarlet Pimpernel, (1982)
Walter, (1982)
And the Band Played On, (1993)
Tales of the City, (1993)
Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (as
Tsar Nicholas II), (1996)
The Simpsons (2003)
Coronation Street (2005)
*
McKellen's home page*
McKellen's personal pages on the Lord of the Rings movie, features a diary and answers to questions by fans.*
Ian McKellen interview at www.sci-fi-online.com*
Podcast Interview with Ian McKellen*
The Ian McKellen Fanlisting*
Ian McKellen at the Internet Broadway Database*
