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.
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| Organization | Category | Movie | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Actor | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Nominated |
| Golden Globes | Best Supporting Actor | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Won |
| Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Won |
| SAG Awards | Best Actor | Gods and Monsters | Nominated |
Armchair Thriller
as Anthony Skipling
Episodes: 60
First Aired: Feb 21, 1978
Pillar of Fire
as Narrator
Episodes: 20
First Aired: Nov 10, 1981
David Copperfield
as David Copperfield
Episodes: 13
First Aired: Jan 16, 1966
Country Matters
as David Masterman
Episodes: 13
First Aired: Aug 20, 1972
Coronation Street
as Mel Hutchwright
Episodes: 13
First Aired: Dec 09, 1960
Vicious
as Freddie Thornhill
Episodes: 12
First Aired: Apr 29, 2013
The Prisoner
as 2 / Curtis
Episodes: 6
First Aired: Nov 15, 2009
David Copperfield
as Creakle
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Dec 25, 1999
Windmills of the Gods
as Chairman
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Feb 07, 1988
ted
as Narrator (voice)
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Jan 11, 2024
Tales of the City
as Archibald Anson Gidde
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 28, 1993
The Simpsons
as Ian McKellen (voice)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Dec 17, 1989
BBC Play of the Month
as Captain Plume
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 19, 1965
Doctor Who
as Voice of the Snowman
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 26, 2005
Extras
as Ian McKellen
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jul 21, 2005
Family Guy
as Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (voice)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 31, 1999
Playing Shakespeare
Episodes: 9
First Aired: Jul 29, 1984
The Graham Norton Show
as Self
Episodes: 8
First Aired: Feb 22, 2007
Great British Theatre
Episodes: 5
First Aired: Jun 12, 2021
The Oscars
as Self
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Mar 19, 1953
Churchill
as Himself - Narrator (voice)
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Oct 08, 2003
Playhouse
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Mar 13, 1974
The Graham Norton Show
as Self - Guest
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Feb 22, 2007
Parkinson
as Self
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Jan 09, 1998
The One Show
as Self - Guest
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Aug 14, 2006
The View
as Self - Guest
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Aug 11, 1997
Real Time with Bill Maher
as Self
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Feb 21, 2003
Inside the Actors Studio
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Aug 14, 1994
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 26, 2003
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jun 08, 2002
The Paul O'Grady Show
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 11, 2004
Who Do You Think You Are?
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 12, 2004
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 11, 1975
An Audience with...
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 08, 1978
Sesame Street
as Himself
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Nov 10, 1969
Trailblazer Honors
as Self - Speaker
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jun 27, 2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Feb 25, 2014
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
as Self - Guest
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jul 16, 2009
Reunited Apart
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Apr 27, 2020
Perspectives
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Apr 24, 2011
Amol Rajan Interviews
as Self - Interviewed Guest
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Unknown
Have I Got News for You
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 28, 1990
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Dec 21, 2014
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Presenter
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 20, 1944
Billy & Dom Eat the World
as Himself
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 12, 2025
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
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| 2024 | 5 | 36 | 37 | 35 |
| 2024 | 6 | 36 | 50 | 24 |
| 2024 | 7 | 45 | 61 | 26 |
| 2024 | 8 | 35 | 47 | 24 |
| 2024 | 9 | 37 | 60 | 24 |
| 2024 | 10 | 28 | 48 | 18 |
| 2024 | 11 | 29 | 60 | 18 |
| 2024 | 12 | 38 | 81 | 26 |
| 2025 | 1 | 40 | 67 | 28 |
| 2025 | 2 | 23 | 40 | 4 |
| 2025 | 3 | 9 | 34 | 0 |
| 2025 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 2025 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 3 |
| 2025 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 2025 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 2025 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Trending Rank
| Year | Month | Avg Rank | Max Rank |
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| 2024 | 5 | 796 | 603 |
| 2024 | 6 | 502 | 82 |
| 2024 | 12 | 825 | 710 |
| 2025 | 2 | 586 | 87 |
| 2025 | 3 | 452 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 653 | 587 |
| 2025 | 7 | 559 | 173 |
| 2025 | 8 | 611 | 546 |