Ian McKellen

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 Shakespeares Richard II and Marlowes 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 Honey1986 Dance of Death 1990 No Mans 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 XMen films Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast 2017 and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings 20012003 and The Hobbit 20122014 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 CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia