Highest rated as cast or director
Biography
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.
Acted in 121
2020s
- 2027
- 2026
Frank and Percy
Percy
LS Lowry: The Unheard Tapes
L S Lowry
- 2025
Schadenfreude
Continuity Announcer
Ken Dodd: A Legacy of Happiness
Movie
- 2024
Dragfox
Ginger Snap the Fox (Speaking) (voice)
The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I Loved
Movie
- 2022
Hamlet Within
Movie
- 2021
Great British Theatre
TV
- 2020
Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU
Movie
2010s
- 2019
- 2018
National Theatre Live: King Lear
King Lear
- 2017
How a Kite Flies
Mr. Kite (voice)
- 2016
National Theatre Live: No Man's Land
Spooner
All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film
Prospero's Speech Reader (voice)
The Roof
And Even Yet Another Fan
- 2015
- 2014
Miss in Her Teens
The Prologue
- 2013
The Egg Trick
Magician
Vicious
Freddie Thornhill · 12 episodes
- 2012
Doctor Who: The Snowmen
The Great Intelligence (voice)
- 2011
Perspectives
TV
- 2010
Small-Time Revolutionary
Hamish Miller (voice)
2000s
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005
Neverwas
Gabriel Finch
The Magic Roundabout
Zebedee (voice)
- 2004
Peter Tatchell: Just Who Does He Think He Is?
Movie
- 2003
Evolution X - The Making of X-Men
Movie
- 2002
- 2001
- 2000
1990s
- 1999
- 1998
- 1997
Surviving Friendly Fire
Movie
- 1996
Rasputin
Tsar Nicholas II
- 1995
Jack & Sarah
William
Thin Ice
Ian McKellen
Cold Comfort Farm
Amos Starkadder
- 1994
To Die For
Quilt Documentary Narrator (voice)
David Macaulay: Roman City
Augustus Caesar (voice)
- 1993
Camp Christmas
Movie
Tales of the City
Archibald Anson Gidde · 2 episodes
The Ballad of Little Jo
Percy Corcoran
Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up
Narration (voice)
- 1992
Gladio
Aldo Moro (voice)
- 1990
Othello
Iago
1980s
- 1989
Countdown to War
Adolf Hitler
- 1988
Windmills of the Gods
Chairman · 2 episodes
Scarfe's Follies
Movie
- 1985
Zina
Kronfeld
Plenty
Sir Andrew Charleson
- 1984
- 1983
Walter and June
Walter
- 1982
Walter
Walter
Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare
Movie
- 1981
1970s
- 1979
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Alexander Ivanov
Macbeth
Macbeth
- 1978
- 1974
- 1972
- 1970
Hamlet
Hamlet
Edward II
King Edward
The Tragedy of King Richard II
King Richard II
1960s
- 1969
Alfred the Great
Roger
A Touch of Love
George
- 1967
- 1965
The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne
Wolf
- 1964
- 1960
Produced 2
2010s
- 2019
1990s
- 1995
Wrote 1
1990s
- 1995
Appearances97
2020s
- 2026
Tea with Judi Dench featuring Ian McKellen
Self
- 2025
A World War II Fairy Tale: The Making of Michael Mann's 'The Keep'
Self (archive footage)
Billy & Dom Eat the World
Self · 1 episode
- 2024
The Life and Death of Lily Savage
Self
- 2023
- 2022
Quintessentially British
Self
Freedom: 50 Years of Pride
Self
- 2021
Hating Peter Tatchell
Self
Amol Rajan Interviews
Self - Interviewed Guest · 1 episode
- 2020
2010s
- 2019
On Broadway
Self
- 2018
McKellen: Playing the Part
Self
- 2017
The Paul O'Grady Story
Self
Edmund the Magnificent
Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2016
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
Self - Performer
- 2015
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
Self (archive footage)
- 2014
Double Take: Xavier & Magneto
Self
Nelson Mandela Redrawn
Self
- 2013
The Wolverine: Path of a Ronin
Self
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
Self
Muse of Fire
Self
- 2012
London 2012: Paralympics Opening Ceremony
Self
- 2011
Looking for Lowry
Self
The Betty Driver Story
Self
- 2010
A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation
Narrator (voice)
2000s
- 2009
Theatreland
Self
- 2007
Pet Shop Boys: Cubism
Self- voice
Guerrilla Distribution
Self
- 2006
Brett Ratner's X-Diaries
Self
The Making of 'The Two Towers'
Self
The Making of 'The Return of the King'
Self
Saint of 9/11
Narrator
- 2005
The Hobart Shakespeareans
Self
Ringers: Lord of the Fans
Self
- 2004
A Filmmaker's Journey: Making 'The Return of the King'
Self
My First Time
Narrator
Frodo Is Great... Who Is That?!!
Self
- 2003
The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision
Self
Beyond the Movie: The Return of the King
Self
The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men! Making X2
Self
The Two Towers: Designing Middle-earth
Self
Churchill
Self - Narrator (voice) · 3 episodes
X-Men: Premieres Around the World
Self
- 2002
The Fellowship of the Ring: From Book to Script
Self
The Fellowship of the Ring: Designing and Building Middle-earth
Self
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Cast
Self
The Fellowship of the Ring: Cameras in Middle-earth
Self
The Fellowship of the Ring: Scale
Self
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Road Goes Ever On..
Self
- 2001
Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring
Self
Passage to Middle-Earth: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings'
Self
Quest for the Ring
Self
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
Narrator (voice)
- 2000
Now You See Him: 'The Invisible Man' Revealed!
Self
X-Men: The Mutant Watch
Self - 'Magneto'
Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man
Narrator (voice)
1990s
- 1999
The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale
Self
After Stonewall
Self
- 1998
- 1997
A Bit Of Scarlet
Narrator
- 1996
An Evening with Lily Savage
Self
Film Independent Spirit Awards
Self - Presenter · 1 episode
- 1994
Stonewall 25: Global Voices of Pride and Protest
Self
Inside the Actors Studio
Self · 1 episode
Age of Dissent
Self
- 1993
A Simple Matter of Justice
Self
- 1990
1980s
- 1987
Süleyman the Magnificent
Narrator
- 1981
Pillar of Fire
Narrator · 20 episodes
