Profile: Who is Sir Ian McKellen?
The 85-year-old has gripped audiences both on screen and on stage, receiving international acclaim and becoming a household name across the globe.
With two Oscar nominations for his work on screen and the recipient of every major theatrical award in the UK and US, Sir Ian McKellen is widely considered to be one of the greatest actors of all time.
The 85-year-old has gripped audiences both on screen and on stage, receiving international acclaim and becoming a household name across the globe.
His largest mark on the big screen may be as Gandalf in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
But he also found mainstream success with his performances as Magneto in the X-Men series and as the title character in the film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard III.
On the stage, Sir Ian has been nominated for 12 Olivier Awards and won six for his roles in Pillars Of The Community, The Alchemist, Bent, Wild Honey, Richard III and his one-man show Ian McKellen On Stage.
The actor was born in Burnley, Lancashire, in 1939 and, alongside his sister Jean, was raised by his mother Margery and father Denis.
