Sir Ian McKellen is a two-time Academy Award nominated English actor. He gained worldwide recognition for his portrayal of two iconic characters from popular culture: Magneto from Marvel`s X-Men series, and Gandalf from Peter Jackson`s Lord of the Rings series. With a long-standing career in both theatre and cinema, McKellen has received a Tony Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and two Critics` Choice Award for his outstanding performances.
ACTING CAREER
McKellen started his career with theatrical plays such as Henry IV and A Man for All Seasons. His outstanding portrayal of several leading Shakespearean characters established him as a well-known figure in the British theatre circuit. He made his cinema debut in A Touch of Love (1969) but shot to fame with the critically acclaimed film Six Degrees of Separation (1993), where he portrayed a South African tycoon. He also appeared in several popular TV series such as Last Action Hero, Tales of the City, Extras and The Prisoner which made him a household name. Some of his well known films include And the Band Played On (1993), Richard III (1995), Apt Pupil (1998) and Gods and Monsters (1998) which brought him several Academy Award nominations.
Ian was cast by director Bryan Singer to play the super villain Magneto in the X-Men series. He was also cast as the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson`s three-film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. Both roles garnered him wide recognition. Ian subsequently reprised the role of Gandalf in the three-part film adaptation of The Hobbit. Some of his other well known films include Emile (2003), Neverwas (2005), Asylum (2005) and The Da Vinci Code (2006). His recent films include The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), Mr. Holmes (2015), Beauty and the Beast (2017) and The Good Liar (2019). His 2020 release includes CATS, directed by Tom Hooper.