Ian McKellen

StageTelevision Age

Shakespearean actor, Gandalf and Magneto

Facts

Born: 1939
Country: United Kingdom
Field: Stage
Era: Television Age

Overview

Burnley born actor who became a leading Shakespearean at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre and won a Tony Award for Amadeus on Broadway in 1981. Late screen fame came as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, which brought an Oscar nomination, and as Magneto in X-Men. He came out publicly in 1988, co founded the LGBT rights group Stonewall, and was knighted in 1991.

Related Figures

Laurence Olivier

StageGolden Age

Twentieth century Shakespearean actor and director

Julie Andrews

StageTelevision Age

Eliza on stage, Mary Poppins on screen

Barbra Streisand

StageTelevision Age

Funny Girl from Broadway to film

Lin-Manuel Miranda

StageContemporary

Hamilton creator