
Ian McKellen
Born May 25, 1939 in Burnley, England
Sir Ian Murray McKellen is
an English actor. He has received a Tony Award and two Academy Award
nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre
to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is known to many for roles such as
Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy and as Magneto in the X-Men
films. In 1988, McKellen came out
and announced he was gay. He became a founding member of Stonewall, one of the
United Kingdom's most influential LGBT rights groups, of which he remains a
prominent spokesman. He was made a Commander of
the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1979, and knighted in the 1991 New
Year Honours for his outstanding work and contributions to theatre. In the 2008
New Year Honours he was made a Companion of Honour (CH) for services to drama
and to equality.
an English actor. He has received a Tony Award and two Academy Award
nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre
to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is known to many for roles such as
Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy and as Magneto in the X-Men
films. In 1988, McKellen came out
and announced he was gay. He became a founding member of Stonewall, one of the
United Kingdom's most influential LGBT rights groups, of which he remains a
prominent spokesman. He was made a Commander of
the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1979, and knighted in the 1991 New
Year Honours for his outstanding work and contributions to theatre. In the 2008
New Year Honours he was made a Companion of Honour (CH) for services to drama
and to equality.
Actor