Ian McKellen on screen and stage
McKellen in 2019
Ian McKellen is an English stage and screen actor. He is the recipient of seven Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Academy Award nominations, four BAFTA nominations and five Emmy Award nominations. McKellen's work spans genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. His notable film roles include Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, Magneto in the X-Men films, Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code (2006), Sherlock Holmes in Mr. Holmes (2015) and Cogsworth in the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (2017).
Theatre[]
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | A Scent of Flowers | Godrey | Duke of York's Theatre |
| 1965 | Much Ado About Nothing | Claudio | National Theatre Old Vic |
| Armstrong's Last Goodnight | Protestant Evangelist | National Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre | |
| Trelawny of the 'Wells' | Capt. de Foenix | ||
| 1966 | The Man of Destiny O'Flaherty V.C. |
Corporal Napoleon Private O'Flaherty |
Mermaid Theatre |
| A Lily in Little India | Alvin Hanker | Hampstead Theatre | |
| Their Very Own and Golden City | Andrew Cobham | Mermaid Theatre | |
| 1967 | The Promise | Leonidik | Fortune Theatre Henry Miller's Theatre |
| 1968 | The White Liars / Black Comedy | Tom / Harold Gorringe | Lyric Theatre |
| 1968–70 | Richard II | Richard II | UK tour |
| 1969 | The Bacchae | Pentheus | Liverpool Playhouse |
| The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie | Director | Also director Liverpool Playhouse | |
| Three Months Gone | N/A | Director Liverpool Playhouse | |
| 1969–70 | Edward II | Edward II | UK and European tours |
| 1970 | Billy's Last Stand | Darkly | Royal Court Theatre |
| The Recruiting Officer | Captain Plume | UK tour | |
| Chips with Everything | Corporal Hill | ||
| 1971 | Hamlet | Prince Hamlet | UK and European tours |
| The Swan Song | Svetlovidov | Crucible Theatre | |
| 1972 | The Real Inspector Hound | N/A | Director Phoenix Theatre |
| The Erpingham Camp | N/A | Director Watford Palace Theatre | |
| Ruling the Roost Tis Pity She's a Whore The Three Arrows |
Page-boy Giovanni Prince Yoremitsu |
UK tour | |
| 1973 | A Private Matter | N/A | Director Vaudeville Theatre |
| 1973–74 | The Way of the World The Wood Demon King Lear |
Lady Wishfort's Footman Kruschov Edgar |
UK tour Brooklyn Academy of Music |
| 1974 | Tis Pity She's a Whore | Giovanni | New Wimbledon Theatre |
| Dr Faustus | Dr. Faustus | Edinburgh Festival Aldwych Theatre | |
| The Marquis of Keith | The Marquis of Keith | Aldwych Theatre | |
| 1975 | King John | King John | |
| The Clandestine Marriage | N/A | Director Savoy Theatre | |
| Ashes | Colin | Young Vic | |
| Too True to Be Good | Aubrey "Popsy" Bagot | Royal Shakespeare Theatre Aldwych Theatre Globe Theatre | |
| 1976–77 | Romeo and Juliet | Romeo | Royal Shakespeare Theatre Aldwych Theatre Theatre Royal, Newcastle |
| 1976 | The Winter's Tale | King Leontes | Royal Shakespeare Theatre |
| 1976–78 | Macbeth | Macbeth | Royal Shakespeare Theatre Young Vic Donmar Warehouse |
| 1977–78 | The Alchemist | Face | Royal Shakespeare Theatre Aldwych Theatre |
| 1977 | Every Good Boy Deserves Favour | Alexander | Barbican Arts Centre |
| Pillars of the Community | Karsten Bernick | Aldwych Theatre | |
| The Days of the Commune | Langevin | ||
| 1978 | A Miserable and Lonely Death | Kentridge | |
| 1978–79 | Twelfth Night / Three Sisters | Sir Toby Belch / Andrei | Also producer UK tour |
| 1979 | Bent | Max | Royal Court Theatre Criterion Theatre |
| 1980–90 | Acting Shakespeare | Himself | World tour |
| 1980–81 | Amadeus | Salieri | Broadhurst Theatre |
| 1982 | Every Good Boy Deserves Favour | Alexander | Barbican Arts Centre |
| 1983 | Short List | Terry | Hampstead Theatre |
| Cowardice | Boy | Ambassadors Theatre | |
| 1984 | Venice Preserv'd | Pierre | Royal National Theatre |
| Wild Honey | Michael Platonov | ||
| Coriolanus | Gaius Marcius Coriolanus | ||
| 1985 | The Duchess of Malfi | Bosola | |
| The Real Inspector Hound / The Critic | Inspector Hound / Mr. Puff | ||
| The Cherry Orchard | Yermolai Lopakhin | ||
| 1986–87 | Wild Honey | Michael Platonov | August Wilson Theatre |
| 1988–89 | Henceforward... | Jerome | Vaudeville Theatre |
| 1989 | Othello | Iago | Royal Shakespeare Theatre Young Vic |
| 1990–92 | Richard III | Richard III | World tour |
| 1992 | Uncle Vanya | Uncle Vanya | Royal National Theatre |
| 1993–97 | A Knight Out | Himself | UK & US tours |
| 1997-98 | An Enemy of the People | Dr. Tomas Stockmann | Royal National Theatre Ahmanson Theatre |
| 1997 | Peter Pan | Mr. Darling/Captain Hook | Royal National Theatre |
| 1998 | Present Laughter | Garry Essendine | West Yorkshire Playhouse |
| 2001–2004 | Dance of Death | Edgar | Broadhurst Theatre Lyric Theatre Sydney Arts Festival |
| 2004, 05 | Aladdin | Widow Twankie | The Old Vic |
| 2006 | The Cut | Max | Donmar Warehouse |
| 2007–08 | King Lear | Lear | Stratford-upon-Avon Brooklyn Academy of Music New London Theatre |
| The Seagull | Sorin | Stratford-upon-Avon Brooklyn Academy of Music New London Theatre | |
| 2009–10 | Waiting for Godot | Estragon | Theatre Royal Haymarket Comedy Theatre, Melbourne Fugard Theatre, Cape Town |
| 2011 | The Syndicate | Don Antonio | Chichester Festival Theatre |
| 2013–14 | Waiting for Godot / No Man's Land | Estragon / Spooner | Cort Theatre |
| 2016 | No Man's Land | Spooner | Wyndham's Theatre |
| 2016–19 | The Exorcist | Demon (voice) | Birmingham Repertory Theatre
UK tour |
| 2017 | Shakespeare, Tolkien, Others and You | Himself | Park Theatre |
| 2017–18 | King Lear | Lear | Chichester Festival Theatre Duke of York's Theatre |
| 2019-20 | Ian McKellen on Stage | Himself | UK tour Harold Pinter Theatre[1] Hudson Theatre |
| 2021 | Hamlet | Prince Hamlet | Theatre Royal, Windsor |
| The Cherry Orchard | Firs |
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Alfred the Great | Roger | Clive Donner | |
| A Touch of Love | George Matthews | Waris Hussein | ||
| The Promise | Leonidik | Michael Hayes | ||
| 1981 | Priest of Love | D. H. Lawrence | Christopher Miles | |
| 1983 | The Keep | Dr. Theodore Cuza | Michael Mann | |
| 1985 | Plenty | Sir Andrew Charleson | Fred Schepisi | |
| Zina | Arthur Kronfeld | Ken McMullen | ||
| 1989 | Scandal | John Profumo | Michael Caton-Jones | |
| 1993 | Six Degrees of Separation | Geoffrey Miller | Fred Schepisi | |
| The Ballad of Little Jo | Percy Corcoran | Maggie Greenwald | ||
| Last Action Hero | Death | John McTiernan | ||
| 1994 | To Die For | Quilt Documentary Narrator | Peter Litten | Voice |
| The Shadow | Dr. Reinhardt Lane | Russell Mulcahy | ||
| I'll Do Anything | John Earl McAlpine | James L. Brooks | ||
| 1995 | Restoration | Will Gates | Michael Hoffman | |
| Richard III | Richard III | Richard Loncraine | Also writer and executive producer | |
| Jack and Sarah | William | Tim Sullivan | ||
| 1997 | Swept from the Sea | Dr. James Kennedy | Beeban Kidron | |
| Bent | Uncle Freddie | Sean Mathias | ||
| 1998 | Gods and Monsters | James Whale | Bill Condon | |
| Apt Pupil | Kurt Dussander | Bryan Singer | ||
| 2000 | X-Men | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto | ||
| 2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Gandalf the Grey | Peter Jackson | |
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Gandalf the White | ||
| 2003 | X2 | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto | Bryan Singer | |
| Emile | Emile | Carl Bessai | ||
| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Gandalf the White | Peter Jackson | ||
| 2004 | Eighteen | Older Jason Anders | Richard Bell | Voice |
| 2005 | Neverwas | Gabriel Finch | Joshua Michael Stern | |
| Asylum | Dr. Peter Cleave | David Mackenzie | ||
| The Magic Roundabout | Zebedee | Dave Borthwick Jean Duval Frank Passingham |
Voice | |
| 2006 | Flushed Away | The Toad | David Bowers Sam Fell | |
| The Da Vinci Code | Sir Leigh Teabing | Ron Howard | ||
| X-Men: The Last Stand | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto | Brett Ratner | ||
| 2007 | Stardust | Narrator | Matthew Vaughn | Voice |
| The Golden Compass | Iorek Byrnison | Chris Weitz | ||
| 2012 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Gandalf the Grey | Peter Jackson | |
| 2013 | The Wolverine | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto | James Mangold | Uncredited cameo |
| The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | Gandalf the Grey | Peter Jackson | ||
| 2014 | Miss in Her Teens | The Prologue | Matthew Butler Hart | |
| X-Men: Days of Future Past | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto | Bryan Singer | Shared role with Michael Fassbender | |
| The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies | Gandalf the Grey | Peter Jackson | ||
| 2015 | Mr. Holmes | Sherlock Holmes | Bill Condon | |
| 2017 | Beauty and the Beast | Cogsworth | ||
| Animal Crackers | Horatio P. Huntington | Scott Christian Sava Tony Bancroft |
Voice | |
| 2018 | All Is True | Earl of Southampton | Kenneth Branagh | |
| 2019 | The Good Liar | Roy Courtnay | Bill Condon | |
| Cats | Gus the Theatre Cat | Tom Hooper | ||
| 2021 | Infinitum: Subject Unknown | Dr. Charles Marland-White | Matthew Butler-Hart | |
| TBA | Schadenfreude | Continuity Announcer | Simon Pickup | |
| Sources:[2][3][4][5] | ||||
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling | Plowden | Episode: "The Tomb of His Ancestors" |
| 1965 | Sunday Out of Season | Victor Leech | Television film |
| The Wednesday Play | Wolf | Episode: "The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne" | |
| 1966 | David Copperfield | David Copperfield | 9 episodes |
| 1970 | Solo | John Keats | Episode: "Ian McKellen as John Keats" |
| 1972 | Country Matters | David Masterman | Episode: "Craven Arms" |
| 1978 | Jackanory | Reader | 5 Episodes reading "The Moon in the Cloud" |
| 1980 | Armchair Thriller | Anthony Skipling | Episode: "Dying Day" |
| 1981 | Pillar of Fire | Narrator | Documentary |
| 1982 | The Scarlet Pimpernel | Paul Chauvelin | Television film |
| Walter | Walter | ||
| 1983 | Walter and June | Walter | |
| 1988 | Windmills of the Gods | Chairman | 2 episodes |
| 1989 | Countdown to War | Adolf Hitler | Television film |
| 1990 | Othello | Iago | |
| 1993 | And the Band Played On | Bill Kraus | |
| 1995 | Cold Comfort Farm | Amos Starkadder | |
| 1996 | Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny | Nicholas II | |
| 1999 | David Copperfield | Mr. Creakle | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Ian McKellen/Kylie Minogue" |
| 2003 | The Simpsons | Himself | Voice Episode: "The Regina Monologues" |
| 2005 | Coronation Street | Mel Hutchwright/Lionel Hipkiss | 10 episodes |
| 2006 | Extras | Himself | Episode: "Sir Ian McKellen" |
| 2008 | King Lear | King Lear | Television film |
| 2009 | The Prisoner | Number Two | 6 episodes |
| 2012 | Doctor Who | The Great Intelligence | Voice Episode: "The Snowmen" |
| 2013–2016 | Vicious | Freddie Thornhill | 14 episodes |
| 2015 | The Dresser | Norman | Television film |
| 2018 | Family Guy | Dr. Cecil Pritchfield | Episode: "Send in Stewie, Please" |
| Sources:[3][6] | |||
Video games[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Gandalf | Voice |
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | ||
| 2004 | The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age | ||
| The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth | |||
| Source:[7] | |||
Music[]
- In 1987, McKellen appeared reciting Shakespeare while rock group The Fleshtones improvised behind him on Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes which ran on MTV.[8]
- Vampire in the music video "Heart" by Pet Shop Boys[9]
- The man who's "falling out of reach" in the music video "Falling Out of Reach" by Guillemots[10]
- Appears on the Scissor Sisters track "Invisible Light" from their 2010 album Night Work, reciting a passage regarding the "Invisible Light" of the title.[11]
- Appeared as himself alongside George Ezra in the latter's music video for "Listen to the Man". Whilst Ezra is singing his song, McKellen joins in and lip-syncs Ezra's voice.[12]
Music videos[]
| Year | Artist | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Pet Shop Boys | Heart |
| 2014 | George Ezra | Listen to the Man |
Audiobooks[]
- Audiobook narrator of Michelle Paver's series Wolf Brother,[13] Spirit Walker,[14] Soul Eater,[15] Outcast,[16] Oath Breaker,[17] and Ghost Hunter,[18] as well as a version of Homer's Odyssey.[19]
References[]
- ^ "Ian McKellen to bring one-man show to the West End in autumn 2019". LondonTheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- ^ Barratt 2005, p. 233.
- ^ a b "Filmography: McKellen, Ian". Film & Television Database. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 8 May 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- ^ "The Laurence Olivier Awards: full list of winners 1976-2008" (PDF). Official London Theatre. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- ^ "Sir Ian McKellen | Acting Awards, Honours, and Appointments". Sir Ian McKellen Official Website. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- ^ Barratt 2005, pp. 232–33.
- ^ Ian McKellen at Behind the Voice Actors Retrieved 2015-01-02.
- ^ "Ian McKellen by Andy Warhol (1928–1987)". Christie's. n.d. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- ^ "Ian Mckellen in Heart Album". Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ "Ian Mckellen reads 'Falling Out of Reach'". 23 April 2008. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ Martin, Dan (14 April 2010). "Scissor Sisters collaborate with Ian McKellen: Lord of the Rings actor appears on final track of Scissor Sisters' long-awaited third album, Night Work". The Observer. London. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ Graham, Daniella (29 October 2014). "Sir Ian McKellen totally outshines George Ezra in Listen to the Man video". Metro. Archived from the original on 16 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
- ^ "Ian McKellen reads Chronicles of Ancient Darkness". Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ "Ian McKellen reads Spirit Walker". 19 November 2005. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ "Ian McKellen reads Soul Eater". 8 August 2008. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ "Ian McKellen reads Outcast". Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ "McKellen reads Oath Breaker". Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ "McKellen reads Ghost Hunter". Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ "McKellen reading The Odyssey". 22 December 2006. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
Sources[]
- Barratt, Mark (2005). Ian McKellen: An Unofficial Biography. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 978-0-7535-1074-2.
External links[]
- Ian McKellen at IMDb
- Ian McKellen at the Internet Broadway Database
Categories:
- Male actor filmographies
- British filmographies