Born May 25, 1939, in Burnley, England, Ian McKellen moved with his family to the mining community of Wigan just before World War II. He developed a love for theatre at a young age, and while many of his early screen appearances were filmed versions of classics by William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, McKellen eventually found his way into contemporary cinema.With his turn as politician John Profumo in 1989's Scandal, McKellen began to gain global fame. Nine years later, his performance as gay director James Whale in Gods and Monsters earned McKellen his first Oscar nomination.
McKellen secured his iconic status among sci-fi and fantasy fans with his roles as Magneto in X-Men (2000) and as the wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which brought another Oscar nod in 2002. On the small screen, McKellen has snagged five Emmy nominations, including one for the 2009 cable miniseries "The Prisoner."
Gods and MonstersAs his life draws to a close, film director James Whale (Ian McKellen, in an Academy Award-nominated role) -- the openly gay genius behind The Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man -- befriends a gardener (Brendan Fraser), and both men learn from their unexpected but platonic bond. Bill... Read More
Richard IIIIan McKellen stars in the title role in this visually inventive adaptation of Shakespeare's classic drama, which is set in 1930s England after a civil war has torn the country apart and left the people under fascist rule. Richard plots against his brother, Edward (John Wood), in his quest to usurp... Read More
Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man: IMAXInternationally acclaimed performing arts troupe Cirque du Soleil leads an awe-inspiring tour of the human experience, shot on location in an ocean, a redwood forest, a desert, a jungle and a palatial estate -- all captured in fantastic IMAX 3D. A boy learns important lessons through life phases... Read More
King LearIn this 2008 Royal Shakespeare Company production of the bard's enduring tragedy, Ian McKellen (in an Emmy-nominated role) stars as the world-weary title character, a doting father who abdicates the throne and divides his empire among his three daughters (Frances Barber, Monica Dolan and Romola... Read More
MacbethMacbeth (Ian McKellen) is a daring member of the Scottish military who receives a revelation from three menacing sorceresses that he will someday become the King of Scotland. This information gives him a thirst for power, and with prompting from his wife, Lady Macbeth (Dame Judi Dench), he kills the... Read More
NR | ||
King Lear (2009) | NR | |
The Prisoner (2009) | NR | |
Saint of 9/11 (2006) | NR | |
PG-13 | ||
X-Men 3: The Last Stand (2006) | PG-13 | |
Flushed Away (2006) | PG | |
G | ||
Displaced (2006) | R | |
Neverwas (2005) | PG-13 | |
Asylum (2005) | R | |
SNL: The Best of Jon Lovitz (2005) | NR | |
Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005) | PG-13 | |
Eighteen (2004) | NR | |
PG-13 | ||
PG-13 | ||
PG-13 | ||
Emile (2003) | R | |
PG-13 | ||
PG-13 | ||
PG-13 | ||
PG-13 | ||
PG-13 | ||
G | ||
NR | ||
Gods and Monsters (1998) | R | |
Apt Pupil (1998) | R | |
Bent (1997) | NC-17 | |
PG-13 | ||
Richard III (1995) | R | |
Restoration (1995) | R | |
Cold Comfort Farm (1995) | PG | |
Jack and Sarah (1995) | PG | |
The Shadow (1994) | PG-13 | |
I'll Do Anything (1994) | PG-13 | |
Six Degrees of Separation (1993) | R | |
Last Action Hero (1993) | PG-13 | |
And the Band Played On (1993) | R | |
The Ballad of Little Jo (1993) | R | |
Scandal (1989) | R | |
Countdown to War (1988) | NR | |
Plenty (1985) | R | |
Playing Shakespeare (1984) | NR | |
The Keep (1983) | R | |
Scarlet Pimpernel (1982) | NR | |
Loving Walter (1982) | NR | |
Acting Shakespeare (1982) | NR | |
Priest of Love (1981) | R | |
Armchair Thriller: Dying Day (1980) | NR | |
NR | ||
Country Matters (1972) | NR | |
Edward II (1970) | NR | |
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