Sir Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen, Actor: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Widely regarded as one of greatest stage and screen actors, both in his native Great Britain and internationally, twice nominated for the Oscar and recipient of every major theatrical award in UK and US, Ian Murray McKellen was born on May 25, 1939 in Burnley, Lancashire, England, to Margery Lois (Sutcliffe) and Denis Murray McKellen, a civil engineer. He is of Scottish, Northern Irish, and ...

Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He is the recipient of six Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BIF Award, two Saturn Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, and two Critics' Choice Awards.

The latest Tweets from Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen). actor and activist. London, UK

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Gandalf himself on the couch. Subscribe for weekly updates: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=officialgrahamnorton

Sir Ian McKellen has said he could never have taken over the role of Professor Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films after the death of Richard Harris because he knew Harris disapproved of him as an actor.

If you’re the kind of person who gets obsessive about all things Tolkienian, it’s been a pretty big week. Sir Ian McKellen made it official Tuesday, announcing on his Web site that he’ll playing Gandalf in the upcoming two-part movie adaptation of The Hobbit, which begins filming in New Zealand next month. Along with recent reports that Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett,andthe guy who plays Gollum are also Hobbit-ready, it would seem that the band, as they say, is really getting back together. But for anybody who’s followed the Internet hand-wringing about the on-again-off-again production, it can feel presumptuous to assume anything until we actually see the opening credits roll. For most of 2010, McKellen kept us guessing about his involvement in the Lord of the Rings prequel the way some actors keep us guessing about their sexuality. As least with McKellen, there’s never been any mystery about the latter. This is a man who famously went on a talk show in Singapore, a country with strict laws against homosexuality, and asked the host, “Can you recommend any decent gay bars?” But when it comes to his future as Middle Earth’s favorite wizard, he’s been downright cagey.

Within the theatre, they are master British thespians, knighted for their contributions to the craft.

The acclaimed British actor talks about playing a 93-year-old Sherlock Holmes, serving as grand marshal to New York City's gay pride march and his Lord of the Rings tattoo.

The career of the multi-award winning actor Sir Ian McKellen

1.6m Followers, 51 Following, 278 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Ian McKellen (@ianmckellen)

Twice nominated for the Oscar, and recipient of every major theatrical award in UK and US, Ian McKellen is widely regarded as one of the world's finest actors.