Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen is an English actor whose stage and screen career includes Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings films and Magneto in the X-Men films.

Gandalf: A wizard in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth stories, portrayed by McKellen in film adaptations. McKellen’s portrayal made Gandalf one of his best-known screen roles.
J. R. R. Tolkien: English writer and philologist who created Middle-earth and wrote The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien created the character McKellen portrayed as Gandalf.
Burnley: A town in Lancashire, England. McKellen was born in Burnley in 1939.
LGBTQ rights in the United Kingdom: The legal and social movement for equality and protections for LGBTQ people in the United Kingdom. McKellen has used his public profile to campaign for LGBTQ equality.
Magneto: A mutant in Marvel’s X-Men stories who can control magnetic fields. McKellen played Magneto across several X-Men films.
William Shakespeare: English playwright and poet whose works have shaped theatre for centuries. Shakespeare’s plays have been central to McKellen’s stage career.
St Catharine's College, Cambridge: A constituent college of the University of Cambridge. McKellen studied English literature there before beginning his professional acting career.
Stonewall (UK): A British LGBTQ rights charity founded in 1989. McKellen co-founded the organization to challenge discrimination against gay people.
Richard III (play): William Shakespeare’s history play about the rise and fall of Richard III. McKellen’s stage performance and film adaptation brought this role wide attention.
Peter Shaffer: English playwright known for works including Equus and Amadeus. Shaffer wrote Amadeus, in which McKellen first played Salieri onstage.

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Derek JacobiRelated: Jacobi and McKellen have acted together and are long-standing partners.