On May 25th, 1939, in the town of Burnley in northern England, Ian Murray McKellen was born. His parents, Denis and Margery, soon moved with Ian and his sister Jean to the coal mining town of Wigan. It was in this small town that young Ian rode out World War II. He soon developed a fascination with acting and the theater, which was encouraged by his parents. They would all bring him to plays, those by William Shakespeare, in particular. The amateur school productions fostered Ian's growing passion for theatre. When Ian was of age to begin attending school, he made sure to get roles in all of the productions. At Bolton School in particular, he developed his skills early on. Indeed, his first role in a Shakespearian play was at Bolton, as Malvolio in "Twelfth Night". Ian soon began attending Stratford-upon-Avon theater festivals, where he saw the greats perform: Laurence Olivier, Wendy Hiller, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Paul Robeson. He continued his education in English Drama, but soon it fell by the wayside as he concentrated more and more on performing. He eventually obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1961, and began his career in earnest. McKellen began working in theatre over the next few years. Very few people knew of Ian's homosexuality; he saw no reason to go public, nor had he told his family. They did not seem interested in the subject and so he saw no reason to bring it up. In 1988, Ian publicly came out of the closet on the BBC Radio 4 program, while discussing Margaret Thatcher's "section 28" legislation which would make the "public promotion of homosexuality" a crime. It was reason enough for McKellen to take a stand, and he has been active in the Gay Rights movement ever since.

Ian currently resides in Limehouse, where he lives with his current lover of 8 years, Sean Mathias. The two worked together on the film Bent. To this day, McKellen works mostly in theater, and was knighted by 'Queen Elizabeth' in 1990 for his efforts in the arts. However, he has managed to make several quite successful forays into film. He has appeared in several productions of Shakespeare's works including his well received Richard III, and in a variety of other movies. However, it has only been recently that his star has finally begun to shine in the eyes of North American audiences. Roles in various films, Cold Comfort Farm, Apt Pupil and Gods and Monsters, riveted audiences. The latter, in particular, created a sensation in Hollywood, and McKellen's role garnered him several of awards and nominations,including a Golden Globe and an Oscar nod. McKellen continues to work extensively on stage... solidifying his role as Laurence Olivier's worthy successor,having recently scored hits in the London productions of "Peter Pan" and Noel Coward's "Present Laughter".
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002): £ 5,000,000
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): £ 4,000,000

He was knighted in 1990. He played the vampire in the video for "Heart" by 'Pet Shop Boys' . Originated the role of Antonio Salieri in the Broadway production of "Amadeus." He had a tattoo of the Elvish character for 9 along with all the other members of the fellowship in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Is a vegetarian. Played an ex-Nazi soldier in Apt Pupil and an ex-Jewish prisoner in X-Men. Was offered the part of Mission Commander Swanbeck in Mission: Impossible II. He was not able to accept the role, due to a prior theatre engagement in London. The part eventually went to Anthony Hopkins. Appointed CBE in 1979. Played Maggie Smith in a "Weekend Update" skit on an episode of SNL 25 that he hosted. While being a guest on Jay Leno (December 26, 2003). Ian said that he had not seen X2 when it opened in theaters, he only saw it when the DVD hit the stores. He then called up Bryan Singer and asked "Is there going to be X-Men 3?" Bryan replied "Yes". In excitement Ian got Bryan Singer 6 movie tickets to go see The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Yet as it turned out, X-Men: The Last Stand would not be directed by Singer. According to an interview, one of the last things Margaret Thatcher did as Prime Minister was recommending him for a knighthood. The original Lord of the Rings books, and X-Men comics, both feature a character named Sauron, and a book entitled "The Return of the King." The X-Men graphic novel The Return of the King is, appropriately, about the return of Magneto. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1985 (1984 season) for Best Actor in a Revival for "Wild Honey". He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1991 (1990 season) for Best Actor in "Richard III" at the Royal National Theatre. Before performing the role of Gandalf, he listened to a recording of Tolkien reading Gandalf lines from the novel. He used this as a base for creating the character, and imitated the accent used by Tolkien in the recording. Began acting as a means of escape from mourning after his mother's death and constant bullying at school from fellow students. He was awarded the 1989 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance in Othello. He was awarded the 1984 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance in Coriolanus. He was awarded the 1989 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Best Actor for his performance in Othello. Graduated with a 2:2 in English from Cambridge University. Studied with Sir Derek Jacobi, with whom he was "desperately in love'", confessed on Inside the Actors Studio. Originally aspired to be a journalist. Shares his middle name, Murray, with both Michael Hordern (Michael Murray Hordern), his predecessor in the role of Gandalf, and F. Murray Abraham, his successor in the role of Antonio Salieri. Was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in Stratford Upon Avon, England. Wore a prosthetic nose to play Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Has played cult characters in two of the biggest franchises; he played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Magneto in the X-Men series. Was set to play Antonio in Michael Radford's adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, but had to drop at the last minute due to scheduling conflicts. Won Broadway's 1981 Tony Award as Best Actor (Play) for originating the role of Antonio Salieri in "Amadeus." He was nominated in the same category in 1984 for "Ian McKellen Acting Shakespeare." He used the phrase "old friend" in both the X-Men and The Lord of the Rings film series. In both cases (to Christopher Lee as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings and Patrick Stewart as Xavier in X-Men) it is said to an ally who has become a nemesis and "old friend" is said mockingly. Has worked with two Faramirs. Prior to appearing in The Lord of the Rings films with David Wenham, he appeared in the film Plenty, with Andrew Seear. Seear played Faramir in the BBC radio adaptation, opposite Ian Holm. He said that appeal of the X-Men films to him was the concept of mutants being shunned, something he says he identifies with as he was repeatedly shunned as an open homosexual. Was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company at the same time as Patrick Stewart. Like his The Da Vinci Code character, Sir Leigh Teabing, he has been knighted. As such, prior to being cast, he spotted two errors in the book's portrayal of Knighthood. Knights neither receive ID badges nor are granted any of the special privileges Teabing demands as a result of Knighthood. Has appeared with Bruce Davison in four different films: Six Degrees of Separation, Apt Pupil, X-Men and X2. The first of these is the only one not directed by Bryan Singer. Turned down the role of Professor Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Only performer to receive an acting Academy Award nomination for Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Appears in "The Lord of the Rings" and "X-Men", both of which required a lead character to be recast soon after production started. In "The Lord of the Rings", Stuart Townsend was replaced by Viggo Mortensen, and in X-Men, Dougray Scott was replaced by Hugh Jackman. Says the same line, "The war has begun", in the trailers of both the major, unrelated blockbusters X2 and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. In the Independent of Sunday 2006 Pink List - a list of the most influential gay men and women - he came no. 1, up from no. 2, knocking Elton John from top spot.