Ian Murray McKellen was born on May 25, 1939, in Burnley, Lancashire, England, to Margery Lois (Sutcliffe) and Denis Murray McKellen, a civil engineer and lay preacher. He is of Scottish, Northern Irish, and English descent.
During his early childhood, his parents moved with Ian and his older sister, Jean, to the mill town of Wigan, where he rode out World War II. He developed a fascination with acting and the theatre, which was encouraged by his parents.
Ian attended Bolton School, where he developed his skills early on, and his first role in a Shakespearian play was as Malvolio in "Twelfth Night". He continued his education in English Drama, but soon it fell by the wayside as he concentrated more and more on performing.
He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1961 and began his career in earnest. McKellen began working in theatre over the next few years, and in 1988, he publicly came out of the closet on the BBC Radio 4 program, while discussing Margaret Thatcher's "Section 28" legislation.
Ian resides in Limehouse, where he has also lived with his former long-time partner Sean Mathias. The two men have also worked together on the film Bent (1997) as well as in exquisite stage productions.
To this day, McKellen works mostly in theatre, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 for his efforts in the arts. He has appeared in several productions of Shakespeare's works, including Richard III (1995),and in a variety of other movies.
Roles in various films, such as Cold Comfort Farm (1995),Apt Pupil (1998),and Gods and Monsters (1998),riveted audiences. The latter, in particular, created a sensation in Hollywood, and McKellen's role garnered him several awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe and an Oscar nod.
McKellen found mainstream success with his performance as Magneto in X-Men (2000) and its sequels. His largest mark on the big screen may be as Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, which he reprised in "The Hobbit" trilogy.
He also reprised the role of 'King Lear' with new artistic perspectives in National Theatre Live: King Lear (2018),offering an invaluable mesmerizing experience as a natural force of stage - and screen - of infinite generosity through his unsurpassable interpretation of the titanically vulnerable king.
