McKellen, Ian (Murray) (1939– )

English actor. He has been acclaimed as the leading Shakespearean player of his generation. He made his name with the title role in Marlowe's Edward II (1969) and cemented his reputation during the mid-1970s with roles such as Macbeth (1977) for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He appeared in a variety of films from the 1980s, earning critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for his leading role in Gods and Monsters (1998) and international popularity for his role in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–03). He played the leading role in King Lear with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2007.

His stage roles include Richard II (1968), Macbeth (1977), Max in Martin Sherman's Bent (1979), Salieri in Peter Shaffer's Amadeus (1980), Platonov in Chekhov's Wild Honey (1986), Iago in Othello (1989), and Richard III (1990); he has also appeared in Uncle Vanya (1992) and Enemy of the People (1998). His films include Plenty (1985), Scandal (1990), The Ballad of Little Jo (1991), Last Action Hero (1993), The Da Vinci Code (2006) and the X-Men trilogy (2000–06). He was knighted in 1991.