Widely considered to be one of the leading British actors of his generation, Ian McKellen has had a rich and varied career encompassing the stage, screen, and television.
McKellen was not familiar to most American audiences until the ’90s, when he began popping up in a number of well-received films. One of these, Gods and Monsters, elevated the actor into the international spotlight when he earned an Oscar nomination and recently he has also worked in X-Men and as Gandalf the Grey in Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Some interesting facts he shares on Inside the Actors Studio are:
He had a tattoo of the “Elvish†character with all the other members of the fellowship in The Lord of the Rings.
He was offered the part of Mission Commander “Swanbeck†in
One of the last things Margaret Thatcher did as Prime Minister was recommending him for a knighthood.
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 confessed on Inside the Actors Studio that he was “desperately in love'”, with Sir Derek Jacobi, with whom he studied.
He is the only performer to receive an acting Academy Award nomination for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
