• English film, stage and television actor Ian McKellen played the role of "Gandalf" in the popular Lord of the Rings trilogy.

  In a 2009 production of King Lear for PBS, McKellen played the title character who has a full frontal nude scene. PBS edited the nude scene out of the broadcast version of the piece.New York Times: Every Inch of A King... (January 8, 200)

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: May 5, 1939
  2. Birthplace: Burnley, Lancashire, England
  3. Years active: 1965-present
  4. 1991: Was knighted for his theatrical achievements

• Life and Career

  Ian McKellen has had an expansive career that has spread across film, television and theater. He was born in Lancashire, England and raised in Wigan. His mother died when he was 12, and his father died when he was 24.

  He attended the University of Cambridge for his college studies, and after completion of that he moved to London where he sought a career as an actor.

  After a number of stage successes, McKellen began appearing in films. The 1990s proved to be the decade when he would break into the popular realm, starring in such films as Six Degrees of Separation and Richard III. However, it was his decision to take on the roles of "Gandalf" in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and "Magneto" in the X-Men trilogy that ultimately sent him into the highest level of recognition from audiences.

• Quotes

  Wherever gay people gather publicly to celebrate their sense of community, there are two important results. First, onlookers can be impressed by our confidence and determination to be ourselves and, second, gay people, of whatever age, can be comforted by the occasion to take first steps towards coming out and leaving the closet forever behind."

• Related Mahalo Pages

  The Lord of the Rings Film Series | Extras | The Da Vinci Code | Peter Jackson | Elijah Wood | Orlando Bloom | Viggo Mortensen | King Lear | Last Action Hero | Hamlet | Amadeus | David Copperfield | Last Action Hero | Bill Condon

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