Ian McKellen
Acting
212
Acting Credits
Biography
Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He has played roles on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is regarded as a British cultural icon and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991. He has received numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, six Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards and five Emmy Awards. McKel...
Known For
Filmography
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
2027
as Gandalf
The Christophers
2026
as Julian Sklar
Avengers: Doomsday
2026
as Magneto
Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol
2026
as Jacob Marley
LS Lowry: The Unheard Tapes
2026
as L S Lowry
Schadenfreude
2025
as Continuity Announcer
Ken Dodd: A Legacy of Happiness
2025
Dragged Through Time
2025
A World War II Fairy Tale: The Making of Michael Mann's 'The Keep'
2025
as Himself (archive footage)
Billy & Dom Eat the World
2025
as Himself
The Critic
2024
as Jimmy Erskine
Hamlet
2024
as Hamlet
The Life and Death of Lily Savage
2024
as Self
The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I Loved
2024
Dragfox
2024
as Ginger Snap the Fox (Speaking) (voice)
ted
2024
as Narrator (voice)
The One Note Man
2023
as Narrator (voice)
Hamlet Within
2022
Quintessentially British
2022
as Self
Freedom: 50 Years of Pride
2022
as Self
Hating Peter Tatchell
2021
as Self
Infinitum: Subject Unknown
2021
as Dr. Charles Marland-White
Great British Theatre
2021
Amol Rajan Interviews
2021
as Self - Interviewed Guest
Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU
2020
Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet
2020
Reunited Apart
2020
as Self
The Good Liar
2019
as Roy Courtnay
Cats
2019
as Gus, the Theatre Cat
On Broadway
2019
as Self
Animal Crackers
2018
as Horatio P. Huntington (voice)
McKellen: Playing the Part
2018
as Himself
National Theatre Live: King Lear
2018
as King Lear
All Is True
2018
as Earl of Southampton
Beauty and the Beast
2017
as Cogsworth
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
2017
as Self
The Paul O'Grady Story
2017
as Self
Edmund the Magnificent
2017
as Self - Narrator (voice)
How a Kite Flies
2017
as Mr. Kite (voice)
All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film
2016
as Prospero's Speech Reader (voice)
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
2016
as Self - Performer
The Roof
2016
as And Even Yet Another Fan
Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage
2016
as Self
National Theatre Live: No Man's Land
2016
as Spooner
Shakespeare on Stage, Screen and Elsewhere with Ian McKellen
2016
Shakespeare on Film
2016
Play the Devil: Making Richard III
2016
Mr. Holmes
2015
as Sherlock Holmes
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
2015
as Self (archive footage)
The Dresser
2015
as Norman
Mutant vs. Machine: The Making of 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'
2015
as Self
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self - Guest
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
2014
as Gandalf the Grey
X-Men: Days of Future Past
2014
as Magneto
Miss in Her Teens
2014
as The Prologue
Nelson Mandela Redrawn
2014
as Self
Trailblazer Honors
2014
as Self - Speaker
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
as Self - Guest
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
2014
as Self
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
2013
as Gandalf the Grey
Muse of Fire
2013
as Self
The Wolverine
2013
as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (uncredited)
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
2013
as Self
The Egg Trick
2013
as Magician
The Wolverine: Path of a Ronin
2013
as Self
Vicious
2013
as Freddie Thornhill
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
2012
as Gandalf the Grey
London 2012: Paralympics Opening Ceremony
2012
as Self
Doctor Who: The Snowmen
2012
as The Great Intelligence (voice)
Looking for Lowry
2011
as Himself
The Betty Driver Story
2011
as Self
Perspectives
2011
A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation
2010
as Narrator (voice)
Small-Time Revolutionary
2010
as Hamish Miller (voice)
Theatreland
2009
as Himself
The Prisoner
2009
as 2 / Curtis
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
King Lear
2008
as King Lear
The Golden Compass
2007
as Iorek Byrnison (voice)
Stardust
2007
as Narrator (voice)
For the Love of God
2007
as The Jackdaw
The Art of Breaking Character
2007
as Self
Guerrilla Distribution
2007
as Himself
The Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self - Guest
The Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
The Da Vinci Code
2006
as Sir Leigh Teabing
Flushed Away
2006
as The Toad (voice)
Doogal
2006
as Zebedee (voice)
X-Men: The Last Stand
2006
as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto
Saint of 9/11
2006
as Narrator
The One Show
2006
as Self - Guest
Neverwas
2005
as Gabriel Finch
Asylum
2005
as Dr. Peter Cleave
The Magic Roundabout
2005
as Zebedee (voice)
The Hobart Shakespeareans
2005
as Himself
Eighteen
2005
as Jason Anders (voice)
Ringers: Lord of the Fans
2005
as Self
Extras
2005
as Ian McKellen
Peter Tatchell: Just Who Does He Think He Is?
2004
A Filmmaker's Journey: Making 'The Return of the King'
2004
as Self
Frodo Is Great... Who Is That?!!
2004
as Self
The Making of 'The Return of the King'
2004
as Self
My First Time
2004
as Narrator
The Paul O'Grady Show
2004
Who Do You Think You Are?
2004
as Self
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2003
as Gandalf
Emile
2003
as Emile
X2
2003
as Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
Beyond the Movie: The Return of the King
2003
as Self
Evolution X - The Making of X-Men
2003
The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men! Making X2
2003
as Self
X-Men: Premieres Around the World
2003
as Self
The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision
2003
as Self
The Making of 'The Two Towers'
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self
Churchill
2003
as Himself - Narrator (voice)
Real Time with Bill Maher
2003
as Self
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2002
as Gandalf
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
2002
as Self
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2001
as Gandalf
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
2001
as Narrator (voice)
Quest for the Ring
2001
as Self
Passage to Middle-Earth: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings'
2001
as Self
Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring
2001
as Self
X-Men
2000
as Magneto
Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man
2000
as Narrator (voice)
Now You See Him: 'The Invisible Man' Revealed!
2000
as Self
X-Men: The Mutant Watch
2000
as Self - 'Magneto'
The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale
1999
as Self
After Stonewall
1999
as Self
David Copperfield
1999
as Creakle
Family Guy
1999
as Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (voice)
Gods and Monsters
1998
as James Whale
Swept from the Sea
1998
as Dr. James Kennedy
Apt Pupil
1998
as Kurt Dussander
Parkinson
1998
as Self
Bent
1997
as Uncle Freddie
Surviving Friendly Fire
1997
A Bit Of Scarlet
1997
as Narrator
The View
1997
as Self - Guest
An Evening with Lily Savage
1996
as Self
Rasputin
1996
as Tsar Nicholas II
Jack & Sarah
1995
as William
Richard III
1995
as Richard III
Cold Comfort Farm
1995
as Amos Starkadder
Restoration
1995
as Will Gates
The Shadow
1994
as Dr. Reinhardt Lane
To Die For
1994
as Quilt Documentary Narrator (voice)
Stonewall 25: Global Voices of Pride and Protest
1994
as Self
I'll Do Anything
1994
as John Earl McAlpine
David Macaulay: Roman City
1994
as Augustus Caesar (voice)
Age of Dissent
1994
as Self
Inside the Actors Studio
1994
as Self
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
1994
as Self
And the Band Played On
1993
as Bill Kraus
Six Degrees of Separation
1993
as Geoffrey
Last Action Hero
1993
as Death
The Ballad of Little Jo
1993
as Percy Corcoran
Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up
1993
as Narration (voice)
Camp Christmas
1993
Tales of the City
1993
as Archibald Anson Gidde
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
as Self - Guest
Gladio
1992
as Aldo Moro (voice)
Othello
1990
as Iago
Have I Got News for You
1990
as Self
Scandal
1989
as John Profumo
Countdown to War
1989
as Adolf Hitler
The Simpsons
1989
as Ian McKellen (voice)
Scarfe's Follies
1988
Windmills of the Gods
1988
as Chairman
Süleyman the Magnificent
1987
as Narrator
Plenty
1985
as Sir Andrew Charleson
Zina
1985
as Kronfeld
Playing Shakespeare
1984
The Keep
1983
as Dr. Theodore Cuza
Walter and June
1983
as Walter
The Scarlet Pimpernel
1982
as Chauvelin
Walter
1982
as Walter
Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare
1982
Priest of Love
1981
as D.H. Lawrence
Pillar of Fire
1981
as Narrator
Dying Day
1980
as Antony Skipling
Macbeth
1979
as Macbeth
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
1979
as Alexander Ivanov
Armchair Thriller
1978
as Anthony Skipling
An Audience with...
1978
as Self
Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Host
Graceless Go I
1974
as Tony
Playhouse
1974
as Alexander
Hedda Gabler
1972
as George Tesman
Craven Arms
1972
as David Masterman
Country Matters
1972
as David Masterman
Hamlet
1970
as Hamlet
Edward II
1970
as King Edward
The Tragedy of King Richard II
1970
as King Richard II
Alfred the Great
1969
as Roger
A Touch of Love
1969
as George
The Promise
1969
Sesame Street
1969
as Self
Omnibus
1967
as Self - Reading Poetry
David Copperfield
1966
as David Copperfield
The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne
1965
as Wolf
BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Captain Plume
BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Simon Bliss
BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Ross / T.E. Lawrence
BBC Play of the Month
1965
as George Tesman
The Wednesday Play
1964
as Wolf
Coronation Street
1960
as Mel Hutchwright
The Oscars
1953
as Self
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Presenter
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Winner