Acting • AGE 87
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 scienc...


The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
Gandalf
2027

Avengers: Doomsday
Magneto
2026

The Christophers
Julian Sklar
2026

LS Lowry: The Unheard Tapes
L S Lowry
2026

Schadenfreude
Continuity Announcer
2025

A World War II Fairy Tale: The Making of Michael Mann's 'The Keep'
Self (archive footage)
2025

Ken Dodd: A Legacy of Happiness
2025

Billy & Dom Eat the World
Self
2025

The Critic
Jimmy Erskine
2024

Dragfox
Ginger Snap the Fox (Speaking) (voice)
2024

The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I Loved
2024

The Life and Death of Lily Savage
Self
2024

Hamlet
Hamlet
2024

ted
Narrator (voice)
2024

The One Note Man
Narrator (voice)
2023

Quintessentially British
Self
2022

Freedom: 50 Years of Pride
Self
2022

Hamlet Within
2022

Hating Peter Tatchell
Self
2021

Amol Rajan Interviews
Self - Interviewed Guest
2021

Great British Theatre
2021

Infinitum: Subject Unknown
Dr. Charles Marland-White
2021

Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU
2020

Reunited Apart
Self
2020

Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet
2020

Cats
Gus, the Theatre Cat
2019

The Good Liar
Roy Courtnay
2019

On Broadway
Self
2019

The Isle
Associate Producer
2019

All Is True
Earl of Southampton
2018

National Theatre Live: King Lear
King Lear
2018

Animal Crackers
Horatio P. Huntington (voice)
2018

McKellen: Playing the Part
Self
2018

The Paul O'Grady Story
Self
2017

How a Kite Flies
Mr. Kite (voice)
2017

Beauty and the Beast
Cogsworth
2017

The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
Self
2017

Edmund the Magnificent
Self - Narrator (voice)
2017

Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage
Self
2016

National Theatre Live: No Man's Land
Spooner
2016

All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film
Prospero's Speech Reader (voice)
2016

Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
Self - Performer
2016

The Roof
And Even Yet Another Fan
2016

Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
Self (archive footage)
2015

The Dresser
Norman
2015

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self - Guest
2015

Mutant vs. Machine - The Making of 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'
Self
2015

X-Men: Unguarded
Self
2015

Mr. Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
2015

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self
2014

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Gandalf the Grey
2014

Double Take: Xavier & Magneto
Self
2014

X-Men: Reunited
Self
2014

Nelson Mandela Redrawn
Self
2014

Trailblazer Honors
Self - Speaker
2014

X-Men: Days of Future Past
Magneto
2014

Miss in Her Teens
The Prologue
2014

Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self - Guest
2014

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Gandalf the Grey
2013

The Wolverine: Path of a Ronin
Self
2013

The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
Self
2013

Muse of Fire
Self
2013

The Wolverine
Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (uncredited)
2013

The Egg Trick
Magician
2013

Vicious
Freddie Thornhill
2013

Doctor Who: The Snowmen
The Great Intelligence (voice)
2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Gandalf the Grey
2012

London 2012: Paralympics Opening Ceremony
Self
2012

Looking for Lowry
Self
2011

Perspectives
2011

The Betty Driver Story
Self
2011

Small-Time Revolutionary
Hamish Miller (voice)
2010

A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation
Narrator (voice)
2010

The Prisoner
2 / Curtis
2009

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
2009

Theatreland
Self
2009

King Lear
King Lear
2008

The Golden Compass
Iorek Byrnison (voice)
2007

Stardust
Narrator (voice)
2007

The Graham Norton Show
Self - Guest
2007

Guerrilla Distribution
Self
2007

Flushed Away
The Toad (voice)
2006

The One Show
Self - Guest
2006

X-Men: The Last Stand
Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto
2006

The Da Vinci Code
Sir Leigh Teabing
2006

Saint of 9/11
Narrator
2006

Doogal
Zebedee (voice)
2006

Neverwas
Gabriel Finch
2005

Asylum
Dr. Peter Cleave
2005

The Hobart Shakespeareans
Self
2005

Extras
Ian McKellen
2005

The Magic Roundabout
Zebedee (voice)
2005

Ringers: Lord of the Fans
Self
2005

Eighteen
Jason Anders (voice)
2005

A Filmmaker's Journey: Making 'The Return of the King'
Self
2004

My First Time
Narrator
2004

Who Do You Think You Are?
Self
2004

The Paul O'Grady Show
2004

Frodo Is Great... Who Is That?!!
Self
2004

The Making of 'The Return of the King'
Self
2004

Peter Tatchell: Just Who Does He Think He Is?
2004

The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision
Self
2003

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Gandalf
2003

Beyond the Movie: The Return of the King
Self
2003

The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men! Making X2
Self
2003

Churchill
Self - Narrator (voice)
2003

X2
Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
2003

The Making of 'The Two Towers'
2003

Real Time with Bill Maher
Self
2003

Evolution X - The Making of X-Men
2003

X-Men: Premieres Around the World
Self
2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self
2003

Emile
Emile
2003

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Gandalf
2002

The Fellowship of the Ring: From Book to Script
Self
2002

The Fellowship of the Ring: Designing and Building Middle-earth + Weta Workshop + Costume Design
Self
2002

The Fellowship of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Cast
Self
2002

The Fellowship of the Ring: Cameras in Middle-earth
Self
2002

The Fellowship of the Ring: Scale
Self
2002

The Fellowship of the Ring: The Road Goes Ever On..
Self
2002

Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Self
2002

Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring
Self
2001

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Gandalf
2001

Passage to Middle-Earth: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings'
Self
2001

Quest for the Ring
Self
2001

Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
Narrator (voice)
2001

Now You See Him: 'The Invisible Man' Revealed!
Self
2000

X-Men
Magneto
2000

X-Men: The Mutant Watch
Self - 'Magneto'
2000

Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man
Narrator (voice)
2000

David Copperfield
Creakle
1999

The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale
Self
1999

After Stonewall
Self
1999

Family Guy
Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (voice)
1999

Apt Pupil
Kurt Dussander
1998

Gods and Monsters
James Whale
1998

Swept from the Sea
Dr. James Kennedy
1998

Parkinson
Self
1998

Bent
Uncle Freddie
1997

The View
Self - Guest
1997

Surviving Friendly Fire
1997

A Bit Of Scarlet
Narrator
1997

HARDtalk
1997

An Evening with Lily Savage
Self
1996

Rasputin
Tsar Nicholas II
1996

Richard III
Richard III
1995

Restoration
Will Gates
1995

Jack & Sarah
William
1995

Cold Comfort Farm
Amos Starkadder
1995

To Die For
Quilt Documentary Narrator (voice)
1994

Stonewall 25: Global Voices of Pride and Protest
Self
1994

Inside the Actors Studio
Self
1994

Age of Dissent
Self
1994

The Shadow
Dr. Reinhardt Lane
1994

David Macaulay: Roman City
Augustus Caesar (voice)
1994

I'll Do Anything
John Earl McAlpine
1994

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
Self
1994

Camp Christmas
1993

Six Degrees of Separation
Geoffrey
1993

A Simple Matter of Justice
Self
1993

Tales of the City
Archibald Anson Gidde
1993

Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest
1993

And the Band Played On
Bill Kraus
1993

Late Show with David Letterman
Self - Guest
1993

The Ballad of Little Jo
Percy Corcoran
1993

Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up
Narration (voice)
1993

Last Action Hero
Death
1993

Gladio
Aldo Moro (voice)
1992

Have I Got News for You
Self
1990

Othello
Iago
1990

The Simpsons
Ian McKellen (voice)
1989

Countdown to War
Adolf Hitler
1989

Scandal
John Profumo
1989

Windmills of the Gods
Chairman
1988

Scarfe's Follies
1988

Süleyman the Magnificent
Narrator
1987

Zina
Kronfeld
1985

Plenty
Sir Andrew Charleson
1985

Playing Shakespeare
1984

The Keep
Dr. Theodore Cuza
1983

Walter and June
Walter
1983

The Scarlet Pimpernel
Chauvelin
1982

Walter
Walter
1982

Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare
1982

Pillar of Fire
Narrator
1981

Priest of Love
D.H. Lawrence
1981

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Alexander Ivanov
1979

Macbeth
Macbeth
1979

An Audience with...
Self
1978

Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
1975

Playhouse
Alexander
1974

Country Matters
David Masterman
1972

Hamlet
Hamlet
1970

Edward II
King Edward
1970

The Tragedy of King Richard II
King Richard II
1970

Sesame Street
Self
1969

Alfred the Great
Roger
1969

A Touch of Love
George
1969

ITV Saturday Night Theatre
Lyov
1969

Omnibus
Self - Reading Poetry
1967

ITV Playhouse
Tony
1967

The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne
Wolf
1965

BBC Play of the Month
Captain Plume
1965

The Wednesday Play
Wolf
1964

Coronation Street
Mel Hutchwright
1960

Tony Awards
Self - Winner
1956

The Oscars
Self
1953

Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter
1944