During the past two years, McKellen, a consummate theatre actor, has acted exclusively for the screen in preparation for RICHARD III. He can be seen in SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO, AND THE BAND PLAYED ON... -- for which he also received an Emmy nomination -- THE SHADOW and RESTORATION. His earlier motion picture credits include SCANDAL, PLENTY, THE KEEP and PRIEST OF LOVE. After completing work on RICHARD III he will play the Czar Nicholas in HBO's RASPUTIN.
McKellen first acted at school in the North of England and later in undergraduate productions at Cambridge University. He graduated with a degree in English in 1961 and then, without any formal drama training, made his professional debut in A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.
During the sixties McKellen worked non-stop on stages in London and throughout the United Kingdom. He won a Clarence Derwent Award for SCENT OF FLOWERS in 1964 and in 1965 he appeared in Franco Zeffirelli's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING with Dame Maggie Smith -- their only collaboration prior to this film -- for Sir Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company. In 1966 he played the title role in the BBC's production of DAVID COPPERFIELD and made his Broadway debut the following year in THE PROMISE, after its nine month's run in London's West End.
When his dual kings, Shakespeare's RICHARD II and EDWARD II, stormed the 1969 Edinburgh Festival and played two sell-out seasons in London, he was hailed as "the leading classical actor of his generation -- the next Olivier!" In 1971 his HAMLET toured Europe and was televised.
McKellen then co-founded the democratically-run Actors' Company, which toured the U.K. and took five plays to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1974. His performances in KING LEAR and Chekhov's THE WOOD DEMON brought him a Drama Desk Award.
Between 1974-78 McKellen was leading man for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon Avon and London. Directed by Trevor Nunn, he played Romeo, Leontes and Macbeth in a legendary partnership with Judi Dench. He also organised the RSC's first small-scale tour of Britain and acted in their productions of TWELFTH NIGHT and THREE SISTERS.
After winning an Olivier Award for his performance as Max, in the world premiere of Martin Sherman's sensational BENT, he won a Drama Desk Award, a New York Drama League Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Tony for his portrayal of Salieri in the Broadway production of Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS.
On his return to London, McKellen played Chauvelin in THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (CBS) and was voted the Royal Television Society's Performer of the Year, for his portrayal of the mentally-handicapped hero of Stephen Frears' WALTER, the film which launched Britain's Channel 4.
McKellen won his third Drama Desk Award when he took his one man show, ACTING SHAKESPEARE, to New York in 1984.
Between 1984-86 he produced and acted in a string of hits for Sir Peter Hall and Richard Eyre, directors of the Royal National Theatre, including CORIOLANUS, THE CHERRY ORCHARD, NAPOLI MILIONARIA and UNCLE VANYA. He returned to Broadway in 1986 in the Royal National Theatre production of Chekhov's WILD HONEY.
After winning the London Critics' Award and the London Evening Standard Award for Iago in Trevor Nunn's OTHELLO at the Royal Shakespeare Company (1989), he produced and starred in the Royal National Theatre's world tour of RICHARD III which had its 300th performance in Los Angeles in 1992.
In 1991 McKellen was knighted by the Queen for his services to the performing arts and succeeded Stephen Sondheim as Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Oxford University.
He is co-founder of the Stonewall Group, which lobbies for legal and social equality on behalf of lesbians and gay men in the UK. For Stonewall he directs the annual Equality Show -- October 22, 1995, at the Royal Albert Hall, with Elton John and the stars of ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS.
In 1994 he was voted "Communicator of the Year" by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf. He has been honoured by the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights, by AIDS Project Los Angeles and by the Human Rights Campaign Fund.
Visit the Official Sir Ian McKellen website