Ian McKellen Highlights

  • 2009: The production of "King Lear" was broadcast in the UK on Channel 4 and shown on PBS in America; earned an Emmy nomination for Best Actor in a Television movie
  • 2009: Appeared in a revival of "Waiting for Godot" at London's Haymarket Theatre; starred opposite Patrick Stewart
  • 2009: Nominated for the 2009 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
  • 2007: Returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company for the productions of "King Lear" and "The Seagull"; both directed by Trevor Nunn
  • 2006: Received an Emmy nomination for appearing as himself on an episode of the HBO series, "Extras"
  • 2006: Reprised the role of Magneto for "X-Men: The Last Stand"
  • 2006: Portrayed Holy Grail historian, Sir Leigh Teabing, in Ron Howard's film adaptation of Dan Brown's best-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code"
  • 2005: Co-starred with Natasha Richardson in the psychological thriller "Asylum"
  • 2003: Once again played Magneto in "X2"
  • 2001: Portrayed Gandalf in Peter Jackson's film adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, all were filmed back-to-back: "The Fellowship of the Ring" (2001); "The Two Towers" (2002) and "The Return of the King" (2003)
  • 2001: Returned to Broadway, to star opposite Helen Mirren, in "The Dance of Death"
  • 2000: Re-teamed with Bryan Singer for the big-screen version of the Marvel comic's "X-Men"; played the villain Magneto
  • 1998: Starred in the Los Angeles stage production of "An Enemy of the People"
  • 1998: Played Kurt Dussander, a former concentration camp officer, in Bryan Singer's "Apt Pupil"
  • 1998: Portrayed James Whale, the British expatriate film director of 'Frankenstein' and the 'Bride of Frankenstein,' in "Gods and Monsters"; earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination
  • 1997: Had an extended cameo as Uncle Freddie in the film version of "Bent"
  • 1996: Portrayed Czar Nicholas II of Russia in the HBO film "Rasputin"; garnered second Emmy nomination
  • 1995: Wrote screenplay, executive produced, and starred in "Richard III"; directed by Richard Loncraine; moved setting to 1930s Europe
  • 1995: Cast as a servant to Robert Downey Jr's Robert Merival in "Restoration"
  • 1993: Had small role in the PBS miniseries "Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City"
  • 1993: Played AIDS activist Bill Kraus in "And the Band Played On" (HBO); earned Emmy nomination
  • 1993: Had cameo role as 'Death' in "The Last Action Hero"
  • 1991: Embarked on world tour alternating as "Richard III" and Kent in "King Lear"
  • 1991: Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the performing arts
  • 1990: Played the title role in "Richard III"; directed by Richard Eyre at the National Theater; also served as associate producer
  • 1989: Starred as John Profumo in Michael Caton-Jones' "Scandal"
  • 1986: Portrayed a British diplomat in one scene of the screen adaptation of David Hare's "Plenty"
  • 1984: Returned to Broadway in for the short-lived production of "Wild Honey"
  • 1983: Reprised "Acting Shakespeare" on Broadway; received Tony nomination
  • 1983: Appeared under much makeup as an elderly doctor in "The Keep"
  • 1982: Earned acclaim playing a mentally challenged man in the made-for-British-TV movie "Walter"; directed by Stephen Frears
  • 1982: Undertook the role of the villain Chauvelin in the CBS TV-movie "The Scarlet Pimpernel"
  • 1981: "Acting Shakespeare" filmed for TV broadcast; aired in USA in 1982
  • 1980: Portrayed novelist D. H. Lawrence in the film biopic "Priest of Love"
  • 1980: Won a Tony Award playing Salieri in the Broadway production of "Amadeus"
  • 1979: Portrayed Max, a gay man who pretends to be Jewish when captured by the Nazis, in "Bent" at the Royal Court Theatre in London
  • 1977: Wrote the one-person show "Acting Shakespeare," which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival
  • 1976: Had stage triumph as "Macbeth" opposite Judi Dench; reprised role opposite Dench in 1979 TV production
  • 1976: First stage collaboration with college chum Trevor Nunn, "Romeo and Juliet"
  • 1974: Returned to the NYC stage as Edgar in "King Lear"; performed at Brooklyn Academy of Music
  • 1972: Founded and served as a director with Actors' Company
  • 1971: First played Hamlet in TV production; aired in USA in 1982
  • 1970: Starred in the one-person TV production "Keats," based on the life of the Romantic poet John Keats
  • 1969: Stage directorial debut with "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" at Liverpool Playhouse
  • 1969: Played first onscreen homosexual in "A Touch of Love/Thank You All Very Much"
  • 1968: Made feature debut reprising his stage role in film version of "The Promise" (released only in the UK)
  • 1967: Originated role of Leonidik in the London production of "The Promise," opposite Judi Dench; made NYC debut in same role opposite Eileen Atkins
  • 1966: Cast in first film role in "The Bells of Hell Go Ting-a-Ling-a-Ling"; film never completed
  • 1966: Made American TV debut in serialized version of "David Copperfield"; played title character
  • 1965: Co-starred with Lynn Redgrave in the British TV production of "Sunday Out of Season"
  • 1965: Appeared as Claudio in Franco Zeffirelli's staging of "Much Ado About Nothing"
  • 1964: London stage debut, "A Scent of Flowers"
  • 1964: Made TV acting debut in episode of the British series "Kipling"
  • 1962: Spent a season as member of the Ipswich Repertory company
  • 1961: Professional stage debut in a production of "A Man for All Seasons" at the Nottingham Playhouse
  • Made Shakesperean debut in "Coriolanus"
  • Toured sporadically throughout USA and Europe in "Acting Shakespeare"
  • Spent summers at camp at Stratford-Upon-Avon as a teen; attended Shakespearean productions in evenings
  • Acted in school plays at Bolton

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