Ian McKellen - wikipedia Ian McKellen Sir Ian McKellen CH CBE McKellen at the 2013 San Diego Comic - Con International Ian Murray McKellen ( 1939 - 05 - 25 ) 25 May 1939 ( age 78 ) Burnley, Lancashire, England Alma mater St Catharine 's College, Cambridge Occupation Actor Years active 1959 -- present Partner ( s ) Brian Taylor ( 1964 -- 1972 ) Sean Mathias ( 1978 -- 1988 ) Website Official website Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE ( born 25 May 1939 ) is an English actor. He is the recipient of six Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BIF Award, two Saturn Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, and two Critics ' Choice Awards. He has also received two Oscar nominations, four BAFTA nominations and five Emmy Award nominations. McKellen 's career spans genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. The BBC states his `` performances have guaranteed him a place in the canon of English stage and film actors ''. A recipient of every major theatrical award in the UK, McKellen is regarded as a British cultural icon. He started his professional career in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre as a member of their highly regarded repertory company. In 1965 McKellen made his first West End appearance. In 1969 he was invited to join the Prospect Theatre Company to play the lead parts in Shakespeare 's Richard II and Marlowe 's Edward II, and he firmly established himself as one of the country 's foremost classical actors. In the 1970s McKellen became a stalwart of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Great Britain. He achieved worldwide fame for his notable film roles, which include Magneto in the X-Men films and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, both of which introduced McKellen to a new generation. McKellen was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1979 Birthday Honours, was knighted in the 1991 New Year Honours for services to the performing arts, and made a Companion of Honour for services to drama and to equality in the 2008 New Year Honours. He has been openly gay since 1988, and continues to be a champion for LGBT social movements worldwide. He was made a Freeman of the City of London in October 2014. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Theatre 2.2 Popular success 3 Personal life 4 LGBT activism 4.1 LGBT rights campaigning 4.2 Charity work 4.3 Other work 5 Selected credits 5.1 Stage 5.2 Filmography, awards and nominations 5.3 Music 5.4 Audiobooks 6 References 7 Sources 8 External links Early life McKellen was born on 25 May 1939 in Burnley, Lancashire, the son of Margery Lois ( née Sutcliffe ) and Denis Murray McKellen, a civil engineer. He was their second child, with a sister, Jean, five years his senior. Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, his family moved to Wigan. They lived there until Ian was twelve years old, before relocating to Bolton in 1951, after his father had been promoted. The experience of living through the war as a young child had a lasting impact on him, and he later said that `` only after peace resumed... did I realise that war was n't normal. '' When an interviewer remarked that he seemed quite calm in the aftermath of 11 September attacks, McKellen said : `` Well, darling, you forget -- I slept under a steel plate until I was four years old. '' Even though he only lived in Bolton for less than seven years, as opposed to the eleven years in Wigan beforehand, he refers to Bolton as his `` Hometown ''. McKellen 's father was a civil engineer and lay preacher, and was of Protestant Irish and Scottish descent. Both of McKellen 's grandfathers were preachers, and his great - great - grandfather, James McKellen, was a `` strict, evangelical Protestant minister '' in Ballymena, County Antrim. His home environment was strongly Christian, but non-orthodox. `` My upbringing was of low nonconformist Christians who felt that you led the Christian life in part by behaving in a Christian manner to everybody you met. '' When he was 12, his mother died of breast cancer ; his father died when he was 24. After his coming out of the closet to his stepmother, Gladys McKellen, who was a member of the Religious Society of Friends, he said, `` Not only was she not fazed, but as a member of a society which declared its indifference to people 's sexuality years back, I think she was just glad for my sake that I was n't lying anymore. '' His great - great - grandfather Robert J. Lowes was an activist and campaigner in the ultimately successful campaign for a Saturday half - holiday in Manchester, the forerunner to the modern five - day work week, thus making Lowes a `` grandfather of the modern weekend ''. McKellen attended Bolton School ( Boys ' Division ), of which he is still a supporter, attending regularly to talk to pupils. McKellen 's acting career started at Bolton Little Theatre, of which he is now the patron. An early fascination with the theatre was encouraged by his parents, who took him on a family outing to Peter Pan at the Opera House in Manchester when he was three. When he was nine, his main Christmas present was a wood and bakelite, fold - away Victorian theatre from Pollocks Toy Theatres, with cardboard scenery and wires to push on the cut - outs of Cinderella and of Laurence Olivier 's Hamlet. His sister took him to his first Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night, by the amateurs of Wigan 's Little Theatre, shortly followed by their Macbeth and Wigan High School for Girls ' production of A Midsummer Night 's Dream, with music by Mendelssohn, with the role of Bottom played by Jean McKellen, who continued to act, direct, and produce amateur theatre until her death. In 1958, McKellen, at the age of 18, won a scholarship to St Catharine 's College, Cambridge, where he read English literature. He has since been made an Honorary Fellow of the College. While at Cambridge, McKellen was a member of the Marlowe Society, where he appeared in 23 plays over the course of 3 years. At that young age he was already giving performances that have since become legendary such as his Justice Shallow in Henry IV alongside Trevor Nunn and Derek Jacobi ( March 1959 ), Cymbeline ( as Posthumus, opposite Margaret Drabble as Imogen ) and Doctor Faustus. During this period McKellen had already been directed by Peter Hall, John Barton and Dadie Rylands all of whom would have a huge impact on McKellen 's future career. Career Theatre McKellen with actors Billy Crudup and Patrick Stewart on 24 September 2013 for a press junket at Sardi 's restaurant for Waiting for Godot and No Man 's Land. McKellen made his first professional appearance in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre, as Roper in A Man for All Seasons, although an audio recording of the Marlowe Society 's Cymbeline had gone on commercial sale as part of the Argo Shakespeare series. After four years in regional repertory theatres he made his first West End appearance, in A Scent of Flowers, regarded as a `` notable success ''. In 1965 he was a member of Laurence Olivier 's National Theatre Company at the Old Vic, which led to roles at the Chichester Festival. With the Prospect Theatre Company, McKellen made his breakthrough performances of Richard II ( directed by Richard Cottrell ) and Marlowe 's Edward II ( directed by Toby Robertson ) at the Edinburgh festival in 1969, the latter causing a storm of protest over the enactment of the homosexual Edward 's lurid death. In the 1970s and 1980s McKellen became a well - known figure in British theatre, performing frequently at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, where he played several leading Shakespearean roles, including the title role in Macbeth ( which he had first played for Trevor Nunn in a `` gripping... out of the ordinary '' production, with Judi Dench, at Stratford in 1976 ), and Iago in Othello, in award - winning productions directed by Nunn. Both of these productions were adapted into television films, also directed by Nunn. In 2007 he returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company, in productions of King Lear and The Seagull, both directed by Trevor Nunn. In 2009 he appeared in a very popular revival of Waiting for Godot at London 's Haymarket Theatre, directed by Sean Mathias, and playing opposite Patrick Stewart. He is Patron of English Touring Theatre and also President and Patron of the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain, an association of amateur theatre organisations throughout the UK. In late August 2012, he took part in the opening ceremony of the London Paralympics, portraying Prospero from The Tempest. Popular success McKellen had taken film roles throughout his career -- beginning in 1969 with his role of George Matthews in A Touch of Love, and his first leading role was in 1980 as D.H. Lawrence in Priest of Love, but it was not until the 1990s that he became more widely recognised in this medium after several roles in blockbuster Hollywood films. In 1993 he had a supporting role as a South African tycoon in the critically acclaimed Six Degrees of Separation, in which he starred with Stockard Channing, Donald Sutherland, and Will Smith. In the same year, he appeared in minor roles in the television miniseries Tales of the City, based on the novel by his friend Armistead Maupin, and the film Last Action Hero, in which he played Death. Later in 1993, McKellen appeared in the television film And the Band Played On, about the discovery of the AIDS virus, for which McKellen won a CableACE Award for Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries and was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie. In 1995, he played the title role in Richard III, which transported the setting into an alternative 1930s in which England is ruled by fascists. The film was a critical success. McKellen co-produced and co-wrote the film, adapting the play for the screen based on a stage production of Shakespeare 's play directed by Richard Eyre for the Royal National Theatre, in which McKellen had appeared. As executive producer he returned his £ 50,000 fee to complete the filming of the final battle. In his review of the film, Washington Post film critic Hal Hinson, called McKellen 's performance a `` lethally flamboyant incarnation '', and said his `` florid mastery... dominates everything ''. His performance in the title role garnered BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor, and won the European Film Award for Best Actor. His screenplay was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. McKellen at the premiere of The Return of the King in Wellington, New Zealand, 1 December 2003. He appeared in the modestly acclaimed film Apt Pupil, which was directed by Bryan Singer and based on a story by Stephen King. McKellen portrayed a fugitive Nazi officer, living under a false name in the US, who is befriended by a curious teenager ( Brad Renfro ) who threatens to expose him unless he tells his story in detail. He was subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters, wherein he played James Whale, the director of Show Boat ( 1936 ) and Frankenstein. In 1999 McKellen was cast, again under the direction of Bryan Singer, to play the comic book supervillain Magneto in the 2000 film X-Men and its sequels X2 : X-Men United ( 2003 ) and X-Men : The Last Stand ( 2006 ). He later made a short appearance as an older Magneto in 2014 's X-Men : Days of Future Past. While filming the first X-Men film in 1999, McKellen was cast as the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson 's three - film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings ( consisting of The Fellowship of the Ring ( 2001 ), The Two Towers ( 2002 ), and The Return of the King ( 2003 ) ). He received honors from the Screen Actors Guild for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his work in The Fellowship of the Ring, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the same role. He provided the voice of Gandalf for several video game adaptations of the Lord of the Rings films, then reprised the role on screen in Jackson 's film adaptation of The Hobbit, which was released in three parts from 2012 to 2014. On 16 March 2002, he hosted Saturday Night Live. In 2003, McKellen made a guest appearance as himself on the American cartoon show The Simpsons, in a special British - themed episode entitled `` The Regina Monologues '', along with the then UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and author J.K. Rowling. In April and May 2005, he played the role of Mel Hutchwright in Granada Television 's long running British soap opera, Coronation Street, fulfilling a lifelong ambition. He narrated Richard Bell 's film Eighteen, as a grandfather who leaves his World War II memoirs on audio - cassette for his teenage grandson. McKellen has appeared in limited release films, such as Emile ( which was shot in three weeks following the X2 shoot ), Neverwas and Asylum. He appeared as Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code. During a 17 May 2006 interview on The Today Show with the Da Vinci Code cast and director, Matt Lauer posed a question to the group about how they would have felt if the film had borne a prominent disclaimer that it is a work of fiction, as some religious groups wanted. McKellen responded, `` I 've often thought the Bible should have a disclaimer in the front saying ' This is fiction. ' I mean, walking on water ? It takes... an act of faith. And I have faith in this movie -- not that it 's true, not that it 's factual, but that it 's a jolly good story. '' He continued, `` And I think audiences are clever enough and bright enough to separate out fact and fiction, and discuss the thing when they 've seen it ''. McKellen appeared in the 2006 BBC series of Ricky Gervais ' comedy series Extras, where he played himself directing Gervais ' character Andy Millman in a play about gay lovers. McKellen received a 2007 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy Series nomination for his performance. In 2009 he portrayed Number Two in The Prisoner, a remake of the 1967 cult series The Prisoner. In 2013, McKellen co-starred in the ITV sitcom Vicious as Freddie Thornhill, alongside Derek Jacobi. The series revolves around an elderly gay couple who have been together for 50 years. On 23 August 2013 the show was renewed for a six - episode second series which began airing in June 2015. In November 2013, McKellen appeared in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary comedy homage The Five ( ish ) Doctors Reboot. He reprised his role as Magneto in X-Men : Days of Future Past, released in May 2014 ; he shared the role with Michael Fassbender, who played a younger version of the character in 2011 's X-Men : First Class. In October 2015, McKellen appeared as Norman to Anthony Hopkins ' Sir in a BBC Two production of Ronald Harwood 's The Dresser, alongside Edward Fox and Emily Watson. In 2017, McKellen voiced Cogsworth, the Beast 's loyal majordomo, who was cursed into a pendulum clock, in a live - action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. Personal life McKellen and his first partner, Brian Taylor, a history teacher from Bolton, began their relationship in 1964. Their relationship lasted for eight years, ending in 1972. They lived in London, where McKellen continued to pursue his career as an actor. For over a decade, he has lived in a five - storey Victorian conversion in Narrow Street, Limehouse. In 1978 he met his second partner, Sean Mathias, at the Edinburgh Festival. This relationship lasted until 1988. According to Mathias, the ten - year love affair was tempestuous, with conflicts over McKellen 's success in acting versus Mathias 's somewhat less - successful career. Mathias later directed McKellen in Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2009. The pair entered into a business partnership with Evgeny Lebedev, purchasing the lease on The Grapes public house in Narrow Street. McKellen is an atheist. In the late 1980s, McKellen lost his appetite for meat except for fish, and has since followed a mainly pescetarian diet. In 2001, Ian McKellen received the Artist Citizen of the World Award ( France ). He has a tattoo of the Elvish number nine, written using J.R. R Tolkien 's artificial script of Tengwar, on his shoulder in reference to his involvement in the Lord of the Rings and the fact that his character was one of the original nine companions of the Fellowship of the Ring. The other actors of `` The Fellowship '' ( Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Sean Bean, Dominic Monaghan and Viggo Mortensen ) have the same tattoo. John Rhys - Davies, whose character was also one of the original nine companions, arranged for his stunt double to get the tattoo instead. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006. In 2012, McKellen stated on his blog that `` There is no cause for alarm. I am examined regularly and the cancer is contained. I 've not needed any treatment. '' He became an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church in early 2013 in order to preside over the marriage of his friend and X-Men co-star Patrick Stewart to his then fiancée Sunny Ozell. McKellen was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters by Cambridge University on 18 June 2014. He was made a Freeman of the city of London on Thursday 30 October 2014. The ceremony took place at Guildhall in London. McKellen was nominated by London 's Lord Mayor Fiona Woolf, who said he was chosen as he was an `` exceptional actor '' and `` tireless campaigner for equality ''. He is also a Fellow of St Catherine 's College, Oxford. LGBT activism LGBT rights campaigning McKellen at Manchester Pride 2010 While McKellen had made his sexual orientation known to fellow actors early on in his stage career, it was not until 1988 that he came out to the general public, in a programme on BBC Radio. The context that prompted McKellen 's decision -- overriding any concerns about a possible negative effect on his career -- was that the controversial Section 28 of the Local Government Bill, known simply as Section 28, was then under consideration in the British Parliament. Section 28 proposed prohibiting local authorities from promoting homosexuality ``... as a kind of pretended family relationship ''. McKellen became active in fighting the proposed law, and, during a BBC Radio 3 programme where he debated Section 28 with the conservative journalist Peregrine Worsthorne, declared himself gay. McKellen has stated that he was influenced in his decision by the advice and support of his friends, among them noted gay author Armistead Maupin. In a 1998 interview that discusses the 29th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, McKellen commented, I have many regrets about not having come out earlier, but one of them might be that I did n't engage myself in the politicking. He has said of this period : My own participating in that campaign was a focus for people ( to ) take comfort that if Ian McKellen was on board for this, perhaps it would be all right for other people to be as well, gay and straight. Section 28 was, however, enacted and remained on the statute books until 2000 in Scotland and 2003 in England and Wales. Section 28 never applied in Northern Ireland. In 2003, during an appearance on Have I Got News For You, McKellen claimed when he visited Michael Howard, then Environment Secretary ( responsible for local government ), in 1988 to lobby against Section 28, Howard refused to change his position but did ask him to leave an autograph for his children. McKellen agreed, but wrote, `` Fuck off, I 'm gay. '' McKellen described Howard 's junior ministers, Conservatives David Wilshire and Dame Jill Knight, who were the architects of Section 28, as the ' ugly sisters ' of a political pantomime. McKellen at Europride 2003 in Manchester. McKellen has continued to be very active in LGBT rights efforts. In a statement on his website regarding his activism, the actor commented that : I have been reluctant to lobby on other issues I most care about -- nuclear weapons ( against ), religion ( atheist ), capital punishment ( anti ), AIDS ( fund - raiser ) because I never want to be forever spouting, diluting the impact of addressing my most urgent concern ; legal and social equality for gay people worldwide. McKellen is a co-founder of Stonewall, an LGBT rights lobby group in the United Kingdom, named after the Stonewall riots. McKellen is also patron of LGBT History Month, Pride London, Oxford Pride, GAY - GLOS, The Lesbian & Gay Foundation, and FFLAG where he appears in their video `` Parents Talking ''. In 1994, at the closing ceremony of the Gay Games, he briefly took the stage to address the crowd, saying, `` I 'm Sir Ian McKellen, but you can call me Serena '' : This nickname, given to him by Stephen Fry, had been circulating within the gay community since McKellen 's knighthood was conferred. In 2002, he was the Celebrity Grand Marshal of the San Francisco Pride Parade and he attended the Academy Awards with his then - boyfriend, New Zealander Nick Cuthell. In 2006, McKellen spoke at the pre-launch of the 2007 LGBT History Month in the UK, lending his support to the organisation and its founder, Sue Sanders. In 2007, he became a patron of The Albert Kennedy Trust, an organisation that provides support to young, homeless and troubled LGBT people. In 2006, he became a patron of Oxford Pride, stating : I send my love to all members of Oxford Pride, their sponsors and supporters, of which I am proud to be one... Onlookers can be impressed by our confidence and determination to be ourselves and gay people, of whatever age, can be comforted by the occasion to take the first steps towards coming out and leaving the closet forever behind. McKellen has taken his activism internationally, and caused a major stir in Singapore, where he was invited to do an interview on a morning show and shocked the interviewer by asking if they could recommend him a gay bar ; the programme immediately ended. In December 2008, he was named in Out 's annual Out 100 list. In 2010, McKellen extended his support for Liverpool 's Homotopia festival in which a group of gay and lesbian Merseyside teenagers helped to produce an anti-homophobia campaign pack for schools and youth centres across the city. In May 2011, he called Sergey Sobyanin, Moscow 's mayor, a `` coward '' for refusing to allow gay parades in the city. In 2014, he was named in the top 10 on the World Pride Power list. Charity work In April 2010, along with actors Brian Cox and Eleanor Bron, McKellen appeared in a series of TV advertisements to support Age UK, the charity recently formed from the merger of Age Concern and Help the Aged. All three actors gave their time free of charge. A cricket fan since childhood, McKellen umpired in March 2011 for a charity cricket match in New Zealand to support earthquake victims of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. McKellen is an honorary board member for the New York and Washington, DC based organization Only Make Believe. Only Make Believe creates and performs interactive plays in children 's hospitals and care facilities. He was honoured by the organisation in 2012 and hosted their annual Make Believe on Broadway Gala in November 2013. He garnered publicity for the organisation by stripping down to his Lord of the Rings underwear on stage. McKellen also has a history of supporting individual theatres. While in New Zealand filming The Hobbit in 2012, he announced a special New Zealand tour `` Shakespeare, Tolkien, and You ! '', with proceeds going to help save the Isaac Theatre Royal, which suffered extensive damage during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. McKellen said he opted to help save the building as it was the last theatre he played in New Zealand ( Waiting for Godot in 2010 ) and the locals ' love for it made it a place worth supporting. In July 2017, he performed a new one - man show for a week at Park Theatre ( London ), donating the proceeds to the theatre. Other work A friend of Ian Charleson and an admirer of his work, McKellen contributed an entire chapter to For Ian Charleson : A Tribute. A recording of McKellen 's voice is heard before performances at the Royal Festival Hall, reminding patrons to ensure their mobile phones and watch alarms are switched off and to keep coughing to a minimum. He also took part in the 2012 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony in London as Prospero from Shakespeare 's The Tempest. Selected credits This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. ( December 2016 ) Stage The hands of McKellen on a 1999 Gods and Monsters plaque in London 's Leicester Square Much Ado About Nothing, Royal National Theatre, Old Vic, London, 1965 Trelawny of the ' Wells ', National Theatre, London & Chichester Festival, 1965 The Promise, West End ; Broadway, 1967 Edward II ( in title role ), Edinburgh Festival & West End, 1969 Hamlet ( title role ), UK / European Tour, 1971 Tis Pity She 's a Whore, UK Tour, 1972 Dr Faustus ( title role ), Royal Shakespeare Company, Edinburgh Festival & Aldwych Theatre ( London ), 1974 King John, RSC, 1975 Romeo and Juliet ( as Romeo ), RSC, Stratford - upon - Avon & London, 1976 The Winter 's Tale, RSC, Stratford - upon - Avon, 1976 Macbeth ( title role ), RSC, Stratford - upon - Avon & Young Vic ( London ), 1976 -- 1977 The Alchemist, RSC, Stratford - upon - Avon & London, 1977 Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, RSC, Barbican Arts Centre ( London ), 1977 Three Sisters, RSC, UK Tour, 1978 Bent, ( as Max ) Royal Court and Criterion, London, 1979 Acting Shakespeare ( as Himself ), Copenhagen, 1980 Amadeus ( as Salieri ), Broadway, 1980 Coriolanus ( title role ), National Theatre, 1984 Wild Honey, National Theatre, 1984 ( & Broadway, 1986 ) The Cherry Orchard ( as Lopakhin ), National Theatre, 1985 The Duchess of Malfi, National Theatre, 1985 The Real Inspector Hound, National Theatre, London & Paris, 1985 Othello ( as Iago ), RSC, London & Stratford - upon - Avon, 1989 Richard III ( title role ), National Theatre, world tour, 1990 & US tour, 1992 Uncle Vanya ( title role ), National Theatre, 1992 Peter Pan ( as Mr. Darling / Captain Hook ), National Theatre, 1997 An Enemy of the People, National Theatre, 1997 & Ahmanson Theatre ( Los Angeles ), 1998 Present Laughter, West Yorkshire Playhouse ( Leeds, England ), 1998 Dance of Death, at the Broadhurst Theatre ( New York ) in 2001. At the Lyric Theatre ( London, England ) in 2003 Aladdin, ( as Widow Twankie ) Old Vic, 2004 & 2005 The Cut, Donmar Warehouse, 2006 King Lear by William Shakespeare, ( as Lear ), Courtyard Theatre, Stratford - upon - Avon, 2007 ; New Zealand, 2007 ; New York ( Brooklyn Academy of Music ), 2007, Minneapolis, 2007, New London Theatre ( West End ), 2007 -- 8 The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, ( as Sorin ), Courtyard Theatre, Stratford - upon - Avon, 2007 ; New York ( Brooklyn Academy of Music ), 2007 Minneapolis, 2007, New London Theatre ( West End ), 2007 -- 8 Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, ( as Estragon ), Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, 2009 and 2010 ; Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, 2010 and Fugard Theatre, Cape Town, South Africa, 2010 The Syndicate by Eduardo De Filippo, Chichester Festival Theatre, 2011 No Man 's Land and Waiting for Godot ( double bill ), Cort Theatre, Broadway, 2013 -- 2014 Letters Live, Freemasons ' Hall, London, 2015 No Man 's Land, Wyndham 's Theatre, London, 2016 King Lear ( as Lear ), Chichester Festival Theatre, 2017 Filmography, awards and nominations Main article : Ian McKellen, roles and awards Music In 1987, McKellen appeared reciting Shakespeare while rock group The Fleshtones improvised behind him on Andy Warhol 's Fifteen Minutes which ran on MTV. Vampire in the music video `` Heart '' by Pet Shop Boys The man who 's `` falling out of reach '' in the music video `` Falling Out of Reach '' by Guillemots Appears on the Scissor Sisters track `` Invisible Light '' from their 2010 album `` Night Work '', reciting a passage regarding the `` Invisible Light '' of the title. Appeared as himself alongside George Ezra in the latter 's music video for `` Listen to the Man ''. Whilst Ezra is singing his song, McKellen joins in and lip - syncs Ezra 's voice. Audiobooks Audiobook narrator of Michelle Paver 's series Wolf Brother, Spirit Walker, Soul Eater, Outcast, Oath Breaker, and Ghost Hunter, as well as a version of Homer 's The Odyssey. References Notes Jump up ^ `` Monitor ''. Entertainment Weekly ( 1208 ). Time Inc. 25 May 2012. p. 21. Jump up ^ Jackson, George ( 4 February 2013 ). `` Nesbitt does the honours as fellow actor McKellen gets Ulster degree ''. Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on 24 March 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2013. McKellen is recognised as one of the greatest living actors. Jump up ^ `` Sir Ian McKellen receives award from University of Ulster ''. BBC News. BBC. 3 February 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2013. ( O ) ne of the greatest actors on stage and screen (... ) Sir Ian 's performances have guaranteed him a place in the canon of English stage and film actors Jump up ^ `` British Actor Ian Mckellen in China for Shakespeare on Film ''. British Council. 13 November 2016. Jump up ^ `` Thirty of the very best of British ''. The Telegraph. 13 November 2016. Jump up ^ `` No. 47888 ''. The London Gazette ( Supplement ). 26 June 1979. p. 4. Jump up ^ `` Sir Ian McKellen ''. Cinema.com. Retrieved 18 July 2011. Jump up ^ `` No. 58557 ''. The London Gazette ( Supplement ). 29 December 2007. p. 4. Jump up ^ Barratt 2006, p. 1. ^ Jump up to : `` Ian McKellen From the Beginning ''. Ian McKellen Official Website. Retrieved 5 January 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Pierless Youth ''. The Sunday Times Magazine. 2 January 1977. Retrieved 5 January 2014. Jump up ^ Gold, Matea ( 14 November 2009 ). `` Full Interview with McKellen ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Sir Ian McKellen featured article ''. TheGenealogist. Retrieved 24 January 2017. Jump up ^ Ian McKellen : an unofficial biography, Mark Barratt, Virgin Books, 2005, p. 2 Jump up ^ `` Ian McKellen traces roots to Ballymena ''. UTV. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2013. ^ Jump up to : Steele, Bruce C. ( 11 December 2001 ). `` The Knight 's Crusade ''. The Advocate. pp. 36 -- 38, 40 -- 45. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2009. Jump up ^ Adams, Stephen ( 30 November 2009 ). `` McKellen about his stepmother ''. The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 January 2014. Jump up ^ http://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/2643671/sir-ian-mckellen-who-do-you-think-you-are/ Jump up ^ `` Famous Old Boltonians ''. Bolton School. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2009. Jump up ^ `` Bolton Little Theatre ''. Bolton Little Theatre. Retrieved 14 June 2009. Jump up ^ Curtis, Nick ( 9 December 2005 ). `` Panto 's grandest Dame ''. Evening Standard. London. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2010. Jump up ^ J.W. Braun, The Lord of the Films ( ECW Press, 2009 ) ^ Jump up to : Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 8 December 2002. No. 5, season 9 ^ Jump up to : Trowbridge, Simon ( 2008 ). Stratfordians. Oxford, England : Editions Albert Creed. pp. 338 -- 343. ISBN 978 - 0 - 9559830 - 1 - 6. Jump up ^ `` Marlowe Chronology ''. Cambridge University Marlowe Dramatic Society. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2010. ^ Jump up to : Drabble, Margaret ( 1993 ). `` Stratford revisited ''. In Novy, Marianne. Cross-cultural performances : differences in women 's re-visions of Shakespeare. Urbana : University of Illinois Press. p. 130. ISBN 0 - 252 - 06323 - 6. Jump up ^ Steven, Alasdair ( 6 September 2012 ). `` Obituary : Toby Robertson, OBE, theatre director ''. The Scotsman. The Scotsman. Retrieved 2013 - 09 - 16. Jump up ^ Paddock, Terri ( 31 October 2008 ). `` McKellen & Stewart Wait in Haymarket Godot ''. Whatsonstage.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2009. Jump up ^ Wolf, Matt ( 7 May 2009 ). `` McKellen and Stewart Deliver a ' Godot ' With a Difference ''. New York Times. Retrieved 8 July 2009. Jump up ^ `` The Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain ''. Littletheatreguild.org. Retrieved 15 December 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` BBC News -- Paralympics : Games opening promises ' journey of discovery ' ''. BBC News. 29 August 2012. Jump up ^ Cosmopolitan -- `` Ian McKellen bursts into film '' -- May 1981 Jump up ^ `` Six Degrees of Separation ( 1993 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 June 2009. Jump up ^ `` Ian McKellen ''. Emmy Award. n.d. Retrieved 24 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` Richard III ( 1995 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 June 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` Notes ''. Ian McKellen Official Website. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2009. Jump up ^ Empire, May 2006 Jump up ^ `` A Rich ' Richard III ' Rules ''. The Washington Post. 19 January 1996. Jump up ^ `` Apt Pupil ( 1998 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 June 2009. Jump up ^ `` 2000 's ''. Ian McKellen Official Website. Retrieved 25 April 2008. Jump up ^ Rottenberg, Josh ( 10 January 2011 ). `` Hobbit ' scoop : Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis on board ''. Insidemovies.ew.com. Retrieved 18 July 2011. Jump up ^ `` Adrian Salpeter interviews Ian McKellen about Emile ''. Ian McKellen Official Website. Retrieved 27 June 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` '' Ian McKellen Unable to Suspend Disbelief While Reading the Bible. `` ''. Archived from the original on 14 June 2006. Retrieved 20 May 2006. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Us Weekly. 17 May 2006. Jump up ^ Wilson, Benji ( 11 April 2010 ). `` The Prisoner : remake of a 1960s TV classic ''. The Sunday Times. London. Jump up ^ `` Vicious ''. ITV Press Centre. ITV. Retrieved 4 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` ' Vicious ' renewed for second series by ITV, ' Job Lot ' moving to ITV2 ''. Digital Spy. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2013. Jump up ^ `` The Five ( ish ) Doctors Reboot '', BBC programmes, retrieved 26 November 2013 Jump up ^ Keyes, Rob ( 27 November 2012 ). `` Patrick Stewart & Ian McKellen Join ' X-Men : Days of Future Past ' ''. Screenrant. Retrieved 28 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` Ian McKellen : ' Working with Anthony Hopkins was bliss ' - BBC News ''. Bbc.co.uk. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015. Jump up ^ Kroll, Justin ( April 10, 2015 ). `` Ian McKellen to Play Cogsworth in Disney 's ' Beauty and the Beast ' ( EXCLUSIVE ) ''. Variety. Retrieved April 11, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Ian McKellen profile at Tiscali ''. Tiscali Film and TV. Archived from the original on 17 February 2005. Retrieved 11 April 2005. Jump up ^ `` Sir Ian McKellen ''. The Times. London. 27 August 2005. Retrieved 10 September 2005. Jump up ^ `` The Grapes History '', thegrapes.co.uk. Jump up ^ `` Famous atheists and their beliefs ''. cnn.com. Retrieved 12 November 2015. Jump up ^ Correspondence with Ian McKellen -- Vegetarianism from Ian McKellen Official Website. Retrieved 4 February 2008. Jump up ^ `` Artist winners Prize Citizen of the World ''. Institut Citoyen du Cinéma Jump up ^ `` The stars of The Lord of the Rings trilogy reach their journey 's end ''. SciFi.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2007. Jump up ^ Noah, Sherna ( 11 December 2012 ). `` Sir Ian McKellen speaks of prostate cancer shock ''. The Independent. London. Retrieved 5 August 2013. Jump up ^ Gwynedd, Myrddin ( 14 December 2012 ). `` Ian McKellen clarifies prostate cancer reports ''. The New Zealand Herald. APN New Zealand. Retrieved 2 September 2014. Jump up ^ `` Patrick Stewart 's Wedding and Ian McKellen - TIME.com ''. TIME.com. 19 March 2013. Jump up ^ `` Sir Ian McKellen officiates Sir Patrick Stewart and Sunny Ozell 's wedding -- Metro News ''. Metro. Jump up ^ `` Honorary degrees 2014 ''. Cambridge University Alumni News. Retrieved 19 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` Sir Ian McKellen receives Freedom of the City of London ''. cityoflondon.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Jump up ^ Emeritus Fellows Jump up ^ An archived recording of the programme is online : `` Third Ear : Section 28 '', BBC Radio 3, 27 January 1988 Jump up ^ `` When gay became a four - letter word ''. BBC. 20 January 2000. Retrieved 5 January 2010. Jump up ^ `` Third Ear : Section 28 '', BBC Radio 3, 27 January 1988 Jump up ^ Mendelsohn, Scott, `` Ian McKellen '', BOMB Magazine. Fall 1998. Retrieved on ( 18 July 2012. ) Jump up ^ 10 things we did n't know this time last week. BBC News. 14 November 2003. Jump up ^ `` ' Section 28 ' ''. Ian McKellen Official Website. 1 July 1988. Retrieved 20 August 2015. Jump up ^ `` Activism ''. Ian McKellen Official Website. Retrieved 13 July 2008. ^ Jump up to : `` Ian McKellen becomes the Albert Kennedy Trust 's new patron ''. The Albert Kennedy Trust. 5 January 2007. Archived from the original on 11 February 2007. ^ Jump up to : `` LGBT History Month 2007 PreLaunch ''. LGBT History Month. 20 November 2006. Jump up ^ `` Aim High ''. the Lesbian & Gay Foundation. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2009. Jump up ^ Toby. `` Home ''. fflag.org.uk. Jump up ^ QTV news coverage of San Francisco Pride Parade 2002 incl. McKellen interview snippet Jump up ^ `` Sir Ian becomes gay pride patron ''. BBC News. 10 May 2006. Retrieved 5 January 2014. Jump up ^ Hudson, Chrys ( 22 October 2007 ). `` Ian McKellen 's gay comment causes a stir on Singaporean TV ''. GMax.co.za. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2017. Jump up ^ `` Ian McKellen. '' Out. December 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2009. Jump up ^ Staff Writer. `` Ian McKellen backs Liverpool anti-homophobia effort ''. Pink News. Retrieved 20 June 2012. Jump up ^ Advocate.com Editors. `` McKellen Calls Moscow Mayor a Coward News ''. The Advocate. Archived from the original on 28 May 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011. CS1 maint : Extra text : authors list ( link ) Jump up ^ `` World Pride Power List 2014 ''. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Jump up ^ Sweney, Mark ( 19 April 2010 ). `` Hollywood actors star in Age UK ad ''. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 21 April 2010. Jump up ^ `` Cricket : ' Fill the Basin ' teams named ''. The New Zealand Herald. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Hollywood vs Wellywood fills The Basin ''. New Zealand.com. Tourism New Zealand. 14 March 2011. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014. Jump up ^ Panoptic Artifex -- Christopher Baima & Greg Sweet ( 15 September 2013 ). `` Honorary Board ''. Only Make Believe. Retrieved 5 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Ian McKellen Makes Magic... Through Charity ''. Entertainment Weekly. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2014. Jump up ^ Kornowski, Liat ( 6 November 2013 ). `` Ian McKellen Strips To His Undies at the Only Make Believe Gala ''. Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 5 January 2014. Jump up ^ RadioLIVE. `` Sir Ian McKellen on fundraising for the Isaac Theatre Royal ''. MediaWorks. Retrieved 13 April 2012. Jump up ^ Cavendish, Dominic ( 2017 - 07 - 03 ). `` Ian McKellen at Park Theatre review : the secret of his success is not lofty knightliness but spry mateyness ''. The Telegraph. ISSN 0307 - 1235. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ Ian McKellen, Alan Bates, Hugh Hudson, et al. For Ian Charleson : A Tribute. London : Constable and Company, 1990. pp. 125 -- 130. Jump up ^ White, Michael ( 20 June 2011 ). `` How to deal with the very worst concert nuisances ''. The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 24 June 2011. Jump up ^ Jim Pritchard ( July 2010 ). `` Verdi, La traviata : Soloists, chorus and orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Conductor : Yves Abel. Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 8.7. 2010 ''. MusicWeb International. Retrieved 24 June 2011. Jump up ^ Staff ( 6 March 2003 ). `` Dance of Death, Lyric Shaftesbury ''. BBC London. Retrieved 10 November 2008. Jump up ^ Barclay, Alison ( 7 May 2010 ). `` Sir Ian McKellen is mistaken for a tramp on a Melbourne bench between Waiting for Godot rehearsals ''. Herald Sun. Retrieved 17 May 2010. Jump up ^ `` Letters Live : Epistolary Joy At Freemasons ' Hall ''. Londonist. Jump up ^ `` BBC Sherlock star, X Files actor and a host of other celebrities perform at charity event for the Reading Agency ''. The Guardian. Jump up ^ Crompton, Sarah ( 30 May 2014 ). `` Letters Live at Hay Festival ''. The Telegraph. London. Jump up ^ `` Ian Mckellen in Heart Album ''. Retrieved 8 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Ian Mckellen reads ' Falling Out of Reach ' ''. Retrieved 8 January 2014. Jump up ^ Martin, Dan ( 14 April 2010 ). `` Scissor Sisters collaborate with Ian McKellen : Lord of the Rings actor appears on final track of Scissor Sisters ' long - awaited third album, Night Work ''. The Observer. London. Jump up ^ Graham, Daniella ( 29 October 2014 ). `` Sir Ian McKellen totally outshines George Ezra in Listen to the Man video ''. Metro. Retrieved 12 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Ian McKellen reads Chronicles of Ancient Darkness ''. Retrieved 8 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Ian McKellen reads Spirit Walker ''. Retrieved 8 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Ian McKellen reads Soul Eater ''. Retrieved 8 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Ian McKellen reads Outcast ''. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` McKellen reads Oath Breaker ''. Retrieved 8 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` McKellen reads Ghost Hunter ''. Retrieved 8 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` McKellen reading The Odyssey ''. Retrieved 8 January 2014. Sources Biography portal North West England portal LGBT portal Shakespeare portal Theatre portal Film portal Television portal Radio portal Barratt, Mark ( 2006 ). Ian McKellen : An Unofficial Biography. London : Virgin Books. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7535 - 1074 - 2. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ian McKellen. The papers of Sir Ian McKellen, actor are held by the Victoria and Albert Museum Theatre and Performance Department. Ian McKellen at the Internet Broadway Database Ian McKellen on IMDb Ian McKellen at Box Office Mojo Ian McKellen at the British Film Institute 's Screenonline Biography of Sir Ian McKellen, CH, CBE, Debrett 's Awards for Ian McKellen Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production Hank Azaria / Ming - Na ( 1998 ) Eli Marienthal ( 1999 ) Tim Allen / Joan Cusack ( 2000 ) Eddie Murphy / Eartha Kitt ( 2001 ) Daveigh Chase ( 2002 ) Ellen DeGeneres ( 2003 ) Brad Bird ( 2004 ) Peter Sallis ( 2005 ) Ian McKellen ( 2006 ) Ian Holm ( 2007 ) Dustin Hoffman ( 2008 ) Jennifer Cody ( 2009 ) Jay Baruchel ( 2010 ) Bill Nighy ( 2011 ) Alan Tudyk ( 2012 ) Josh Gad ( 2013 ) Ben Kingsley ( 2014 ) Phyllis Smith ( 2015 ) Jason Bateman / Auli'i Cravalho ( 2016 ) BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film Ray Winstone ( 1998 ) Ian McKellen ( 1999 ) Daniel Craig ( 2000 ) Ben Kingsley ( 2001 ) James Nesbitt ( 2002 ) Chiwetel Ejiofor ( 2003 ) Phil Davis ( 2004 ) Ralph Fiennes ( 2005 ) Tony Curran ( 2006 ) Viggo Mortensen ( 2007 ) Michael Fassbender ( 2008 ) Tom Hardy ( 2009 ) Colin Firth ( 2010 ) Michael Fassbender ( 2011 ) Toby Jones ( 2012 ) James McAvoy ( 2013 ) Brendan Gleeson ( 2014 ) Tom Hardy ( 2015 ) Dave Johns ( 2016 ) Critics ' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor Kevin Bacon ( 1995 ) Geoffrey Rush ( 1996 ) Jack Nicholson ( 1997 ) Ian McKellen ( 1998 ) Russell Crowe ( 1999 ) Russell Crowe ( 2000 ) Russell Crowe ( 2001 ) Daniel Day - Lewis / Jack Nicholson ( 2002 ) Sean Penn ( 2003 ) Jamie Foxx ( 2004 ) Philip Seymour Hoffman ( 2005 ) Forest Whitaker ( 2006 ) Daniel Day - Lewis ( 2007 ) Sean Penn ( 2008 ) Jeff Bridges ( 2009 ) Colin Firth ( 2010 ) George Clooney ( 2011 ) Daniel Day - Lewis ( 2012 ) Matthew McConaughey ( 2013 ) Michael Keaton ( 2014 ) Leonardo DiCaprio ( 2015 ) Casey Affleck ( 2016 ) Critics ' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble ( 2001 -- 2009 ) Gosford Park ( 2001 ) : Eileen Atkins, Bob Balaban, Alan Bates, Charles Dance, Stephen Fry, Michael Gambon, Richard E. Grant, Tom Hollander, Derek Jacobi, Kelly Macdonald, Helen Mirren, Jeremy Northam, Clive Owen, Ryan Phillippe, Maggie Smith, Geraldine Somerville, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sophie Thompson, Emily Watson, James Wilby Chicago ( 2002 ) : Christine Baranski, Ekaterina Shchelkanova, Taye Diggs, Denise Faye, Colm Feore, Richard Gere, Deidre Goodwin, Queen Latifah, Lucy Liu, Susan Misner, Mýa, John C. Reilly, Dominic West, Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta - Jones The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King ( 2003 ) : Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Bernard Hill, Ian Holm, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, John Noble, Miranda Otto, John Rhys - Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham, Elijah Wood Sideways ( 2004 ) : Thomas Haden Church, Paul Giamatti, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh Crash ( 2005 ) : Christopher `` Ludacris '' Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe, Larenz Tate Little Miss Sunshine ( 2006 ) : Alan Arkin, Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Greg Kinnear Hairspray ( 2007 ) : Nikki Blonsky, Amanda Bynes, Paul Dooley, Zac Efron, Allison Janney, Elijah Kelley, Queen Latifah, James Marsden, Michelle Pfeiffer, Brittany Snow, Jerry Stiller, John Travolta, Christopher Walken Milk ( 2008 ) : Josh Brolin, Joseph Cross, James Franco, Victor Garber, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, Denis O'Hare, Sean Penn, Alison Pill Inglourious Basterds ( 2009 ) : Daniel Brühl, August Diehl, Julie Dreyfus, Michael Fassbender, Sylvester Groth, Jacky Ido, Diane Kruger, Mélanie Laurent, Denis Ménochet, Mike Myers, Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Til Schweiger, Rod Taylor, Christoph Waltz, Martin Wuttke ( 2010 -- present ) The Fighter ( 2010 ) : Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Jack McGee, Mark Wahlberg The Help ( 2011 ) : Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Chris Lowell, Ahna O'Reilly, Sissy Spacek, Octavia Spencer, Mary Steenburgen, Emma Stone, Cicely Tyson, Mike Vogel Silver Linings Playbook ( 2012 ) : Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Anupam Kher, Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Tucker, Jacki Weaver American Hustle ( 2013 ) : Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Louis C.K., Bradley Cooper, Jack Huston, Jennifer Lawrence, Alessandro Nivola, Michael Peña, Jeremy Renner, Elisabeth Röhm, Shea Whigham Birdman or ( The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance ) ( 2014 ) : Zach Galifianakis, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts Spotlight ( 2015 ) : Billy Crudup, Brian d'Arcy James, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci Moonlight ( 2016 ) : Mahershala Ali, Patrick Decile, Alex R. Hibbert, Naomie Harris, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monáe, Jaden Piner, Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance Ian McKellen ( 1984 ) Whoopi Goldberg ( 1985 ) Eric Bogosian ( 1986 ) Barbara Cook ( 1987 ) -- ( 1988 ) -- ( 1989 ) Robert Morse ( 1990 ) Eileen Atkins ( 1991 ) Patrick Stewart ( 1992 ) Anna Deavere Smith ( 1993 ) Anna Deavere Smith ( 1994 ) James Lecesne ( 1995 ) Mary Louise Wilson ( 1996 ) Fiona Shaw ( 1997 ) John Leguizamo ( 1998 ) David Hare ( 1999 ) Dame Edna Everage ( 2000 ) Pamela Gien ( 2001 ) Elaine Stritch ( 2002 ) Tovah Feldshuh ( 2003 ) Jefferson Mays ( 2004 ) Billy Crystal ( 2005 ) Antony Sher ( 2006 ) Vanessa Redgrave ( 2007 ) Laurence Fishburne ( 2008 ) Lorenzo Pisoni ( 2009 ) Jim Brochu ( 2010 ) John Leguizamo ( 2011 ) Cillian Murphy ( 2012 ) Michael Urie ( 2013 ) John Douglas Thompson ( 2014 ) Benjamin Scheuer ( 2015 ) Jesse Tyler Ferguson ( 2016 ) Ed Dixon ( 2017 ) Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play Anthony Hopkins ( 1975 ) John Wood ( 1976 ) Al Pacino ( 1977 ) Barnard Hughes ( 1978 ) Philip Anglim ( 1979 ) John Rubinstein ( 1980 ) Ian McKellen ( 1981 ) Christopher Plummer ( 1982 ) Harvey Fierstein ( 1983 ) Dustin Hoffman ( 1984 ) John Lithgow ( 1985 ) Ed Harris ( 1986 ) James Earl Jones ( 1987 ) Ron Silver ( 1988 ) Philip Bosco ( 1989 ) Nathan Lane ( 1990 ) Ron Rifkin ( 1991 ) Brian Bedford ( 1992 ) Ron Leibman ( 1993 ) Brian Bedford ( 1994 ) Ralph Fiennes ( 1995 ) Frank Langella ( 1996 ) David Morse / Christopher Plummer ( 1997 ) Anthony LaPaglia ( 1998 ) Brian Dennehy ( 1999 ) Stephen Dillane ( 2000 ) Richard Easton ( 2001 ) Alan Bates ( 2002 ) Eddie Izzard ( 2003 ) Kevin Kline ( 2004 ) Brían F. O'Byrne ( 2005 ) Richard Griffiths ( 2006 ) Frank Langella ( 2007 ) Mark Rylance ( 2008 ) Geoffrey Rush ( 2009 ) Liev Schreiber ( 2010 ) Bobby Cannavale ( 2011 ) James Corden ( 2012 ) Tracy Letts ( 2013 ) Bryan Cranston ( 2014 ) Alex Sharp ( 2015 ) Frank Langella ( 2016 ) Kevin Kline ( 2017 ) Drama League 's Distinguished Performance Award Katharine Cornell ( 1935 ) Helen Hayes ( 1936 ) Maurice Evans ( 1937 ) Cedric Hardwicke ( 1938 ) Raymond Massey ( 1939 ) Paul Muni ( 1940 ) Paul Lukas ( 1941 ) Judith Evelyn ( 1942 ) Alfred Lunt ( 1943 ) Lynn Fontanne ( 1944 ) Mady Christians ( 1945 ) Louis Calhern ( 1946 ) Ingrid Bergman ( 1947 ) Judith Anderson ( 1948 ) Robert Morley ( 1949 ) Grace George ( 1950 ) Claude Rains ( 1951 ) Julie Harris ( 1952 ) Shirley Booth ( 1953 ) Josephine Hull ( 1954 ) Viveca Lindfors ( 1955 ) David Wayne ( 1956 ) Eli Wallach ( 1957 ) Ralph Bellamy ( 1958 ) Cyril Ritchard ( 1959 ) Jessica Tandy ( 1960 ) Hume Cronyn ( 1961 ) Paul Scofield ( 1962 ) Charles Boyer ( 1963 ) Alec Guinness ( 1964 ) John Gielgud ( 1965 ) Richard Kiley ( 1966 ) Rosemary Harris ( 1967 ) Zoe Caldwell ( 1968 ) Alec McCowen ( 1969 ) James Stewart ( 1970 ) Anthony Quayle ( 1971 ) Eileen Atkins / Claire Bloom ( 1972 ) Alan Bates ( 1973 ) Christopher Plummer ( 1974 ) John Wood ( 1975 ) Eva Le Gallienne ( 1976 ) Tom Courtenay ( 1977 ) Frank Langella ( 1978 ) Frances Sternhagen ( 1979 ) Roy Scheider ( 1980 ) Ian McKellen ( 1981 ) Milo O'Shea ( 1982 ) Edward Herrmann / Kate Nelligan ( 1983 ) Jeremy Irons ( 1984 ) Derek Jacobi ( 1985 ) Bernadette Peters ( 1986 ) James Earl Jones ( 1987 ) John Lithgow ( 1988 ) Pauline Collins ( 1989 ) Robert Morse ( 1990 ) Stockard Channing ( 1991 ) Glenn Close ( 1992 ) Stephen Rea ( 1993 ) Sam Waterston ( 1994 ) Cherry Jones ( 1995 ) Uta Hagen ( 1996 ) Charles Durning / Bebe Neuwirth ( 1997 ) Brian Stokes Mitchell ( 1998 ) Kathleen Chalfant ( 1999 ) Eileen Heckart ( 2000 ) Mary - Louise Parker / Gary Sinise ( 2001 ) Liam Neeson ( 2002 ) Harvey Fierstein ( 2003 ) Hugh Jackman ( 2004 ) Norbert Leo Butz ( 2005 ) Christine Ebersole ( 2006 ) Liev Schreiber ( 2007 ) Patti LuPone ( 2008 ) Geoffrey Rush ( 2009 ) Alfred Molina ( 2010 ) Mark Rylance ( 2011 ) Audra McDonald ( 2012 ) Nathan Lane ( 2013 ) Neil Patrick Harris ( 2014 ) Chita Rivera ( 2015 ) Lin - Manuel Miranda ( 2016 ) Ben Platt ( 2017 ) European Film Award for Best Actor Max von Sydow ( 1988 ) Philippe Noiret ( 1989 ) Kenneth Branagh ( 1990 ) Michel Bouquet ( 1991 ) Matti Pellonpää ( 1992 ) Daniel Auteuil ( 1993 ) Ian McKellen ( 1996 ) Bob Hoskins ( 1997 ) Roberto Benigni ( 1998 ) Ralph Fiennes ( 1999 ) Sergi López ( 2000 ) Ben Kingsley ( 2001 ) Sergio Castellitto ( 2002 ) Daniel Brühl ( 2003 ) Javier Bardem ( 2004 ) Daniel Auteuil ( 2005 ) Ulrich Mühe ( 2006 ) Sasson Gabai ( 2007 ) Toni Servillo ( 2008 ) Tahar Rahim ( 2009 ) Ewan McGregor ( 2010 ) Colin Firth ( 2011 ) Jean - Louis Trintignant ( 2012 ) Toni Servillo ( 2013 ) Timothy Spall ( 2014 ) Michael Caine ( 2015 ) Peter Simonischek ( 2016 ) Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor -- Series, Miniseries or Television Film James Brolin ( 1970 ) Edward Asner ( 1971 ) James Brolin ( 1972 ) McLean Stevenson ( 1973 ) Harvey Korman ( 1974 ) Edward Asner / Tim Conway ( 1975 ) Edward Asner ( 1976 ) Norman Fell ( 1978 ) Danny DeVito / Vic Tayback ( 1979 ) Pat Harrington Jr. / Vic Tayback ( 1980 ) John Hillerman ( 1981 ) Lionel Stander ( 1982 ) Richard Kiley ( 1983 ) Paul Le Mat ( 1984 ) Edward James Olmos ( 1985 ) Jan Niklas ( 1986 ) Rutger Hauer ( 1987 ) Barry Bostwick / John Gielgud ( 1988 ) Dean Stockwell ( 1989 ) Charles Durning ( 1990 ) Louis Gossett, Jr. ( 1991 ) Maximilian Schell ( 1992 ) Beau Bridges ( 1993 ) Edward James Olmos ( 1994 ) Donald Sutherland ( 1995 ) Ian McKellen ( 1996 ) George C. Scott ( 1997 ) Don Cheadle / Gregory Peck ( 1998 ) Peter Fonda ( 1999 ) Robert Downey Jr. ( 2000 ) Stanley Tucci ( 2001 ) Donald Sutherland ( 2002 ) Jeffrey Wright ( 2003 ) William Shatner ( 2004 ) Paul Newman ( 2005 ) Jeremy Irons ( 2006 ) Jeremy Piven ( 2007 ) Tom Wilkinson ( 2008 ) John Lithgow ( 2009 ) Chris Colfer ( 2010 ) Peter Dinklage ( 2011 ) Ed Harris ( 2012 ) Jon Voight ( 2013 ) Matt Bomer ( 2014 ) Christian Slater ( 2015 ) Hugh Laurie ( 2016 ) Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead M. Emmet Walsh ( 1985 ) James Woods ( 1986 ) Dennis Quaid ( 1987 ) Edward James Olmos ( 1988 ) Matt Dillon ( 1989 ) Danny Glover ( 1990 ) River Phoenix ( 1991 ) Harvey Keitel ( 1992 ) Jeff Bridges ( 1993 ) Samuel L. Jackson ( 1994 ) Sean Penn ( 1995 ) William H. Macy ( 1996 ) Robert Duvall ( 1997 ) Ian McKellen ( 1998 ) Richard Farnsworth ( 1999 ) Javier Bardem ( 2000 ) Tom Wilkinson ( 2001 ) Derek Luke ( 2002 ) Bill Murray ( 2003 ) Paul Giamatti ( 2004 ) Philip Seymour Hoffman ( 2005 ) Ryan Gosling ( 2006 ) Philip Seymour Hoffman ( 2007 ) Mickey Rourke ( 2008 ) Jeff Bridges ( 2009 ) James Franco ( 2010 ) Jean Dujardin ( 2011 ) John Hawkes ( 2012 ) Matthew McConaughey ( 2013 ) Michael Keaton ( 2014 ) Abraham Attah ( 2015 ) Casey Affleck ( 2016 ) Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor Antony Sher ( 1985 ) Albert Finney ( 1986 ) Michael Gambon ( 1987 ) Oliver Ford Davies ( 1989 / 1990 ) Ian McKellen ( 1991 ) Nigel Hawthorne ( 1992 ) Robert Stephens ( 1993 ) Mark Rylance ( 1994 ) David Bamber ( 1995 ) Alex Jennings ( 1996 ) Antony Sher ( 1997 ) Ian Holm ( 1998 ) Kevin Spacey ( 1999 ) Henry Goodman ( 2000 ) Conleth Hill ( 2001 ) Roger Allam ( 2002 ) Simon Russell Beale ( 2003 ) Matthew Kelly ( 2004 ) Richard Griffiths ( 2005 ) Brian Dennehy ( 2006 ) Rufus Sewell ( 2007 ) Chiwetel Ejiofor ( 2008 ) Derek Jacobi ( 2009 ) Mark Rylance ( 2010 ) Roger Allam ( 2011 ) Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller ( 2012 ) Luke Treadaway ( 2013 ) Rory Kinnear ( 2014 ) Mark Strong ( 2015 ) Kenneth Cranham ( 2016 ) Jamie Parker ( 2017 ) Laurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a New Play Paul Copley ( 1976 ) Michael Bryant ( 1977 ) Tom Conti ( 1978 ) Ian McKellen ( 1979 ) Roger Rees ( 1980 ) Trevor Eve ( 1981 ) Ian McDiarmid ( 1982 ) Jack Shepherd ( 1983 ) Brian Cox ( 1984 ) David Haig ( 1988 ) Laurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a Revival Alan Howard ( 1976 ) Ian McKellen ( 1977 ) Alan Howard ( 1978 ) Warren Mitchell ( 1979 ) Jonathan Pryce ( 1980 ) Daniel Massey ( 1981 ) Stephen Moore ( 1982 ) Derek Jacobi ( 1983 ) Ian McKellen ( 1984 ) Brian Cox ( 1988 ) Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance Penelope Keith ( 1976 ) Denis Quilley ( 1977 ) Ian McKellen ( 1978 ) Barry Humphries ( 1979 ) Beryl Reid ( 1980 ) Rowan Atkinson ( 1981 ) Geoffrey Hutchings ( 1982 ) Griff Rhys Jones ( 1983 ) Maureen Lipman ( 1984 ) Michael Gambon ( 1985 ) Bill Fraser ( 1986 ) John Woodvine ( 1987 ) Alex Jennings ( 1988 ) Michael Gambon ( 1989 / 1990 ) Alan Cumming ( 1991 ) Desmond Barrit ( 1992 ) Simon Cadell ( 1993 ) Griff Rhys Jones ( 1994 ) Niall Buggy ( 1995 ) London Film Critics ' Circle Award for British Actor of the Year Alan Rickman ( 1991 ) Daniel Day - Lewis ( 1992 ) David Thewlis ( 1993 ) Ralph Fiennes ( 1994 ) Nigel Hawthorne ( 1995 ) Ewan McGregor / Ian McKellen ( 1996 ) Robert Carlyle ( 1997 ) Brendan Gleeson ( 1998 ) Jeremy Northam ( 1999 ) Jim Broadbent ( 2000 ) Paul Bettany ( 2001 ) Hugh Grant ( 2002 ) Paul Bettany ( 2003 ) Daniel Craig ( 2004 ) Ralph Fiennes ( 2005 ) Toby Jones ( 2006 ) James McAvoy ( 2007 ) Michael Fassbender ( 2008 ) Colin Firth ( 2009 ) Christian Bale ( 2010 ) Michael Fassbender ( 2011 ) Toby Jones ( 2012 ) James McAvoy ( 2013 ) Timothy Spall ( 2014 ) Tom Hardy ( 2015 ) Andrew Garfield ( 2016 ) Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Al Pacino ( 1975 ) Robert De Niro ( 1976 ) Richard Dreyfuss ( 1977 ) Jon Voight ( 1978 ) Dustin Hoffman ( 1979 ) Robert De Niro ( 1980 ) Burt Lancaster ( 1981 ) Ben Kingsley ( 1982 ) Robert Duvall ( 1983 ) F. Murray Abraham / Albert Finney ( 1984 ) William Hurt ( 1985 ) Bob Hoskins ( 1986 ) Jack Nicholson / Steve Martin ( 1987 ) Tom Hanks ( 1988 ) Daniel Day - Lewis ( 1989 ) Jeremy Irons ( 1990 ) Nick Nolte ( 1991 ) Clint Eastwood ( 1992 ) Anthony Hopkins ( 1993 ) John Travolta ( 1994 ) Nicolas Cage ( 1995 ) Geoffrey Rush ( 1996 ) Robert Duvall ( 1997 ) Ian McKellen ( 1998 ) Russell Crowe ( 1999 ) Michael Douglas ( 2000 ) Denzel Washington ( 2001 ) Daniel Day - Lewis / Jack Nicholson ( 2002 ) Bill Murray ( 2003 ) Liam Neeson ( 2004 ) Philip Seymour Hoffman ( 2005 ) Sacha Baron Cohen / Forest Whitaker ( 2006 ) Daniel Day - Lewis ( 2007 ) Sean Penn ( 2008 ) Jeff Bridges ( 2009 ) Colin Firth ( 2010 ) Michael Fassbender ( 2011 ) Joaquin Phoenix ( 2012 ) Bruce Dern ( 2013 ) Tom Hardy ( 2014 ) Michael Fassbender ( 2015 ) Adam Driver ( 2016 ) National Board of Review Award for Best Actor Ray Milland ( 1945 ) Laurence Olivier ( 1946 ) Michael Redgrave ( 1947 ) Walter Huston ( 1948 ) Ralph Richardson ( 1949 ) Alec Guinness ( 1950 ) Richard Basehart ( 1951 ) Ralph Richardson ( 1952 ) James Mason ( 1953 ) Bing Crosby ( 1954 ) Ernest Borgnine ( 1955 ) Yul Brynner ( 1956 ) Alec Guinness ( 1957 ) Spencer Tracy ( 1958 ) Victor Sjöström ( 1959 ) Robert Mitchum ( 1960 ) Albert Finney ( 1961 ) Jason Robards ( 1962 ) Rex Harrison ( 1963 ) Anthony Quinn ( 1964 ) Lee Marvin ( 1965 ) Paul Scofield ( 1966 ) Peter Finch ( 1967 ) Cliff Robertson ( 1968 ) Peter O'Toole ( 1969 ) George C. Scott ( 1970 ) Gene Hackman ( 1971 ) Peter O'Toole ( 1972 ) Al Pacino / Robert Ryan ( 1973 ) Gene Hackman ( 1974 ) Jack Nicholson ( 1975 ) David Carradine ( 1976 ) John Travolta ( 1977 ) Jon Voight / Laurence Olivier ( 1978 ) Peter Sellers ( 1979 ) Robert De Niro ( 1980 ) Henry Fonda ( 1981 ) Ben Kingsley ( 1982 ) Tom Conti ( 1983 ) Victor Banerjee ( 1984 ) William Hurt / Raúl Juliá ( 1985 ) Paul Newman ( 1986 ) Michael Douglas ( 1987 ) Gene Hackman ( 1988 ) Morgan Freeman ( 1989 ) Robert De Niro / Robin Williams ( 1990 ) Warren Beatty ( 1991 ) Jack Lemmon ( 1992 ) Anthony Hopkins ( 1993 ) Tom Hanks ( 1994 ) Nicolas Cage ( 1995 ) Tom Cruise ( 1996 ) Jack Nicholson ( 1997 ) Ian McKellen ( 1998 ) Russell Crowe ( 1999 ) Javier Bardem ( 2000 ) Billy Bob Thornton ( 2001 ) Campbell Scott ( 2002 ) Sean Penn ( 2003 ) Jamie Foxx ( 2004 ) Philip Seymour Hoffman ( 2005 ) Forest Whitaker ( 2006 ) George Clooney ( 2007 ) Clint Eastwood ( 2008 ) George Clooney / Morgan Freeman ( 2009 ) Jesse Eisenberg ( 2010 ) George Clooney ( 2011 ) Bradley Cooper ( 2012 ) Bruce Dern ( 2013 ) Michael Keaton / Oscar Isaac ( 2014 ) Matt Damon ( 2015 ) Casey Affleck ( 2016 ) Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Marty Feldman ( 1974 / 75 ) Jay Robinson ( 1976 ) Alec Guinness ( 1977 ) Burgess Meredith ( 1978 ) Arte Johnson ( 1979 ) Scatman Crothers ( 1980 ) Burgess Meredith ( 1981 ) Richard Lynch ( 1982 ) John Lithgow ( 1983 ) Tracey Walter ( 1984 ) Roddy McDowall ( 1985 ) Bill Paxton ( 1986 ) Richard Dawson ( 1987 ) Robert Loggia ( 1988 ) Thomas F. Wilson ( 1989 / 90 ) William Sadler ( 1991 ) Robin Williams ( 1992 ) Lance Henriksen ( 1993 ) Gary Sinise ( 1994 ) Brad Pitt ( 1995 ) Brent Spiner ( 1996 ) Vincent D'Onofrio ( 1997 ) Ian McKellen ( 1998 ) Michael Clarke Duncan ( 1999 ) Willem Dafoe ( 2000 ) Ian McKellen ( 2001 ) Andy Serkis ( 2002 ) Sean Astin ( 2003 ) David Carradine ( 2004 ) Mickey Rourke ( 2005 ) Ben Affleck ( 2006 ) Javier Bardem ( 2007 ) Heath Ledger ( 2008 ) Stephen Lang ( 2009 ) Andrew Garfield ( 2010 ) Andy Serkis ( 2011 ) Clark Gregg ( 2012 ) Ben Kingsley ( 2013 ) Richard Armitage ( 2014 ) Adam Driver ( 2015 ) John Goodman ( 2016 ) Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture ( 2001 -- 2010 ) Gosford Park Eileen Atkins, Bob Balaban, Alan Bates, Charles Dance, Stephen Fry, Michael Gambon, Richard E. Grant, Tom Hollander, Derek Jacobi, Kelly Macdonald, Helen Mirren, Jeremy Northam, Clive Owen, Ryan Phillippe, Maggie Smith, Geraldine Somerville, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sophie Thompson, Emily Watson, James Wilby 2002 Chicago Christine Baranski, Ekaterina Shchelkanova, Taye Diggs, Denise Faye, Colm Feore, Richard Gere, Deidre Goodwin, Queen Latifah, Lucy Liu, Susan Misner, Mýa, John C. Reilly, Dominic West, Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta - Jones 2003 The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Bernard Hill, Ian Holm, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, John Noble, Miranda Otto, John Rhys - Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham, Elijah Wood Sideways Thomas Haden Church, Paul Giamatti, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh 2005 Crash Christopher `` Ludacris '' Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe, Larenz Tate 2006 Little Miss Sunshine Alan Arkin, Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Greg Kinnear 2007 No Country for Old Men Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Kelly Macdonald 2008 Slumdog Millionaire Rubina Ali, Tanay Chheda, Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar, Madhur Mittal, Dev Patel, Freida Pinto 2009 Inglourious Basterds Daniel Brühl, August Diehl, Julie Dreyfus, Michael Fassbender, Sylvester Groth, Jacky Ido, Diane Kruger, Mélanie Laurent, Denis Ménochet, Mike Myers, Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Til Schweiger, Rod Taylor, Christoph Waltz, Martin Wuttke The King 's Speech Anthony Andrews, Helena Bonham Carter, Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi, Guy Pearce, Geoffrey Rush, Timothy Spall Complete list ( 1995 -- 2000 ) ( 2001 -- 2010 ) ( 2011 -- 2020 ) Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Martin Landau ( 1994 ) Ed Harris ( 1995 ) Cuba Gooding Jr. ( 1996 ) Robin Williams ( 1997 ) Robert Duvall ( 1998 ) Michael Caine ( 1999 ) Albert Finney ( 2000 ) Ian McKellen ( 2001 ) Christopher Walken ( 2002 ) Tim Robbins ( 2003 ) Morgan Freeman ( 2004 ) Paul Giamatti ( 2005 ) Eddie Murphy ( 2006 ) Javier Bardem ( 2007 ) Heath Ledger ( 2008 ) Christoph Waltz ( 2009 ) Christian Bale ( 2010 ) Christopher Plummer ( 2011 ) Tommy Lee Jones ( 2012 ) Jared Leto ( 2013 ) J.K. Simmons ( 2014 ) Idris Elba ( 2015 ) Mahershala Ali ( 2016 ) Society of London Theatre Special Award Laurence Olivier ( 1979 ) Ralph Richardson ( 1980 ) Charles Wintour ( 1982 ) Joan Littlewood ( 1983 ) John Gielgud ( 1985 ) Alec Guinness ( 1988 ) Peggy Ashcroft ( 1991 ) Ninette de Valois ( 1992 ) Kenneth MacMillan ( 1993 ) Sam Wanamaker ( 1994 ) Harold Pinter ( 1996 ) Margaret Harris ( 1997 ) Ed Mirvish / David Mirvish ( 1998 ) Peter Hall ( 1999 ) Rupert Rhymes ( 2002 ) Sam Mendes ( 2003 ) Judi Dench ( 2004 ) Alan Bennett ( 2005 ) Ian McKellen ( 2006 ) John Tomlinson ( 2007 ) Andrew Lloyd Webber ( 2008 ) Alan Ayckbourn ( 2009 ) Maggie Smith ( 2010 ) Stephen Sondheim ( 2011 ) Monica Mason / Tim Rice ( 2012 ) Michael Frayn / Gillian Lynne ( 2013 ) Nicholas Hytner & Nick Starr / Michael White ( 2014 ) Sylvie Guillem / Kevin Spacey ( 2015 ) Kenneth Branagh ( 2017 ) Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play José Ferrer / Fredric March ( 1947 ) Henry Fonda / Paul Kelly / Basil Rathbone ( 1948 ) Rex Harrison ( 1949 ) Sidney Blackmer ( 1950 ) Claude Rains ( 1951 ) José Ferrer ( 1952 ) Tom Ewell ( 1953 ) David Wayne ( 1954 ) Alfred Lunt ( 1955 ) Paul Muni ( 1956 ) Fredric March ( 1957 ) Ralph Bellamy ( 1958 ) Jason Robards, Jr. ( 1959 ) Melvyn Douglas ( 1960 ) Zero Mostel ( 1961 ) Paul Scofield ( 1962 ) Arthur Hill ( 1963 ) Alec Guinness ( 1964 ) Walter Matthau ( 1965 ) Hal Holbrook ( 1966 ) Paul Rogers ( 1967 ) Martin Balsam ( 1968 ) James Earl Jones ( 1969 ) Fritz Weaver ( 1970 ) Brian Bedford ( 1971 ) Cliff Gorman ( 1972 ) Alan Bates ( 1973 ) Michael Moriarty ( 1974 ) John Kani and Winston Ntshona ( 1975 ) John Wood ( 1976 ) Al Pacino ( 1977 ) Barnard Hughes ( 1978 ) Tom Conti ( 1979 ) John Rubinstein ( 1980 ) Ian McKellen ( 1981 ) Roger Rees ( 1982 ) Harvey Fierstein ( 1983 ) Jeremy Irons ( 1984 ) Derek Jacobi ( 1985 ) Judd Hirsch ( 1986 ) James Earl Jones ( 1987 ) Ron Silver ( 1988 ) Philip Bosco ( 1989 ) Robert Morse ( 1990 ) Nigel Hawthorne ( 1991 ) Judd Hirsch ( 1992 ) Ron Leibman ( 1993 ) Stephen Spinella ( 1994 ) Ralph Fiennes ( 1995 ) George Grizzard ( 1996 ) Christopher Plummer ( 1997 ) Anthony LaPaglia ( 1998 ) Brian Dennehy ( 1999 ) Stephen Dillane ( 2000 ) Richard Easton ( 2001 ) Alan Bates ( 2002 ) Brian Dennehy ( 2003 ) Jefferson Mays ( 2004 ) Bill Irwin ( 2005 ) Richard Griffiths ( 2006 ) Frank Langella ( 2007 ) Mark Rylance ( 2008 ) Geoffrey Rush ( 2009 ) Denzel Washington ( 2010 ) Mark Rylance ( 2011 ) James Corden ( 2012 ) Tracy Letts ( 2013 ) Bryan Cranston ( 2014 ) Alex Sharp ( 2015 ) Frank Langella ( 2016 ) Kevin Kline ( 2017 ) VIAF : 84227912 LCCN : n84033818 ISNI : 0000 0001 1462 084X GND : 118860534 SUDOC : 059423099 BNF : cb14018850m ( data ) BIBSYS : 90943418 MusicBrainz : d347cdd8 - 6c14 - 4102 - a635 - 0a8ef92dca05 NLA : 35413794 NKC : js20030220002 BNE : XX1259646 IATH : w6s47tv4 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ian_McKellen&oldid=807623911 '' Categories : 1939 births Living people 2012 Summer Olympics cultural ambassadors Actors awarded British knighthoods Male actors from Lancashire Alumni of St Catharine 's College, Cambridge American Theater Hall of Fame inductees Annie Award winners Back Stage West Garland Award recipients Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe ( television ) winners Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Critics ' Circle Theatre Award winners Drama Desk Award winners Empire Icon Award winners English atheists English people of Scottish descent English people of Northern Ireland descent English male film actors English male radio actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male video game actors English male voice actors European Film Award for Best Actor winners Evening Standard Award for Best Actor winners Fellows of St Catherine 's College, Oxford Former Protestants Gay actors Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead winners Knights Bachelor Laurence Olivier Award winners LGBT entertainers from England LGBT rights activists from the United Kingdom Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Screen Actors Guild Award winners People educated at Bolton School People from Burnley People from Wigan People from Bolton People with cancer Royal Shakespeare Company members English male Shakespearean actors Tony Award winners 20th - century English male actors 21st - century English male actors Freemen of the City of London Hidden categories : Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from November 2016 CS1 maint : Extra text : authors list Wikipedia temporarily semi-protected biographies of living people Use British English from June 2015 Use dmy dates from August 2017 Good articles Articles with hCards BLP articles lacking sources from December 2016 All BLP articles lacking sources Articles with IBDb links Use dmy dates from May 2015 Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLA identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - 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Question: who plays gandolf in the lord of the rings
Answer: Sir Ian Murray McKellen