how old was ian mckellen during the lotr movies
Apr 04, 2017. 1  Sir Ian McKellen has revealed why he never took on the role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies. 2  The 77-year-old English actor â known for playing Gandalf, another famous and bearded wizard from Lord of the Rings â said he was contacted by producers from Harry Potter to play Dumbledore, but turned down the part. His reason: Richard Harris, who played Dumbledore in the franchise before his death in 2002.