Ian McKellen is a British film and theater actor. His debut on stage took place back in the sixties. In his homeland, he was recognized as an excellent performer of images from Shakespeare's plays. The actor became known to the Russian audience after the role of the colorful sorcerer Gandalf in the rating trilogy "The Lord of the Rings".
Biography: early years
Ian Murray McKellen was born on May 25, 1939 in Burnley, Lancashire, UK. His father was a civil engineer and his mother was a housewife. Ian became the second child in the family. His older sister later also chose the creative path, becoming an actress.
In 1941, the family moved to Wigan, a mining town in the north of the country. The Second World War soon began. In an interview, McKellen recalled how, as a child, he fell asleep under falling asleep to the sound of bombing.
When Ian was 11 years old, his father was offered a high position in Bolton, northwest Britain. Children and spouse moved with him to a new place of residence. There Ian attended a boys' school, which had a rich theatrical tradition. It was within its walls that he first entered the stage, playing in a play based on one of Shakespeare's plays.
A year after the move, his mother died. The father soon married again. Ian developed a friendly relationship with his stepmother. She became a close friend to him.
McKellen graduated from high school brilliantly. For excellence, he received a scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge. Ian became a student at a prestigious university. In parallel, he played at the university theater.
Career
In 1961, Ian graduated from his studies and went to the town of Coventry, where the local theater offered him a contract to work with a very modest payment. McKellen agreed immediately. At that time, he did not care much about money, the main thing was the opportunity to enter the professional stage. The debut took place in the same year. Iain played in the tragedy "Henry IV". Soon, other theaters began to invite him to work. McKellen played in Ipswich and Nottingham. It was in the last city that he received a fateful role. Director Tyrone Guthrie took him to Shakespeare's Coriolanus. The performance was accepted by the audience with a bang, and Ian was invited to work one of the theaters in London.
McKellen got his debut film role in 1966. He played David Copperfield in the series of the same name. At the dawn of his film career, he participated mainly in Shakespearean film adaptations and in military history films.
Fame outside Foggy Albion came to the actor in the nineties after filming in Hollywood blockbusters. So, he took part in the paintings:
- "The Last Movie Hero";
- "Gone by the Sea";
- Rasputin;
- "Smart student";
- "Gods and Monsters".
For the last film, Ian was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe as Best Leading Actor. The real love of the audience came to him after roles in such films as "X-Men", "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit".
Personal life
Ian McKellen is not married. In 1988, he publicly announced his gay orientation. He is a fighter for the rights of gays and lesbians. Actively promotes same-sex love.
