Ian McKellen

Sir Ian Murray McKellen, KBE (born May 25, 1939) is a highly acclaimed British actor on both stage and screen, regarded by many as the greatest living British actor. His roles have spanned genres from serious Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular action movies. He is also well known as a campaigner for gay rights. For over a decade he has lived in a five-storey Victorian conversion in Narrow Street, Limehouse, London.

First major stage roles

The role that made McKellen famous was his 1969 portrayal of King Edward II of England in the Prospect Theatre Company's touring production of Marlowe's Edward II. The production was controversial for its explicit torture scenes and implicit homosexuality. He later reprised the role for the BBC. In 1972, he founded the Actors' Company with his friend Edward Petherbridge, and this was the beginning of his reputation as a spokesman for actors and the British theatre in general. Between 1974 and 1978, he enhanced his reputation with leading roles in Royal Shakespeare Company productions such as Romeo and Juliet (in which he played opposite Francesca Annis) and Macbeth (opposite Judi Dench).

Related Topics:
1969 - Edward II of England - Prospect Theatre Company - Marlowe - Edward II - BBC - 1972 - Actors' Company - Edward Petherbridge - 1974 - 1978 - Royal Shakespeare Company - Romeo and Juliet - Francesca Annis - Macbeth - Judi Dench

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1978 he met his second lover, Sean Mathias, at the Edinburgh Festival. According to Mathias, the love affair was tempestuous, with conflicts over McKellen's success in acting versus Mathias' somewhat less-successful career. Mathias said that "in those days, the world was far more homophobic, and me being the young, pretty boy — people wouldn't take me seriously as an actor, being Ian's boyfriend." Mathias was 22 when they met; McKellen 39. However, Mathias also says McKellen "did nothing but help me" in his career.

Related Topics:
1978 - Sean Mathias - Edinburgh Festival - Homophobic

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~