Sir Ian Murray McKellen CH CBE is currently 85 years old (born May 1939) and has been throwing himself around the stage with an energy of someone half his age playing ‘Falstaff’ in Robert Icke’s Player Kings, a new version of Shakespeare’s ‘Henry IV’.
I saw the show in Manchester at the Opera House earlier in 2024 and although a long affair the energy from this man is phenomenal at best. He is taking it all over the UK too until the end of July 2024, having started out in Manchester with it in March 2024.
That is some going, but then again, he is ultimately a northern lad, being born in Burnley, Lancashire, and so is made of the strong stuff.
The interesting thing about the Manchester Opera House is that it was in fact the place where his parents took him, aged three, to see ‘Peter Pan’. I suspect this coming full circle was not a coincidence born out of his love of the north and his roots.
He has won countless accolades, but this isn’t Wikipedia, so I won’t list them all but despite all his well-deserved wins the most incredible fact I simply adore and respect him for the most is being a founding member of Stonewall, the LGBT rights lobby group and his relentless support for LGBT causes.
Above: Me with Sir Ian McKellen after a performance of Player Kings at Manchester Opera House in 2024.
That brief encounter led to a longer one in 2023 when he was touring with Mother Goose, playing the lead role. The show was simply spectacular, funny and made for a very convivial evening. That role, and the subsequent social media images of him in character on his own Instagram account, led to a few less than kind comments from so called ‘fans’ who seemingly took umbrage to seeing ‘Gandalf’ in drag.
Clearly, they missed the fact that that role just confirmed his unwavering ability and breadth of talent that he could afford to such a diverse number of roles.
Always at ease and seemingly with no effort. I was very lucky to be allowed to meet him ‘one to one’ after the show and the warmth and kindness he extended to me will always be remembered. His departing words to me were ‘Thank you so much my ‘luv’.
He once said in an interview of how he feels so at home when he is in the north, citing Manchester, where even the taxi drivers call you ‘luv’. Remarking how wonderful the world could be if everyone were to be equally as friendly. He has a point.
Better known to younger generations as ‘Gandalf’ from the
Lord of the Rings trilogy and ‘Magneto’ from Marvel’s
X-Men he is an aficionado of all things Shakespeare having been taken to his first Shakespeare play,
Twelfth Night by his sister.
In November 2023 I asked him about his time there and if this was the influence for his passion for acting:
“At Bolton School in the 1950s, a number of teachers were also enthusiastic amateur actors. As well as their direction in school plays, I saw them onstage at the Bolton Little Theatre so that, from an early age, I imagined I might follow in their path, acting in my spear time rather than for a living. It all turned out differently once I was at Cambridge and receiving a few flattering reviews in national newspapers”.
So, when did he first realise that he had essentially ‘made it’?
“I think the first defining moment was having completed my 44 weeks of paid work which made me a full member of Equity. It was also pretty exciting to have my name in lights in Piccadilly Circus for ‘Richard II’ and ‘Edward II’ in 1969”.
What advice would he give to new and young actors who are just starting out and trying to make it in the business?
“I encourage young actors to create their own work where possible. After all, any smartphone can be used to make a film, for free. It’s also important to watch others at work, in rehearsal or from the audience. Examining how actors achieve their effects can be very relevant to one’s own work”.
I wanted to send Sir Ian a small gift for all his kindness and indulgences with me over the years and so commissioned a piece of caricature artwork by my dear chum and scribe, Charles Waples, which depicted Sir Ian in several of his iconic roles. I also know he is good chums with another legend and national treasure, Dame Maggie Smith, and so sent him one of her as the Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey, as I know he likes to do the odd impression of her when he gets the chance. He was most appreciative and expressed his gratitude and amusement of the efforts, wishing me best wishes for this special feature.
At the time of writing, it has been reported that Sir Ian had sustained a fall from the stage whilst playing ‘Falstaff’ in Player Kings and although he was treated in hospital, he was given a prognosis of a full recovery. He praised the NHS for his treatment and a few days later was seen on social media dancing with Sir Anthony Hopkins…now that’s a legend.
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