Born and raised in an industrial area in the north of England, McKellen has been acting professionally since 1961. After graduating from the University of Cambridge and working as an intern for three years with regional British theater stages, he quickly established himself as one of the leading performers of classical roles, including Shakespearean ones. His legendary portrayals of Richard II and Edward II in Marlowe's play won the hearts of audiences and critics at the 1969 Edinburgh Festival.
Searching for the perfect place for artistic creation, McKellen, together with a group of actor friends, created and became a member of the Actors' Company theater group. During this time, he also played excellent roles with The Royal Shakespeare Company, including: Macbeth (partnered by Judi Dench), Romeo, Iago and Toby Belch. He acted in plays by Brecht, Chekhov, Ibsen, Jonson, Shaw and Stoppard.
Successes on stage were followed by successes on the small and big screen. The role of Tsar Nicholas II in the TV series “Rasputin” earned him a Golden Globe. In 1996, he became a co-producer, co-author of the script and played the main role in the film adaptation of “Richard III”. For the title role, he received nominations for a Golden Globe, a BAFTA award and was awarded the title of best actor of the year at the European Film Awards gala. In turn, the role of James Whale, the director of “Frankenstein”, in Bill Codon's “Gods and Monsters” brought him his first Oscar nomination.
Of course, such a rich career also included failures. McKellen has never hid the fact that he doesn't have the best memories of the 1983 production of Michael Mann's “The Stronghold.” The actor not only had to endure hours of makeup for the role of Dr. Theodore Cuza, but also had to endure arguments with the director. They both quickly realized that their artistic visions did not fully coincide.
“Michael Mann told me, 'You're going to play a Romanian scientist.' So I went to Romania to scout and learned to speak with a Romanian accent. On the first day of filming, Michael told me he wanted me to speak with a Chicago accent. Well, I couldn't do it and since “It was getting worse at that moment,” the actor recalled in an interview with Variety.
McKellen met with Bryan Singer when he was planning the production of “Satan's Disciple” based on the novel by Stephen King. Already at the beginning, the director announced with undisguised disappointment that the actor was too young for the proposed role. The two ate dinner and spent it talking. During it, Singer started talking about possible actors for the role he proposed to McKellen. At one point, he quoted the film “Outback Farm” by John Schlesinger and began to ask who played the preacher there. “Me,” McKellen replied shyly. Singer couldn't believe it and asked how he played a character much older than himself. “I'm an actor,” McKellen replied. He immediately got a role in “Satan's Disciple”.
When Singer began preparations for the adaptation of the Marvel comic book “X-Men”, he offered McKellen the role of the mutant Magneto, who wants to annihilate humanity, which he believes threatens people with supernatural abilities. He explained his decision to accept the job based on the subject matter of the paper original. According to him, X-Men stories have always been about minorities, excluded people and tolerance. This appealed to him as a homosexual who for a long time was afraid to talk openly about his sexuality. He played the X-Men enemy in five films.
Although it may seem unimaginable today, McKellen was not the first choice to play the wizard Gandalf the Grey. Director Peter Jackson first contacted Sean Connery. Despite an impressive offer of ten million dollars for each of the films in the trilogy, the Scottish actor refused. He couldn't understand the script sent to him. Christopher Lee also auditioned for the role of Gandalf. The then almost eighty-year-old actor was a huge fan of Tolkien's trilogy. Jackson felt that Lee was too old for the role. So he was offered the role of the wizard Saruman. His next choice was Patrick Stewart, who politely declined.
Jackson, however, saw one of his joint performances with McKellen. Screenwriter Philippa Boyens suggested that he be given the role of Gandalf. The actor has not read any of Tolkien's books. However, Jackson's enthusiasm convinced him to accept the offer. Christopher Plummer was previously considered. “I don't know why I refused,” said the actor in an interview with Conan O'Brian. “Ian (…) was wonderful in this role. He brought a lot of warmth to it, which I probably couldn't do. Mine (Gandalf) would be cold and domineering. And Ian was good and… I hate the son of a bitch,” he joked.
McKellen arrived on the set of “The Lord of the Rings” in New Zealand right after filming on “X-Men” finished. He quickly noticed that Jackson's work style was causing him difficulties. The director wanted the actors' character to reflect on the characters they played, so he constantly supplemented and expanded the script with their suggestions. “It was burdensome. Especially for a theater actor who throughout his entire career respected the script, polished and agreed upon before production began,” admitted McKellen in an interview for Empire magazine.
“I couldn't imagine anyone else playing Gandalf. Of course, I know there are other people capable of playing this role. But since I played him first, I didn't want to part with the role. I also know that many people expected me to come back and play again Gandalf,” said Ian McKellen when asked why he accepted the offer to star in “The Hobbit,” a prequel to “The Lord of the Rings.”
In the end, filming the “Hobbit” trilogy was not at all what the actor expected. “The Lord of the Rings” was shot on location in New Zealand, providing the cast of the trilogy with several years of great friendship and fun on the set. Meanwhile, “The Hobbit” was shot largely in a film studio using green screens. McKellen broke down because of this, but as a 100% professional he fulfilled the contract he signed.
In September 2023, in an interview with Variety, McKellen, then 84, addressed the issue of his possible retirement. “And what should I do? I have never had a period when I did not work, but I am aware that at any moment something could happen to me that would not allow me to work anymore. But as long as my knees are holding me and my memory is working perfectly, why should I continue not to work?” work? I think I'm a pretty good actor now,” said the Briton.