McKellen was born on 25 May 1939 in Burnley, Lancashire, the son of Margery Lois (née Sutcliffe) and Denis Murray McKellen. He was their second child, with a sister, Jean, five years his senior. Shortly before the outbreak … See more

LGBT rights
While McKellen had made his sexual orientation known to fellow actors early on in his stage career, it was not until 1988 that he came out to the general public while appearing on the BBC Radio programme Third Ear … See more

• List of British Academy Award nominees and winners
• List of actors with Academy Award nominations See more

1965–1985: National Theatre acclaim
McKellen made his first professional appearance in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, as Roper in A Man for All Seasons, … See more

McKellen and his first partner, Brian Taylor, a history teacher from Bolton, began their relationship in 1964. Their relationship lasted for eight years, ending in 1972. They lived in See more

McKellen has received two Academy Award nominations for his performances in Gods and Monsters (1999), and The Lord of the Rings: The … See more

• Barratt, Mark (2006). Ian McKellen: An Unofficial Biography. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 978-0-7535-1074-2. See more