Sir Ian McKellen is one of the most prolific actors to grace the silver screen. He has played iconic characters that have been a huge part of pop culture such as Magneto in the X-Men franchise and as Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings franchise. The actor is also a recipient of the Golden Globe Award and a Tony Award.
McKellen is currently eighty-four years old and has stated that he will not be retiring from acting anytime soon, as he feels he is good at it.
Sir Ian McKellen’s Six Decade Long Career
Before becoming a household name as the beloved wizard Gandalf, Sir Ian McKellen started his career on the stage in 1961. He made his first appearance at the West End theatre in 1965, performing the play A Scent of Flowers. He performed as part of Laurence Olivier’s National Theater Company in plays such as Richard II and Edward II.
Though the actor had made appearances in TV and films throughout his career, he gained fame only in the 1990s after he made his screenwriting debut with the film Richard III. The actor also played the titular role and served as an executive producer in the film. He invested his salary as an executive producer to finance the final battle sequence. Though not a success at the box office, the film earned Sir Ian McKellen a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.
After appearing in a bunch of Hollywood films such as Last Action Hero and Jack and Sarah, the actor starred in the period film Gods and Monsters. He starred along with Brendan Fraser in the film and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He lost to Roberto Benigni.
Sir Ian McKellen gained international recognition for playing the supervillain Magneto in Bryan Singer’s X-Men franchise. He appeared as the character in three more films, the sequels X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, as well as X-Men: Days of Future Past, where he was joined by Michael Fassbender, who played a younger version of him. McKellen also starred in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role. He reprised the character in Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy.
Sir Ian McKellen Is Not Willing To Retire
British actor Sir Ian McKellen is no eighty-four years old. He has over six decades of acting and a host of iconic roles under his belt. He has also played Sherlock Holmes in Mr. Holmes and has returned to the stage, performing one-man shows and reviving classic productions such as William Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ and Samuel Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’.
In an interview with the Spanish outlet eCartelera (via Marca), he mentioned that he does not plan on retiring from acting anytime soon. He said,
“I’ve never been out of work, but I’m aware that at any moment something could happen to me that prevents me from going back to work. But as long as the knees hold up and the memory remains intact, why shouldn’t I do it? I really feel I’m quite good at this acting thing now.”
The actor’s The Critic got its initial release on 7th September 2023 and is also expected to make a return as Magneto in the MCU with Deadpool 3. This would mark the actor’s return to the role after ten years.
Source: eCartelera (via Marca)
