Waiting for Godot Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen

Estragon

Ian McKellen was born 70 years ago in Lancashire and began acting professionally in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry. After a three-year apprenticeship with other regional repertory companies, his West End debut was in A Scent of Flowers, followed by The Promise which took him to Broadway for the first time.In 1969 his Richard II and Edward II stormed the Edinburgh Festival, played two sell-out London seasons and were televised. He was back in the West End as Hamlet after its UK and European tours. Then, in pursuit of the ideal theatre ensemble, he was a founder-member of the touring Actors’ Company.As leading man for the Royal Shakespeare Company, he has played Doctor Faustus, Marquis of Keith, Toby Belch (with Roger Rees), Romeo (with Francesca Annis), Macbeth (with Judi Dench), Iago (with Willard White) and in the premiere of Tom Stoppard’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (with Patrick Stewart). He has starred in a score of modern and classical plays in London, many for the National Theatre under its first director Laurence Olivier and his successors. Most recently for Trevor Nunn at the NT, he was Stockmann in An Enemy of the People and Captain Hook in Peter Pan.This production re-unites him with Sean Mathias, who directed him as Uncle Vanya and in Bent, Dance of Death and twice as Widow Twankey in the Old Vic’s pantomime Aladdin.He has appeared extensively on television, e.g. in Stephen Frears’ Walter, David Copperfield, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Rasputin, Cold Comfort Farm and, most recently, in the ever-running Coronation Street and as himself in Extras.His movies include Scandal, The Keep, Apt Pupil, Jack and Sarah and The Da Vinci Code. In 1966 he co-produced and starred in his film adaptation of Richard III. In The X-Men trilogy, he was Magneto. He received his first Oscar nomination for James Whale in Gods and Monsters and his second for Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. Later this year he returns to Middle Earth to film The Hobbit.After a world tour, he was last on stage in London as King Lear, which concluded the RSC’s Complete Works Shakespeare season.Sir Ian has more than 40 awards for his work on stage and screen and has been appointed Companion of Honour for services to Drama and to Equality. 20 years ago he co-founded Stonewall, which lobbies for gay people in the UK.A complete biography plus writings can be found on www.mckellen.com.

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