Name: Sir Ian Murray McKellen

Date of Birth: May 25, 1939

Hometown: Burnley, Lancashire, England

Education: St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge

Ian McKellen was born in northern England to parents Denis and Margery. Soon after his birth, his family moved to the coal mining town of Wigan, where young Ian lived through World War II. He began to develop an interest in theatre, which his family supported and encouraged by taking him to a stage production of Peter Pan at the Manchester Opera House when he was only three. Later, he said about that experience, "I wasn't over-impressed. For one thing, it wasn't a real crocodile and I could see the wires." Despite his disappointment, he continued to attend plays.

As soon as McKellen started attending school, he began auditioning for plays and as he grew older he began attending theater festivals as well. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961, and began his career working in theatre. His first professional role was as Roper in A Man for All Seasons. He performed lead roles in several Shakespearean plays, including the title role in MacBeth and Iago in Othello, both with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Sir Ian was a well-known actor in British theatre throughout the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.

In 1988, McKellen publicly declared his homosexuality and has been a proud supporter of “Gay Rights” ever since. He was one of the founding members of “Stonewall”, which is one of the UK’s most popular and influential LGBT rights groups. Since “coming out of the closet”, he has had two serious relationships, the latter of which ended in 1988.

In the 1990’s, McKellen's acting career really took off. He landed roles in numerous films and became known among American audiences by starring in Apt Pupil with Brad Renfro. His most popular roles have been Magneto (the X-Men movies), Gandalf (Lord of the Rings trilogy), and Sir Leigh Teabing (The DaVinci Code).

Ian McKellen will be reprising his role as Gandalf in The Hobbit, which will begin production in the Spring of 2010.