Ian McKellen

One of the undisputable greats of British acting, Ian McKellen is best known for his incredible cinematic career in roles as diverse as Gandalf the Grey in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit franchise, Magneto in the X-Men franchise, the eponymous Mr Holmes (2015) and a wide variety of feature films including The Da Vinci Code (2006), Gods and Monsters (1998) and The Golden Compass (2007). He has simultaneously enjoyed a position as one of the nation’s most accomplished Shakespeareans having performed over 20 roles with the RSC after he joined the company in 1974. During his time in Stratford he performed as Romeo, Iago, Leontes and Sir Toby Belch and his performance as Macbeth opposite Judi Dench is widely acknowledge to be the greatest performance of the role ever to have taken place. His titular performance in King Lear (also directed by Trevor Nunn in 2007) was described by Germaine Greer as a “sublime coup de theatre.” His onscreen Shakespeare credits include Richard III (1995), for which he also co-wrote the screenplay, earned him a double BAFTA nomination and a Golden Globe nomination. Elsewhere he was also a key part of the London 2012 Paralympics; performing as Prospero in the opening ceremony to millions of viewers across the world.