Ian McKellen stars in AMC's "The Prisoner" as the character of Two, the Chief Administrator of The Village, in AMC's reinterpretation of the 1960s cult classic.
Ian McKellen was born May 25, 1939, in Burnley, Lancashire, but spent most of his early life in Wigan. Having developed a growing passion for theatre, he eventually obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1961 and began working in theatre over the next few years. From 1965-1979, Ian starred in a number of theatre productions including "Dr. Faustus" with the Royal Shakespeare's Company, and "The Winter's Tale," "Romeo and Juliet," and "Macbeth"—all at Stratford-upon-Avon & The Young Vic, London. In 1969, Ian also starred in the films "The Promise," "Alfred the Great" and "A Touch of Love." In 1979, Ian was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
Ian McKellen was born May 25, 1939, in Burnley, Lancashire, but spent most of his early life in Wigan. Having developed a growing passion for theatre, he eventually obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1961 and began working in theatre over the next few years. From 1965-1979, Ian starred in a number of theatre productions including "Dr. Faustus" with the Royal Shakespeare's Company, and "The Winter's Tale," "Romeo and Juliet," and "Macbeth"—all at Stratford-upon-Avon & The Young Vic, London. In 1969, Ian also starred in the films "The Promise," "Alfred the Great" and "A Touch of Love." In 1979, Ian was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
In 1981, he won a New York Tony Award for Best Actor in a play for his performance in "Amadeus," where he played the role of Salieri. McKellen also won a London Olivier Award and London Evening Standard Award for Best Actor in 1984 for his part in "Coriolanus" and a revival of "Wild Honey." He then proceeded to appear in "The Cherry Orchard," "The Duchess of Malfi" and "The Real Inspector Hound" all showed at The National Theatre in 1985 where he also starred in the films "Plenty" and "Zina."
In the years from 1989-1992, Ian was featured in the British Drama, "Scandal." He also achieved the London Evening Standard Award for his role as Lago in Shakespeare's "Othello" with the Royal Shakespeare Company at London & Stratford-upon-Avon, and the London Olivier Award for his role as Richard in "Richard III" at The National Theatre. Both awards were for Best Actor.
In 1990, Ian was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his efforts in the Arts. A few years later in 1993, he landed a supporting role in the film adaptation of "Six Degrees of Separation." He was later nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading role by BAFTA in the title role in "Richard III" (1995), a film he also co-wrote and co-produced. His performance was critically acclaimed and he was nominated for a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award, and won the European Film Awards for Best Actor and The Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Film. His work led him to a broader North American audience with performances in "Cold Comfort Farm" (1995), and his television performance in "Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny" (1996), which garnered him two Emmy Award nominations, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture for Television. "Apt Pupil" (1998) and his role in "Gods and Monsters" (1998) also led to a nomination for the Academy Awards Best Actor and a BAFTA.
Next, McKellen was cast as Eric Lensherr in "X-Men" (2000) and later "X-Men 2" (2003). Following this success, he landed the role of Gandalf the Gray in "The Lord of The Rings" (2001), and the following sequels, for which he won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role and a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was also nominated for various awards for this role, including an Empire Award, Academy Award, Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award. In 2002, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (2002) won the Online Film Critics Society Award and Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for the Best Ensemble. A year later in 2003, "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003) won a National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by the Cast in a Motion Picture.
More recently, he has been involved in voicing the role of Doogal in "The Magic Roundabout" (2005) starring alongside Judi Dench. He then briefly went back to the stage and starred in "The Cut" (2006) playing a civil servant at the Donmar Warehouse. Soon after, Ian enjoyed huge success on screen with "The Da Vinci Code" (2006), where he starred as Sir Leigh Teabning, aiding colleague Tom Hanks in his attempt to unravel a worldwide conspiracy involving secret Christian sectors killers. Ian also starred vocally in "Flushed Away" (2006), for which he won an Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production for his performance as The Toad, and completed filming for the "X-Men The Last Stand" (2006). He also was voiced in "Stardust" (2007) and "The Golden Compass" (2007).
In 2008, Ian was cast as the main role in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of "King Lear." Ian's latest stage performance saw him take the role of Estragon in The Royal Haymarket's "Waiting for Godot" alongside Patrick Stewart which opened in April 2009 running for 12 amazingly successful weeks.
Ian McKellen The Prisoner (2009) Ian McKellen The Prisoner (2009) Ian McKellen The Prisoner (2009) Ian McKellen and Jim Caviezel The Prisoner (2009) The Prisoner (AMC) cast Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen The Prisoner (2009) Ian McKellen Pictures
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