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Ian Murray McKellen was born on the 25th of
May, 1939, in the general hospital of Burnley, Lancashire. His father, Denis
Murray, was a civil engineer, while his mother, Margery Lois (nee Sutcliffe),
looked after Ian and Jean, five years Ian's senior. When Ian was but a few
weeks old, just before WW2 broke out, the family moved to Wigan. With the
Nazis bombing the industrial north of England, Ian would sleep underneath a
supposedly bomb-proof iron table in the dining-room. The Germans never came
close, but disease nearly got him - at the age of three he managed to
survive diphtheria. It's possible this dangerous throat infection changed
his voice forever, thereby contributing to his glittering career.
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The role that made McKellen famous was his 1969 portrayal of King Edward II
of England in the Prospect Theatre Company's touring production of Marlowe's
Edward II. The production was controversial for its explicit torture scenes
and implicit homosexuality. He later reprised the role for the BBC. In 1972,
he founded the Actors' Company with his friend Edward Petherbridge, and this
was the beginning of his reputation as a spokesman for actors and the
British theatre in general. Between 1974 and 1978, he enhanced his
reputation with leading roles in Royal Shakespeare Company productions such
as Romeo and Juliet (in which he played opposite Francesca Annis) and
Macbeth (opposite Judi Dench).
In 1978 he met his second lover, Sean Mathias, at the Edinburgh Festival.
According to Mathias, the love affair was tempestuous, with conflicts over
McKellen's success in acting versus Mathias' somewhat less-successful career.
Mathias said that "in those days, the world was far more homophobic, and me
being the young, pretty boy — people wouldn't take me seriously as an actor,
being Ian's boyfriend." Mathias was 22 when they met; McKellen 39. However,
Mathias also says McKellen "did nothing but help me" in his career. |
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IAN MCKELLEN PICTURES |
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MOST POPULAR
Angelina Jolie
Jessica Alba
Paris Hilton
Scarlett Johansson
Jessica Simpson
Britney Spears
Christina Aguilera
Lindsay Lohan
Shakira
Beyonce
Hilary Duff
ADDITIONS
Miley Cyrus
Rihanna
Hayden Panettiere
Miranda Cosgrove
Selena Gomez
Demi Lovato
Vanessa Hudgens
Ashley Tisdale
Jonas Brothers
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