by Melissa Haggar
There are few people as adept at acting across a variety of mediums as Ian McKellen (Sir, if you’re doing it right). Whether it be theatre, television or indeed film, McKellen proves his talent and wins over the hearts of audiences (as well as numerous other awards) time after time.
The release of the great actor’s newest feature Mr Holmes, has afforded us an invaluable opportunity to look back at some of his most memorable roles.
There are few people as adept at acting across a variety of mediums as Ian McKellen (Sir, if you’re doing it right). Whether it be theatre, television or indeed film, McKellen proves his talent and wins over the hearts of audiences (as well as numerous other awards) time after time.
The release of the great actor’s newest feature Mr Holmes, has afforded us an invaluable opportunity to look back at some of his most memorable roles.
Richard III
Considering McKellen’s particular talent and aptitude for theatre, it seems only fitting that one of his most memorable performances came from a movie adaptation of the Shakespeare play of the same name. Playing the distinguished title character, McKellen truly took his place on centre stage and proved that he is an acting force to be reckoned with. This impressionable performance managed to garner a BAFTA award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination, although McKellen did not win (sacrilege).
Gods and Monsters
1998 saw McKellen assume the role of James Whale in a drama about the troubled film director of the same name, entitled Gods and Monsters. Centring mainly on Whale’s World War I experience, and featuring reconstructions of the filming of the Bride of Frankenstein, McKellen assumed the form of the troubled Whale. Earning himself his first Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor, McKellen’s performance as Whale was truly inspired, and his on-screen presence undeniably electrifying.
The X-Men Series
Yes folks, quickly go hide all your metal objects because Magneto is up next. Another performance that charmed a generation was McKellen’s role of Magneto, the mutant metal manipulator, who regularly locked horns with Professor X (Patrick Stewart). The duo made for an unstoppable cinematic force, becoming one of the main reasons to watch (and continue watching) the X-Men series as it went from good to worse to better again. With at least one more film to come, it appears McKellen isn’t ready to hang up his helmet quite yet, and considering the phenomenal critical and commercial success of X-Men it would be foolish to
The Hobbit Series
It would be practically criminal not to mention one of McKellen’s most notable roles as the wise and worldly wizard Gandalf in both Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and, more recently, The Hobbit trilogy. When you think of notable wizard on screen there are always two that stick in your mind, with McKellen’s Gandalf being straight up there with Gambon’s Dumbledore. Portraying both Gandalf the Grey and Gandalf the White, McKellen showed multiple sides to his infamous character, and commanding audience attention with his resonating bellows at misbehaving hobbits. Over the course of the six films playing Gandalf, McKellen has garnered a multitude of nominations including an Academy Award nomination and two BAFTA nominations; winning a Critics Choice Movie Award, a Saturn Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his captivating performance.
Stardust
Ed: Nothing to do with Stardust. I just really wanted to share this
OK, OK, we know what you are thinking, but here us out. 2007 brought us the severely underrated fantasy film Stardust, where McKellen turned his talents to voice acting, assuming the role of ‘The Narrator’. This was a bit of a different role for McKellen as his on-screen presence had been so formidable, would he be able to pull off a voice acting role and still capture an audience’s attention? The answer was simply: yes. McKellen, along with Claire Danes elevated the movie to new dizzying heights.
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