Person profile

Ian McKellen

80%Super wokeWoke score · lower is better90% personal • 50% work

Published titles: 5
Crew roles: 0
Cast roles: 5
Profile updated: October 5, 2026
TMDB person ID: 1327

Personal context

Summary

Ian McKellen is an actor known for acclaimed Shakespearean stage work and screen roles including Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and Magneto in the X-Men films. His career spans classical theatre, fantasy, science fiction, and drama. He came out publicly in 1988 while opposing Section 28 and helped found Stonewall, campaigning for LGBTQ rights over several decades. He has also spoken about gay actors’ underrepresentation in the film industry.

Known Work

Published titles

The Critic
2024
as Jimmy Erskine
73%
The Good Liar
2019
as Roy Courtnay
30%
All Is True
2018
as Earl of Southampton