Birth nameIan Murray McKellen Birth information25 May 1939, Burnley, Lancashire, England, UK BioOn May 25th, 1939, in the town of Burnley in northern England, Ian Murray McKellen was born. His parents, Denis and Margery, soon moved with Ian and his sister Jean to the coal mining town of Wigan. It was in this small town that young Ian rode out World War II. He soon developed a fascination with acting and the theater, which was encouraged by his parents. They would all bring him to plays, those by William Shakespeare, in particular. The amateur school productions fostered Ian's growing passion for theatre. When Ian was of age to begin attending school, he made sure to get roles in all of the productions. At Bolton School in particular, he developed his skills early on. Indeed, his first role in a Shakespearian play was at Bolton, as Malvolio in "Twelfth Night". Ian soon began attending Stratford-upon-Avon theater festivals, where he saw the greats perform: Laurence Olivier, Wendy Hiller, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Paul Robeson. He continued his education in English Drama, but soon it fell by the wayside as he concentrated more and more on performing. He eventually obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1961, and began his career in earnest. McKellen began working in theatre over the next few years. Very few people knew of Ian's homosexuality; he saw no reason to go public, nor had he told his family. They did not seem interested in the subject and so he saw no reason to bring it up. In 1988, Ian publicly came out of the closet on the BBC Radio 4 program, while discussing Margaret Thatcher's "section 28" legislation which would make the "public promotion of homosexuality" a crime. It was reason enough for McKellen to take a stand, and he has been active in the Gay Rights movement ever since.Ian currently resides in Limehouse, where he lives with his current lover of 8 years, Sean Mathias. The two worked together on the film Bent (1997). To this day, McKellen works mostly in theater, and was knighted by 'Queen Elizabeth' in 1990 for his efforts in the arts. However, he has managed to make several quite successful forays into film. He has appeared in several productions of Shakespeare's works including his well received Richard III (1995), and in a variety of other movies. However, it has only been recently that his star has finally begun to shine in the eyes of North American audiences. Roles in various films, Cold Comfort Farm (1995) (TV), Apt Pupil (1998) and Gods and Monsters (1998), riveted audiences. The latter, in particular, created a sensation in Hollywood, and McKellen's role garnered him several of awards and nominations,including a Golden Globe and an Oscar nod. McKellen continues to work extensively on stage... solidifying his role as Laurence Olivier's worthy successor,having recently scored hits in the London productions of "Peter Pan" and Noel Coward's "Present Laughter".

Heads up U.K. classic horror geeks. It's your lucky day. Michael Mann‘s cult fright flick The Keep is set to get a rare theatrical screening at the London BFI next month. Based on the novel by F.paul Wilson, The Keep was first released in 1983 and starred some of today’s most well know classical actors including; Jürgen Prochnow, Ian McKellen and Gabriel Byrne. A major box office flop on its release, it has now gone on to become a firm cult favorite among horror fans and despite countless calls for one, the movie has yet to receive the proper DVD release it deserves. Booo. For more details on the screening, head over to the BFI’s site.

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Update: Peter Jackson denies any sort of announcement at Comic-Con and says they’re still finishing the script.  They’ve only just started to discuss casting choices.
The first of two Hobbit films doesn’t hit until 2011, but already casting rumors are rampant.  Fans are eager to know who will adventure through the continued world of Peter Jackson under the new direction of Guillermo del Toro.
The La Times’ Hero Complex has been hearing “whispers” of possible actors for the role of Bilbo Baggins.  Since the adaptation is a prequel to the epic trilogy already committed to film, Ian Holm won’t be strapping on the rubber feet again.  Instead the choices include Harry Potter himself (Daniel Radcliffe), Wanted star James McAvoy, and “Doctor Who” David Tennant.
I seriously doubt Radcliffe would tie himself up in another magical franchise this soon after escaping Hogwarts, especially after stating publicly he wants to do smaller,
Jeff Leins

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Daniel Radcliffe could be moving on from the "Harry Potter" series to "The Hobbit". Reporting on the actors rumored to be potentially cast as lead character Bilbo Baggins, Los Angeles Times through its Hero Complex blog listed the 19-year-old actor among other possible candidates, which allegedly include "Doctor Who" actor David Tennant and "Atonement" star James McAvoy.
Should the casting rumor is proven true, the filming schedule may not be favorable to the "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" lead actor. Radcliffe is currently committed to finish the boy wizard franchise with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" on the line, while "The Hobbit" eyes to start production later in the year for a 2011 release.
Geoff Boucher of Hero Complex also noted that there is a possibility that director Guillermo del Toro will be making an announcement of who
AceShowbiz.com

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