Ian McKellen is one of the most respected English actors known for his stage performances and several award winning films and TV series’. During the early phases of his career, he was known for his Shakespearean plays, before he came to Hollywood. He graduated to films in the late 60s and made his film debut with ‘A Touch of Love’ and after playing some minor and side roles in films, he made his debut as a leading actor with the 1980 film ‘Priest of Love’. From there, Ian McKellen went on doing some notable films such as ‘And the Band Played on’, ‘Apt Pupil’, ‘Gods and Monsters’, ‘Show Boat’ and ‘Frankenstein’.Â
However, at the turn of the century, Ian McKellen experienced true fame after he played some iconic characters in some major film franchises such as ‘The Hobbit’, ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘X-Men’. These are definitely the best Ian McKellen films. He later went on adding some more notable titles to his vast filmography such as ‘The Prisoners’, ‘The Dresser’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’.Â
He also tasted bitter failure as an actor in commercially and critically panned films such as ‘Emily’, ‘Neverwas’ and ‘Asylum’.Â