Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen

Birth : 1939-05-25, Burnley, Lancashire, England, UK

History

Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He is the recipient of six Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BIF Award, two Saturn Awards, four Drama Desk Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards. He has also received two Academy Award nominations, eight BAFTA film and TV nominations and five Emmy Award nominations. McKellen's work spans genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. His notable film roles include Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies and Magneto in the X-Men films.

Profile

Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen

Movies

Quintessentially British
Self
This unique and cheeky documentary explores Britain and what makes our country great from our traditions to our self-deprecating sense of humour.
The Hobbit: Part 1
Gandalf
Bilbo Baggins is chosen by Gandalf to embark on a quest with 13 Dwarves to reclaim the lost kindgom of Erebor. Thorin Oakenshield leads the company to the mountain and the beast that laid waste to his people and claimed their land. Through mountains, forests and unforseeable dangers, witness the epic quest to reclaim a homeland through the eyes of a Hobbit as he learns the value of courage and friendship in the face of darkness.
On Broadway
Self
An all-star cast tells the inside story of the Broadway theater, and how it came back from the brink thanks to innovative work, a new attention to inclusion and a sometimes uneasy balance between art and commerce. Legends of the stage and screen—including Helen Mirren, Christine Baranski, August Wilson, James Corden, Alec Baldwin, John Lithgow, Viola Davis, Hugh Jackman and Ian McKellen—take us behind the scenes of Broadway's most groundbreaking and beloved shows, from A Chorus Line to Hamilton. Iconic performances by Lin Manuel Miranda, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, James Earl Jones and Mandy Patinkin lead the way on a hurly burly ride through Times Square, once again the main street of American show business in this documentary directed by Academy-Award nominee Oren Jacoby.
Hating Peter Tatchell
Self
The powerful and inspiring true story of the controversial human rights campaigner whose provocative acts of civil diso bedience rocked the British establishment, revolutionised attitudes to homosexuality and exposed world tyrants. As social attitudes change and history vindicates Peter's stance on gay rights, his David versus Goliath battles gradually win him status as a national treasure. The film follows Peter as he embarks on his riskiest crusade yet by seeking to disrupt the FIFA World Cup in Moscow to draw attention to the persecution of LGBT+ people in Russia and Chechnya.
Infinitum: Subject Unknown
Dr. Charles Marland-White
Jane is the subject of a twisted science experiment where she is placed in a parallel world and is forced to find a way to either alter her reality or be stuck in a time-loop, destined to repeat the same test over and over again, with no memory of her doing it before. But with each 'reset' she starts to retain fragments of memory. With clues pointing to the mysterious Wytness Quantum Research Centre, she tries to find a way out. (The film was shot entirely on an iPhone during the UK’s first lockdown.)
Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU
Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU is a one-man stage performance by English stage and screen actor Sir Ian McKellen. The performance sees McKellen reprising roles over his career in the theatre (such as the works of William Shakespeare), on film (such as Gandalf in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings film series) while discussing anecdotes throughout his life and career.
Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet
Sir Ian McKellen reads the poetry, Michael Wood traces the journey on the ground. Together they conjure up the extraordinary life, times and words of China’s greatest poet, Du Fu. In this film, the first to ever be made about Du Fu in the west, Michael follows his tracks by road, train and riverboat. Along the way, he meets ordinary people, dancers and musicians, who help to tell the amazing story of a poet whose words have resonated through the centuries, describing the experiences of ordinary people caught up in war, corruption, famine and natural disasters. "I am one of the privileged. If my life is so bitter, then how much worse is the life of the common people?"
Cats
Gus, the Theatre Cat
A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.
The Good Liar
Roy Courtnay
Career con man Roy sets his sights on his latest mark: recently widowed Betty, worth millions. And he means to take it all. But as the two draw closer, what should have been another simple swindle takes on the ultimate stakes.
The Isle
Associate Producer
1840 and another ship crashes on the rocks of an almost deserted island in Scotland. Three sailors survive the wreck and make it to shore where the few locals take them in as they wait for the mainland boat to come for them. But the sailors' survival story has only just started as they uncover the strange past of the once vibrant island.
All Is True
Earl of Southampton
London, June 29th, 1613. The Globe Theater, ran by the famous playwright William Shakespeare, accidentally burns to ashes. Seriously affected, he stops writing and returns to his hometown, where his wife Anne and daughters Judith and Susanna get surprised to hear he intends to stay there definitively, after two decades working in the capital, neglecting his sincere affections for them.
National Theatre Live: King Lear
King Lear
Considered by many to be the greatest tragedy ever written, King Lear sees two ageing fathers – one a King, one his courtier – reject the children who truly love them. Their blindness unleashes a tornado of pitiless ambition and treachery, as family and state are plunged into a violent power struggle with bitter ends.
McKellen: Playing the Part
Himself
Built upon a 14 hour interview, McKellen: Playing the Part is a unique journey through the key landmarks of McKellen's life, from early childhood into a demanding career that placed him in the public eye for the best part of his lifetime. Using an abundance of photography from McKellen's private albums and cinematically reconstructed scenes, a raw talent shines through in the intensity, variety and devotion to that moment in the light.
The Paul O'Grady Story
Himself
A razor-witted entertainer who found fame as two people - first his drag queen alter ego, Lily Savage, and then as himself. This documentary film charts the unique career of a working class Merseysider whose life away from the spotlight has often been far more dramatic than the consistently successful career he has enjoyed on stage and screen.
Animal Crackers
Horatio P. Huntington (voice)
A family must use a magical box of Animal Crackers to save a rundown circus from being taken over by their evil uncle Horatio P. Huntington.
How a Kite Flies
Mr. Kite (voice)
Sir Ian McKellen voices an alcoholic kite. A down-and-out who prefers to hang around his dingy local strip joint rather than get out into the blue sky. But when memories of happier times come back to haunt him, he decides to take action and try one last flight.
Beauty and the Beast
Cogsworth
A live-action adaptation of Disney's version of the classic tale of a cursed prince and a beautiful young woman who helps him break the spell.
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
Self
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin celebrates one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, following his evolution from a conservative son of the Old South into a gay rights pioneer whose novels inspired millions to reclaim their lives.
Edmund the Magnificent
Narrator
When news breaks that the county pig fete's being revived, the once-legendary Farmer decides to make one final roll of the dice - and invest his life savings in a thoroughbred piglet with which to breed new life back into his now dilapidated farm. But when he puts young Edmund out to breed and the lad abstains, the Farmer's forced on a journey that will challenge everything he thought he knew about pigs, love and the true value of life.
Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage
Self
This documentary celebrates one of Britain’s greatest actors, Dame Judi Dench, and looks back over her remarkable 60-year career.
National Theatre Live: No Man's Land
Spooner
One summer's evening, two ageing writers, Hirst and Spooner, meet in a Hampstead pub and continue their drinking into the night at Hirst's stately house nearby. As the pair become increasingly inebriated, and their stories increasingly unbelievable, the lively conversation soon turns into a revealing power game, further complicated by the return home of two sinister younger men.
Shakespeare on Stage, Screen and Elsewhere with Ian McKellen
Acting legend Ian McKellen discusses his impressive range of Shakespearean performances. Since playing Malvolio in Twelfth Night at 12 years old, Ian McKellen has acted in more than half of Shakespeare’s canon on stages worldwide and screens large and small. In a one-man performance filmed at BFI Southbank McKellen offers his unique insights into the problems and joys of interpreting Shakespeare for the theatre, television, radio and cinema.
Shakespeare on Film
Ian McKellen and Richard Loncraine in conversation about Richard III.
Play the Devil: Making Richard III
Sir Ian McKellen and Richard Loncraine talking about making the film.
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
From the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, David Tennant, Catherine Tate and guests mark the life of William Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of the playwright's death.
The Roof
And Even Yet Another Fan
A brief comedy about a visit from a legendary theatre maker and his legion of fans.
The Dresser
Norman
One fateful night in a small English regional theatre during World War II a troupe of touring actors stage a production of Shakespeares King Lear. Bombs are falling, sirens are wailing, the curtain is up in an hour but the actor/manager Sir who is playing Lear is nowhere to be seen. His dresser Norman must scramble to keep the production alive but will Sir turn up in time and if he does will he be able to perform that night? The Dresser is a wickedly funny and deeply moving story of friendship and loyalty as Sir reflects on his lifelong accomplishments and seeks to reconcile his turbulent friendships with those in his employ before the final curtain.
X-Men: Unguarded
Self
The film's all-star ensemble cast joins director Bryan Singer and screenwriter Simon Kinberg to share their favorite stories from the set.
Mr. Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
In 1947, long-retired and near the end of his life, Sherlock Holmes grapples with an unreliable memory and must rely on his housekeeper's son as he revisits the still-unsolved case that led to his retirement.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Gandalf
Immediately after the events of The Desolation of Smaug, Bilbo and the dwarves try to defend Erebor's mountain of treasure from others who claim it: the men of the ruined Laketown and the elves of Mirkwood. Meanwhile an army of Orcs led by Azog the Defiler is marching on Erebor, fueled by the rise of the dark lord Sauron. Dwarves, elves and men must unite, and the hope for Middle-Earth falls into Bilbo's hands.
X-Men: Reunited
Himself
This making-of piece looks at the genesis of this project and how Singer wanted to reunite the original cast again.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto
The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods as they join forces with their younger selves in an epic battle that must change the past – to save our future.
Miss in Her Teens
The Prologue
An adaptation of David Garrick's 1747 afterpiece, this lighthearted comedy follows Miss Biddy Bellair as she pits her suitors against eachother in order to find true love.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Gandalf
The Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf have successfully escaped the Misty Mountains, and Bilbo has gained the One Ring. They all continue their journey to get their gold back from the Dragon, Smaug.
The Wolverine: Path of a Ronin
Self
A nice exploration of the samurai-ninja aspect of the story, including its roots in the actual Marvel comic books. There are the requisite interviews with the principal cast and crew along with copious clips from the film as well as some behind the scenes footage (including a look at that supercool metallic bed that the elderly Yashida lies on in the lab in his fortress).
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
Himself
With the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who about to film, the "classic" Doctors Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy are keen to be involved. But do they manage it?
Muse of Fire
Self
Funny, passionate, exciting, and smart: ‘Muse Of Fire’ will change the way you feel about Shakespeare forever. This unique feature documentary follows two actors, Giles Terera and Dan Poole, as they travel the world to find out everything they can about tackling the greatest writer of them all. Together they have directed and produced an inspiring film that aims to demystify and illuminate Shakespeare’s work for everyone: from actors, directors and students of all disciplines, right through to the? man on the street? Denmark with Jude Law, Baz Luhrmann in Hollywood, Prison in Berlin, and on the street with Mark Rylance. Think Shakespeare is boring? Think again!
The Wolverine
Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (uncredited)
Wolverine faces his ultimate nemesis - and tests of his physical, emotional, and mortal limits - in a life-changing voyage to modern-day Japan.
The Egg Trick
Magician
Do you know the joke about the broken egg?
Doctor Who: The Snowmen
The Great Intelligence (voice)
The Doctor has retired to 1892 London. Despite the protests of his allies, he is determined to keep out of mankind's affairs. However, a governess named Clara has stumbled upon a plot which only the Doctor can unravel, involving the death of her predecessor in ice and the sinister Dr. Simeon, who controls monsters made of sentient snow. And there is another mystery afoot: Clara is the spitting image of Oswin Oswald, whom the Doctor saw die in the Dalek asylum...
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Gandalf
Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit enjoying his quiet life, is swept into an epic quest by Gandalf the Grey and thirteen dwarves who seek to reclaim their mountain home from Smaug, the dragon.
London 2012: Paralympics Opening Ceremony
Himself
The opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic games.
Looking for Lowry
Himself
Looking for Lowry is an entertaining documentary film about the life and work of the much loved British artist L.S. Lowry (1887 – 1976). This contemporary new film illuminates Lowry’s extraordinary vision for the first time in high definition, as we meet those who knew him and those who have been inspired in our post-industrial age by his unique observations of our country and his powerful artistic legacy. Manchester-born rock star Noel Gallagher describes how Lowry’s life chimes with his own: “…for me it’s like when did you first hear the Beatles? Lowry has always been there… I guess all the people Lowry ever met are there in his paintings…”
The Betty Driver Story
Himself (as Sir Ian McKellan)
Lady Grey London
Fourth chapter of the Lady Dior saga starring Marion Cotillard as Lady Grey, a burlesque artist with magical healing powers.
Small-Time Revolutionary
Hamish Miller (voice)
England, 1988. Thatcher, New Order, Section 28, The Kants. Russell finds himself caught between two opposing worlds and needs to decide whether to keep up the appearances or stand up for who he is.
A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation
Narrator (voice)
When his father dies unexpectedly, a young man seeking to cope with his grief goes on a powerful emotional journey through time and space.
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
Self (archive footage)
For decades, Freddy Krueger has slashed his way through the dreams of countless youngsters, scaring up over half a billion dollars at the box office across eight terrifying, spectacular films.
Theatreland
Himself
8 part series behind the scenes at the famous Theatre Royal, Haymarket, with a focus on a production Waiting for Godot featuring Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Ronald Pickup and Simon Callow. Also covers the early stages of Breakfast at Tiffany's starring Anna Friel and Joseph Cross.
King Lear
King Lear
King Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters. But Goneril and Regan have no love for him and instead plot to take all his power from him. In a parallel, Lear's loyal courtier Gloucester favors his illegitimate son Edmund after being told lies about his faithful son Edgar. Madness and tragedy befall both ill-starred fathers.
Fairly OddBaby
Dream
Squidward Tentacles gets a call from his wealthy former high school classmate and rival, Squilliam Fancyson, who has succeeded in everything in which Squidward has failed, including music. Squilliam reveals to Squidward that he has become the leader of a band scheduled to play at a venue called the Bubble Bowl, but he will be busy at that time and so cannot attend. Squilliam derisively suggests that Squidward's band should substitute for his at the Bubble Bowl, correctly believing that Squidward does not have one. However, to impress Squilliam, Squidward defiantly insists that he has a band and accepts the challenge. He assembles a large marching band composed of various Bikini Bottom residents, including SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Mrs. Puff, Larry, Plankton, and Mr. Krabs
The Golden Compass
Iorek Byrnison (voice)
After overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny.
Stardust
Narrator (voice)
In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm. His journey takes him into a world beyond his wildest dreams and reveals his true identity.
For the Love of God
The Jackdaw
'For the Love of God' is the wickedly irreverent tale of Graham (Coogan); an over-grown man-child still living at home under the suffocating glare of his elderly Mother, in her dusty and forgotten Christian bookshop. Graham has a terrible secret - an unholy fantasy - which only he and his Mother's pet Jackdaw (McKellen) know about. Spurred on by the sinister bird and the possibility of consummating his perverse desire, will Graham do the deed before his Mother uncovers the awful truth?
Flushed Away
The Toad (voice)
London high-society mouse, Roddy is flushed down the toilet by Sid, a common sewer rat. Hang on for a madcap adventure deep in the sewer bowels of Ratropolis, where Roddy meets the resourceful Rita, the rodent-hating Toad and his faithful thugs, Spike and Whitey.
X-Men: The Last Stand - Production Diaries
Self (uncredited)
X-Men: Evolution of a Trilogy
Self
A behind the scenes look at the making of the X-Men trilogy made up out of interviews shot during the production of all three films.
X-Men: The Last Stand
Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
When a cure is found to treat mutations, lines are drawn amongst the X-Men—led by Professor Charles Xavier—and the Brotherhood, a band of powerful mutants organised under Xavier's former ally, Magneto.
The Da Vinci Code
Sir Leigh Teabing
A murder in Paris’ Louvre Museum and cryptic clues in some of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery. For 2,000 years a secret society closely guards information that — should it come to light — could rock the very foundations of Christianity.
Saint of 9/11
Narrator
Saint of 9/11 presents the turbulent, restless, spiritual and remarkable journey of Father Mychal Judge. Compassionate champion of the needy and forgotten, a beloved Fire Department Chaplain, rousing Irish-American balladeer and iconoclast, Father wrestled with his own private demons while touching others in powerful and miraculous ways. Mychal Judge knew the pain of loss and suffering. He struggled with alcoholism and was an outspoken AA advocate. Father Judge was a gay man who loved his priestly work. Saint of 9/11 portrays Mychal's life as a spiritual adventure and an honest embrace of life, where alcoholism and sexuality were acknowledged. Saint of 9/11 is the story of a life's journey interrupted. Inspired by his life, the documentary embraces Mychal's full humanity.
Doogal
Zebedee (voice)
This is the story of Doogal, an adorable candy-loving mutt who goes on a mission to save the world.
Asylum
Dr. Peter Cleave
A woman becomes very curious about one of her psychiatrist husband's inmates, a man who was found guilty in the murder and disfigurement of his former wife.
Neverwas
Gabriel Finch
Zach Riley is a psychiatrist, who leaves a job at a prestigious university, to take up a job at the privately run mental institution, Millwood. What he doesn't reveal at the time of his appointment is that this was the very place where his novelist father, T.L. Pierson, spent many years of his life.
The Hobart Shakespeareans
Himself
Rafe Esquith, 1992 American Teacher of the Year and National Medal of Arts recipient, teaches 5th-grade children whose parents don't speak English at a school in a dangerous, poor, drug-infested 100% Latino/Asian neighborhood in Los Angeles.
The Magic Roundabout
Zebedee (voice)
A shaggy, candy-loving puppy named Dougal along with a group of friends embarks on a dangerous journey in an effort to imprison their oppressor -- the evil ice sorcerer ZeeBad (Zebedee's evil twin). As the world is placed in mortal danger Zeebad who wants to turn the world to ice. Doogal and his friends must recover 3 diamonds that are needed to stop him.
Ringers: Lord of the Fans
'Ringers: Lord of the Fans' is a feature-length documentary that explores how "The Lord of the Rings" has influenced Western popular culture over the past 50 years.
Eighteen
Jason Anders (voice)
Pip, a street kid just turning 18, receives his grandfather's World War II-era memoirs and discovers parallels to his own life.
Frodo Is Great... Who Is That?!!
Himself
The documentary looks at the rise to celebrity status of NZ actor and musician Bret McKenzie, who appeared for 3 seconds as an extra in "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", during the Council of Elrond scene. His brief appearance sparked a huge internet fan-base dedicated to his "brooding pout" and "elvish good looks". McKenzie has been dubbed "FIGWIT", an acronym of "Frodo is Great; Who is That!!?"
Peter Tatchell: Just Who Does He Think He Is?
Profile of the life, work and ethos behind one of Britain's most controversial and prolific human rights campaigner: gay UK activist Peter Tatchell.
The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision
Himself
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Gandalf
Aragorn is revealed as the heir to the ancient kings as he, Gandalf and the other members of the broken fellowship struggle to save Gondor from Sauron's forces. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam take the ring closer to the heart of Mordor, the dark lord's realm.
The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men: Making X2
Himself
This is feature-length documentary on the 2-Disc of X2.
X2
Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
Professor Charles Xavier and his team of genetically gifted superheroes face a rising tide of anti-mutant sentiment led by Col. William Stryker. Storm, Wolverine and Jean Grey must join their usual nemeses—Magneto and Mystique—to unhinge Stryker's scheme to exterminate all mutants.
X-Men: Premieres Around the World
Himself
We find notes from Singer, Stan Lee, Stewart, McKellen, Berry, Mane, Davison, Romijn-Stamos, Paquin, Jackman, Janssen, and Marsden.
X-Factor: The Look of X-Men
Himself
The short documentary about X-Men movie is featured on the X-Men 1.5 DVD.
X-Men: The Uncanny Suspects
Himself
The short documentary about X-Men movie is featured on the X-Men 1.5 DVD.
Émile
Emile
In a story weaving the past and present together, Emile seeks redemption from the family he abandoned.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Gandalf
Frodo and Sam are trekking to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power while Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn search for the orc-captured Merry and Pippin. All along, nefarious wizard Saruman awaits the Fellowship members at the Orthanc Tower in Isengard.
Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring
Self
A documentary about the influences on Tolkien, covering in brief his childhood and how he detested the onslaught of industry through the idyllic countryside, moving on to describe his fighting experience from WWI, and closing with a look at the Finnish inspiration for the scholar's self-invented languages of Elfish. In between are interviews with the cast of the films and some clips, by far the most from "The Fellowship of the Ring", but a few glimpses of Rohan riders (from "The Two Towers") are provided. Also, there are interviews with a range of the filmmakers.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Gandalf
Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.
A Passage to Middle-earth: Making of 'Lord of the Rings'
Self
Quest for the Ring
Himself
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
Narrator (voice)
A portrait of the 30 year relationship between Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier. With comments by their friends and family.
X-Men: The Mutant Watch
Himself
While Senator Kelly addresses a senate committee about the supposed mutant menace, we learn about the making of the movie, X-Men.
X-Men
Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
Two mutants, Rogue and Wolverine, come to a private academy for their kind whose resident superhero team, the X-Men, must oppose a terrorist organization with similar powers.
Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man
Narrator (voice)
A child is born. We see underwater swimmers representing this. He is young, in a jungle setting, with two fanciful "instincts" guiding him as swooping bird-like acrobats initially menace, then delight. As an adolescent, he enters a desert, where a man spins a large cube of metal tubing. He leaves his instinct-guides behind, and enters a garden where two statues dance in a pond. As he watches their sensual acrobatics of love, he becomes a man. He is offered wealth (represented by a golden hat) by a devil figure. In a richly decorated room, a scruffy troupe of a dozen acrobats and a little girl reawaken the old man's youthful nature and love.
Now You See Him: 'The Invisible Man' Revealed!
Self
A documentary from Universal about the movie "The Invisible Man" (1933) directed by James Whale.
The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale
Self
Written, co-produced and co-directed by David J. Skal, THE WORLD OF GODS AND MONSTERS is a behind-the scenes chronicle of the making of the 1998 Academy Award-winning film GODS AND MONSTERS starring Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser and Lynn Redgrave. Narrated by author/ filmmaker Clive Barker, the documentary interweaves the life and career of James Whale, director of the original FRANKENSTEIN, with the making of the acclaimed biopic. Interviewees include writer/director Bill Condon (Oscar winner for best adapted screenplay), Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, and Christopher Bram, author of the novel FATHER OF FRANKENSTEIN, on which the film was based.
Apt Pupil
Kurt Dussander
One day in 1984, Todd Bowden, a brilliant high school boy fascinated by the history of Nazism, stumbles across an old man whose appearance resembles that of Kurt Dussander, a wanted Nazi war criminal. A month later, Todd decides to knock on his door.
Swept from the Sea
Dr. James Kennedy
The film tells the story of Russian emigree and the only survivor from ship crash Yanko Goorall and servant Amy Foster in the end of 19th century. When Yanko enters a farm sick and hungry after the shipwreck, everyone is afraid of him, except for Amy, who is very kind and helps him. Soon he becomes like a son for Dr. James Kennedy and romance between Yanko and Amy follows.
Gods and Monsters
James Whale
It's 1957, and James Whale's heyday as the director of "Frankenstein," "Bride of Frankenstein" and "The Invisible Man" is long behind him. Retired and a semi-recluse, he lives his days accompanied only by images from his past. When his dour housekeeper, Hannah, hires a handsome young gardener, the flamboyant director and simple yard man develop an unlikely friendship, which will change them forever.
Bent
Uncle Freddie
Max is a handsome young man who, after a fateful tryst with a German soldier, is forced to run for his life. Eventually Max is placed in a concentration camp where he pretends to be Jewish because in the eyes of the Nazis, gays are the lowest form of human being. But it takes a relationship with an openly gay prisoner to teach Max that without the love of another, life is not worth living.
Surviving Friendly Fire
In the early 90's seventy youth from a Hollywood homeless shelter started a theatre project encouraging them to tell their stories.. The youth ran the gamut of racial, cultural and sexual identities. Only ten completed the project and became performers. This film documents the process. The resulting play, Friendly Fire, was performed at the prestigious Los Angeles Festival before going on to tour high schools throughout the city.
A Bit Of Scarlet
Narrator
A Bit of Scarlet excavates clips from Britain's cinema archives to create a moving and humorous testament to the closeted gay and lesbian images from filmmaking's earliest days.
Rasputin
Tsar Nicholas II
Into an era seething with war and revolution, a man comes with an incredible power to heal a nation...or destroy it. Based on the true story of one of the most powerful and mysterious figures in Russian history.
Richard III
Executive Producer
A murderous lust for the British throne sees Richard III descend into madness. Though the setting is transposed to the 1930s, England is torn by civil war, split between the rivaling houses of York and Lancaster. Richard aspires to a fascist dictatorship, but must first remove the obstacles to his ascension—among them his brother, his nephews and his brother's wife. When the Duke of Buckingham deserts him, Richard's plans are compromised.
Richard III
Screenplay
A murderous lust for the British throne sees Richard III descend into madness. Though the setting is transposed to the 1930s, England is torn by civil war, split between the rivaling houses of York and Lancaster. Richard aspires to a fascist dictatorship, but must first remove the obstacles to his ascension—among them his brother, his nephews and his brother's wife. When the Duke of Buckingham deserts him, Richard's plans are compromised.
Restoration
Will Gates
An aspiring young physician, Robert Merivel found himself in the service of King Charles II and saves the life of someone close to the King. Merivel joins the King's court and lives the high life provided to someone of his position. Merivel is ordered to marry his King's mistress in order to divert the queens suspicions. He is given one order by the king and that is not to fall in love. The situation worsens when Merivel finds himself in love with his new wife. Eventually, the King finds out and relieves Merivel of his position and wealth. His fall from grace leaves Merivel where he first started. And through his travels and reunions with an old friend, he rediscovers his love for true medicine and what it really means to be a physician.
Richard III
Richard III
A murderous lust for the British throne sees Richard III descend into madness. Though the setting is transposed to the 1930s, England is torn by civil war, split between the rivaling houses of York and Lancaster. Richard aspires to a fascist dictatorship, but must first remove the obstacles to his ascension—among them his brother, his nephews and his brother's wife. When the Duke of Buckingham deserts him, Richard's plans are compromised.
Jack & Sarah
William
Jack always lands on his feet. He lands on his feet when he marries the beautiful Sarah. He lands on his feet when he buys a luxurious new home. However, when Sarah goes into labour, he takes a tumble down the stairs and lands on his head. When he comes around he discovers he is the proud father of a baby girl, but deficient in the spouse department to the tune of 1.
Cold Comfort Farm
Amos Starkadder
In this adaptation of the satirical British novel, Flora Poste, a plucky London society girl orphaned at age 19, finds a new home with some rough relatives, the Starkadders of Cold Comfort Farm. With a take-charge attitude and some encouragement from her mischievous friend, Mary, Flora changes the Starkadders' lives forever when she settles into their rustic estate, bringing the backward clan up to date and finding inspiration for her novel in the process.
To Die For
Quilt Documentary Narrator (voice)
Simon and Mark live together in London. When Mark dies of AIDS, Simon gets on with his life rather quickly, too quickly to suit the ghost of Mark, who reappears to disrupt Simon's cruising and then moves back into their flat to prompt Simon to experience and express feelings. Simon is adamant that feelings, especially love, are not for him. Subplots develop as Mark and Simon observe their neighbor Siobhan's love life and as Simon spends his days as a satellite-TV installer partnered with Dogger, a homophobe ignorant that Simon is gay. Is there any key that can unlock Simon's feelings and allow Mark to rest in peace?
The Shadow
Dr. Reinhardt Lane
Based on the 1930's comic strip, puts the hero up against his arch enemy, Shiwan Khan, who plans to take over the world by holding a city to ransom using an atom bomb. Using his powers of invisibility and "The power to cloud men's minds", the Shadow comes blazing to the city's rescue with explosive results.
David Macaulay: Roman City
Augustus Caesar (voice)
The glories of Ancient Rome are explored in ROMAN CITY, based on David Macaulay's acclaimed book. This animated and live-action video recounts life in Verbonia, a fictional city in Gaul. A well-planned town with all modern conveniences, it is threatened by conflict between conquerors and conquered. Macaulay also visits Pompeii, Herculaneum, Ostia, Nimes, Orange, and Rome, to view actual Roman architecture and engineering greatness.
I'll Do Anything
John Earl McAlpine
Matt Hobbs is a talented but unsuccessful actor. When estranged (and strange) ex-wife Beth dumps their daughter Jeannie on Matt, father and daughter have a lot of adjusting to do. His budding relationship with attractive production assistant Cathy Breslow is made complicated, while the precocious child is overly accustomed to getting her own way. Matt eventually faces the choice of family vs career in a particularly difficult way.
Six Degrees of Separation
Geoffrey
The story of a young, gay, black, con artist who, posing as the son of Sidney Poitier, cunningly maneuvers his way into the lives of a white, upper-class New York family.
And the Band Played On
Bill Kraus
The story of the discovery of the AIDS epidemic and the political infighting of the scientific community hampering the early fight with it.
The Ballad of Little Jo
Percy Corcoran
Based on a true story, this is the tale of Josephine Monaghan, a young woman of the mid-19th century who is thrown out of her parents' home after being seduced by the family's portrait photographer and giving birth to an illegitimate child. Josephine quickly learns that young, female, pretty, and alone are a bad combination for life in the wild west. In her desperation to survive, Josephine disguises herself as "Jo", a young man, and struggles to make a life for herself in a dingy frontier mining town. Can "Little Jo" live and love without revealing his/her secret?
Last Action Hero
Death
Following the death of his father, young Danny Madigan takes comfort in watching action movies featuring the indestructible Los Angeles cop Jack Slater. After being given a magic ticket by theater manager Nick, Danny is sucked into the screen and bonds with Slater. When evil fictional villain Benedict gets his hands on the ticket and enters the real world, Danny and Jack must follow and stop him.
Othello
Iago
Noble Moroccan Othello finds his life with beautiful, fiercely loyal Desdemona thrown tragically out of balance when secretly jealous, scheming confidante Iago begins an insidious campaign of lies and treachery.
Countdown to War
Adolf Hitler
Based on a play, the story details the dramatic negotiations between UK, France, Poland, Nazi-Germany and USSR from the day Czechoslovakia fell, until Britain's declaration of war on Germany caused by Hitler's invasion of Poland.
Scandal
John Profumo
An English bon-vivant osteopath is enchanted with a young exotic dancer and invites her to live with him. He serves as friend and mentor, and through his contacts and parties she and her friend meet and date members of the Conservative Party. Eventually a scandal occurs when her affair with the Minister of War goes public, threatening their lifestyles and their freedom.
Zina
Kronfeld
Zina, the daughter of Leon Trotsky by his first wife, is undergoing freudian analysis in Berlin in the 'thirties. Meanwhile Trotsky is in exile in Prinkipo having been driven from power by Stalin. The Nazis rise to power in Germany and Austria and Zina commits suicide.
Plenty
Sir Andrew Charleson
David Hare's account of a one-time French freedom fighter who gradually realizes that her post-war life is not meeting her expectations.
The Keep
Dr. Theodore Cuza
Nazis take over an ancient fortress that contains a mysterious entity that wreaks havoc and death upon them.
Walter and June
Walter
Sequel to the TV film "Walter". In the United States, the two films have been released together on DVD as a package, called "Loving Walter".
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Chauvelin
During the French Revolution, a mysterious English nobleman known only as The Scarlet Pimpernel (a humble wayside flower), snatches French aristos from the jaws of the guillotine, while posing as the foppish Sir Percy Blakeney in society. Percy falls for and marries the beautiful actress Marguerite St. Just, but she is involved with Chauvelin and Robespierre, and Percy's marriage to her may endanger the Pimpernel's plans to save the little Dauphin
Walter
Walter
A man with learning difficulties suffers neglect and ill-treatment, and this is only exasperated when his parents die and nobody seems to know what to do with him. A sequel to this film, titled "Walter and June", was released in 1983 and set 19 years later in time. In the United States, these two are sometimes bundled together under the title "Loving Walter".
Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare
A record of McKellen's one-man Broadway show about the Bard.
Priest of Love
D.H. Lawrence
Following the banning and burning of his novel, "The Rainbow," D.H. Lawrence and his wife, Frieda, move to the United States, and then to Mexico. When Lawrence contracts tuberculosis, they return to England for a short time, then to Italy, where Lawrence writes "Lady Chatterley's Lover."
A Performance of Macbeth
Macbeth
Macbeth is a 1978 videotaped version of Trevor Nunn's Royal Shakespeare Company production of the play by William Shakespeare. Produced by Thames Television, it features Ian McKellen as Macbeth and Judi Dench as Lady Macbeth. The TV version was directed by Philip Casson. The original stage production was performed at The Other Place, the RSC's small studio theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. It had been performed in the round before small audiences, with a bare stage and simple costuming. The recording preserves this style: the actors perform on a circular set and with a mostly black background changes of setting are indicated only by lighting changes.
The Vanishing Army
Career army man Bill Paterson faces discharge in this examination of the harsh treatment of British NCOs.
Hedda Gabler
George Tesman
Adaptation of the play by Henrik Ibsen.
Edward II
King Edward
The reign of Edward II, King of England, is troubled from the start when he brings his male lover, hated by the nobles, out of exile.
The Tragedy of King Richard II
King Richard II
The Tragedy of King Richard II, by William Shakespeare. The actions and repercussions of a proud King, whose vanity and selfishness lead to his downfall.
The Promise
Set in Leningrad. Follows the lives of three young Russians from the terror of the German siege of Leningrad through the uncertainty of the postwar years to the space age.
Alfred the Great
Roger
While Old England is being ransacked by roving Danes in the 9th century, Alfred is planning to join the priesthood. But observing the rape of his land, he puts away his religious vows to take up arms against the invaders, leading the English Christians to fight for their country. Alfred soundly defeats the Danes and becomes a hero. But now, although Alfred still longs for the priesthood, he is torn between his passion for God and his lust for blood.
A Touch of Love
George
Intellectually driven doctoral student Rosamund Stacey, while undertaking graduate work at the British Museum, becomes pregnant after a brief affair with a television newsreader. Against the advice of her best friend, Lydia, Rosamund chooses to keep the baby and adjusts her life to include both her studies and her pregnancy. However, when the baby is born, an unforeseen complication threatens the self-sufficient life Rosamund plans for herself.
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
Self (archive footage)
The BBC delves into its archives to discover British acting greats as they take their first tentative steps on the road to success. Long before they were knighted for their services to drama, we see early appearances from Michael Caine in a rare Shakespearean role, Ben Kingsley, Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi and Michael Gambon. Featuring unique behind-the-scenes footage alongside a wealth of classic British productions like War and Peace, the Mayor of Casterbridge and the Singing Detective, it reveals many career-defining moments from the first generation of acting talent to fully embrace television drama.
The Critic
Jimmy Erskine
In 1934 London, Jimmy Erskine, the most feared drama critic in town, finds himself in the crosshairs of his newspaper’s new owner. Nina Land, the actress determined to win his favor, becomes entangled in a dangerous web of blackmail, deceit and murder.
Return of the king (Extended Edition)
Gandalf
The Two Towers (Extended Edition)
Gandalf
Lord of the rings (Extended Edition)
Gandalf
Marley
Scrooge (rumored)
A music re-imagining version of Charles Dickins' well-known novel A Christmas Carol.
Hamlet Revenant
A modern-day version of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', which explores a young man's psyche as he contemplates avenging his father's death.