Ian M. McKellen

Sir Ian McKellen is a British actor of great versatility, noted for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and for his eclectic filmography. He has received 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, two Critics' Choice Awards, and two Academy Award nominations, four BAFTA nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. McKellen's work spans genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theater to popular fantasy and science fiction. Queen Elizabeth II made him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE, 1979), knighted him (KBE, 1991) for services to the performing arts, and made him a Companion of Honour for services to drama and to equality (CH, 2008). He is a champion for LGBT social movements worldwide and a co-founder of Stonewall, an LGBT rights lobbying group in the UK. He has also worked on behalf of Age UK, Britain's largest charity for older people, as well as for theater groups and earthquake victims.