IANS may refer to:

• Indo-Asian News Service, Indian news agency
• International Association for New Science, defunct American organisation
• Inter Active Network Systems
• Institute for Applied Network Security, American security industry organisation
• Institute of Air Navigation Services (IANS), a division of European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation

See also[link]

• Ian

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Smosh
Ian (left) and Anthony (right) at YouTube Live
Born	Anthony Padilla: (1987-09-16) September 16, 1987 (age 24)[1] Ian Hecox: (1987-11-30) November 30, 1987 (age 24)[1]
Nationality	American
Occupation	YouTube comedy duo, YouTube Partner
Years active	2005–present[2]
Home town	Sacramento, California
Website
smosh.com

Smosh is a web-based comedy duo consisting of Ian Hecox (born November 30, 1987) and Anthony Padilla (born September 16, 1987).^[3] Padilla first began posting flash movies on Newgrounds in early 2003, under the name Smosh. He was later joined by his friend Ian Hecox. Soon afterward they began to post videos on YouTube in the autumn of 2005 and became one of the most popular channels on that site, with more than 4.7 million subscribers as of May 2012.^[4]

Six Smosh-related channels exist on YouTube, though only four are very active. The base "Smosh" channel, where both Hecox and Padilla post their skits and other videos, has new videos every Friday. From "IanH" (used at first for vlogs and other non-scripted videos), the pair upload their side series "Ian is Bored" on Mondays and "Lunchtime with Smosh" on Thursdays, while their associate performer Mari does "Smosh Pit Weekly" videos on Saturday. On "ElSmosh", the duo uploads old episodes on Wednesdays and new episodes on Sundays that have been dubbed over in Spanish. "Shut Up! Cartoons" airs a number of animated series, created by different animators, it uploads videos on various weekdays. "AskCharlie", active from May 2010 to December 2011, hosts videos from the Ask Charlie series, where an anthropomorphic guinea pig, named Charlie the Drunk Guinea Pig, answers viewer submitted questions. "AnthonyPadilla", hosts vlog-like videos uploaded by Padilla, which are uploaded only rarely.

History[link]

[edit] Formation and Pokémon Theme Music Video: 2005–2009

Smosh began when Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla made several videos together, lip syncing to theme songs such as Mortal Kombat, Power Rangers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. At first, these videos were not intended to be posted online, but after they sent them to their friends, they started a YouTube channel.^[5]

One of Smosh's earliest videos, "Pokémon Theme Music Video," was released in November 2005. It followed the same style as their other earlier videos, featuring the duo lip-synching the original English theme song for the Pokémon anime. However, the video instantly became much more popular than any of their other videos; over the course of its lifetime, it gained 24.7 million views, becoming the most-viewed video on all of YouTube at that time.^[6] It held that title for about six months, but was removed by YouTube after the website received a notice from Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., claiming copyright infringement.^{[citation needed]}

The success of their Pokémon video and other videos led Smosh to be featured in the "Person of the Year: You" issue of Time Magazine, published December 13, 2006. It also inspired them to expand their style beyond basic lip-synching videos, and eventually to start creating videos of various genres, such as mini-skits and sketch comedies.^{[citation needed]}. In March 2007, a user named Andii2000 re-uploaded the original Pokémon video, it has over 13.9 million views as of May 2012.^[7] Due to the channel's continued success, and Smosh's partnership with YouTube, the two recreated the video in November 2010, this time changing the words.^[8]

2010-present[link]

In January 2010, Smosh launched the "Smosh Pit" feature, a blog that consists of various pieces of pop-culture trivia, and written comedy. In addition, 2010 saw the channel launch 3 different Smosh-based web series: "Ian is Bored," which started as a collection of comedic videos by Hecox, but then turned primarily into Smosh opening fan mail segments called "Mail time with Smosh"; "Ask Charlie" (which is an interactive series where people ask Charlie, from their January 2010 "Charlie the Drunk Guinea Pig" video, random questions) ran from May 2010 to December 2011; and "Lunchtime with Smosh," a Comedy series featuring Smosh getting and eating food from various places. A new Smosh video series features videos that are in the format of "If ____ Was Real." Also in early 2010, Smosh created the "iShut Up App" for Android phones as part of a Google sponsorship; it eventually made its way to the iTunes app store. In 2012 the duo started two new YouTube channels, "El Smosh", with Smosh videos dubbed in Spanish,^[9] and "Shut Up! Cartoons", with various animated videos.^[10]

Discography[link]

• Sexy Album
• If Music Were Real

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• smosh's channel on YouTube
• IanH's channel on YouTube
• ElSmosh's channel on YouTube
• ShutUpCartoons's channel on YouTube
• askcharlie's channel on YouTube
• AnthonyPadilla's channel on YouTube

Ian Somerhalder
Born	Ian Joseph Somerhalder (1978-12-08) December 8, 1978 (age 33) Covington, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, model
Years active	1997–present

Ian Joseph Somerhalder (born December 8, 1978) is an American actor and model, best known for playing Boone Carlyle in the TV drama Lost and Damon Salvatore in the TV drama The Vampire Diaries.

Early life[link]

Somerhalder was born and raised in Covington, Louisiana, the son of Edna, a massage therapist, and Robert Somerhalder, an independent building contractor.^[1] Raised Catholic, he attended St. Paul's, a private Catholic school in Covington. He embarked on a modeling career from age 10 to 13,^[2] and by the age of 17 he decided to go into acting.

Career[link]

Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder

In the summer of 2000, Somerhalder starred in the short-lived WB series Young Americans, a spin-off of Dawson's Creek. He played Hamilton Fleming, the son of the dean of a prestigious boarding school. In 2002, Somerhalder played bisexual character Paul Denton in Roger Avary's adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel, The Rules of Attraction, alongside James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, and Jessica Biel.

In 2004, Somerhalder scored his breakthrough role when he played Boone Carlyle in the hit TV show Lost. Despite his character's death in the twentieth episode of the first season, Somerhalder returned to the role of Boone for seven more episodes between 2005 and 2010, including the series finale. Somerhalder was the first actor to be cast in a role for the series and the first character to die.

In 2009, Somerhalder appeared in the movie The Tournament where he played the role of an assassin participating in a lethal competition with other assassins. On 10 October 2009, it was announced that he will star in the Gothic movie Cradlewood, which is to be directed by Harry Weinmann.^[3] The movie is set to be released in 2013.^[4] He appears in the coffee table book About Face by celebrity photographer John Russo.^[5][6]

In June 2009 Somerhalder was cast in the role of Vampire Damon Salvatore as a series regular in The CW television drama series The Vampire Diaries. The series premiere attracted The CW's highest premiere ratings of any season premiere since the network began in 2006. The series has continued to be the highest rated series on its channel with both Somerhalder's performance and show receiving a positive response from critics. Somerhalder has received a Teen Choice Award for his participation on the series. The shows third and most recent season premiered on September 15, 2011.^[7]

Personal life[link]

While working on The Vampire Diaries, Somerhalder began dating his co-star Nina Dobrev.^[8]

Philanthropy[link]

Somerhalder was involved in the cleanup after the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling disaster on April 22, 2010. His efforts included cleaning of oiled wildlife and taping public service announcements to let the public know how they could help.^[9] Somerhalder also supports the St. Tammany Humane Society, an organization for animal shelter and welfare. On November 13, 2010, he hosted a Bash on the Bayou charity fundraiser for the Society. During the event, Somerhalder was presented with a donation of $11,100 by The Vampire Diaries fandom for his birthday project.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Together with his The Vampire Diaries co-stars Candice Accola and Michael Trevino, Somerhalder supports the It Gets Better Project, which makes it a goal to prevent suicide among LGBT youth^[14] associated with The Trevor Project.^[15]

Somerhalder announced, via Twitter and in various interviews that he was setting up The Ian Somerhalder Foundation (launched on December 8, 2010, Somerhalder's 32nd birthday), which he hopes will educate people on the importance of protecting the environment and animals: "Instead of gifts this year, my birthday wish is that we come together and raise funds to support projects that protect our habitat and nurture our furry friends.^[16][17]

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ian Somerhalder

• Ian Somerhalder at the Internet Movie Database
• Ian Somerhalder on Twitter

Nina Dobrev
Dobrev at PaleyFest 2010's The Vampire Diaries night at the Saban Theatre in 2010
Born	Nina Constantinova Dobreva[1] (1989-01-09) January 9, 1989 (age 23)[1] Sofia, Bulgaria
Nationality	Bulgarian-Canadian
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	2006–present

Nina Dobrev (born Nina Constantinova Dobreva; January 9, 1989)^[1] is a Bulgarian-born Canadian actress and model. She played the role of Mia Jones, the single teenage mother, on Degrassi: The Next Generation, from the show's sixth to ninth season. She currently stars as Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce on The CW television teen drama, The Vampire Diaries.

Personal life[link]

Dobrev at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival

Nina Dobrev was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and moved to Canada at the age of two, where she was raised in Toronto, Ontario. She speaks fluent French, English, and Bulgarian. She has an older brother, Alexander; her father is a computer specialist and her mother is an artist.^[1]

Dobrev attended J. B. Tyrrell Sr. Public School, where she started ballet and jazz classes, and competed in rhythmic gymnastic.^[1] Then, she attended and Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts in Scarborough, Ontario and Ryerson University in Toronto, majoring in sociology. She left in 2008 to pursue her acting career.^[2]

While working on the show, she began dating her Vampire Diaries co-star Ian Somerhalder.^[3][4]

Career[link]

Modeling jobs led to commercials, which then turned into film auditions. Shortly thereafter, she booked roles in feature films, including Fugitive Pieces, Away from Her, Never Cry Werewolf, and the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation. She starred in a number of Lifetime original movies. She also was in an MTV movie called The American Mall on CTV. She is currently starring in The CW's drama The Vampire Diaries, playing the dual role of Katherine Pierce, a vampire loved by two human brothers during the American Civil War, and Katherine's doppelgänger Elena Gilbert, a human who is caught between the same two brothers, now vampires, Damon and Stefan Salvatore.^[5]

She also had a minor role in the erotic thriller Chloe, theatrically released by Sony Pictures Classics on March 26, 2010.^[6] The film had enjoyed commercial success and became director Atom Egoyan's biggest moneymaker ever.^[7]

In April 2011, she was cast as Candace in the film adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, alongside Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Paul Rudd.^[8] Shooting began in May of that year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and she completed her scenes on June 27, 2011.^[9]

Philanthropy[link]

In September 2011, Dobrev co-hosted We Day alongside Joe Jonas.^[10] We Day is organized by Free the Children. Dobrev also designed a T-Shirt^[11] with Me to We Style, which gives 50% of its profits to Free the Children.^[12]

Filmography[link]

Dobrev at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con.

Accolades[link]

Dobrev at the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nina Dobrev

• Nina Dobrev at the Internet Movie Database
• Nina Dobrev on Twitter

Sir Ian McKellen CBE CH
McKellen at the premiere of The Return of the King in Wellington, New Zealand, 1 December 2003
Born	Ian Murray McKellen (1939-05-25) 25 May 1939 (age 73) Burnley, Lancashire, England
Alma mater	Cambridge University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1959–present
Partner	Brian Taylor (1964–1972) Sean Mathias (1978–1988)
Website
http://www.mckellen.com/

Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH CBE (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He has won multiple Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is known for film roles such as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Magneto in the X-Men films, and as Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code.

McKellen was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1979, was knighted in 1991 for services to the performing arts,^[1] and was made a Companion of Honour for services to drama and to equality, in the 2008 New Year Honours.^[2]

Early life[link]

McKellen was born in Burnley, Lancashire, England, though he spent most of his early life in Wigan. Born shortly before the outbreak of World War II, the experience had some lasting impact on him. In response to an interview question when an interviewer remarked that he seemed quite calm in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks, he said: "Well, darling, you forget — I slept under a steel plate until I was four years old."^[3]

McKellen's father, Denis Murray McKellen, a civil engineer, was a lay preacher, and both of his grandfathers were preachers. At the time of Ian's birth, his parents already had a five-year-old daughter, Jean. His home environment was strongly Christian, but non-orthodox. "My upbringing was of low nonconformist Christians who felt that you led the Christian life in part by behaving in a Christian manner to everybody you met."^[3] When he was 12, his mother, Margery Lois (née Sutcliffe), died; his father died when he was 24. Of his coming out of the closet to his stepmother, Gladys McKellen, who was a member of the Religious Society of Friends, he said, "Not only was she not fazed, but as a member of a society which declared its indifference to people's sexuality years back, I think she was just glad for my sake that I wasn't lying anymore."^[3]

McKellen attended Bolton School (boys division),^[4] of which he is still a supporter, attending regularly to talk to pupils. McKellen's acting career started at Bolton Little Theatre, of which he is now the patron.^[5] An early fascination with the theatre was encouraged by his parents, who took him on a family outing to Peter Pan at the Opera House in Manchester when he was three.^{[citation needed]} When he was nine, his main Christmas present was a wood and bakelite, fold-away Victorian theatre from Pollocks Toy Theatres, with cardboard scenery and wires to push on the cut-outs of Cinderella and of Laurence Olivier's Hamlet.^{[citation needed]} His sister took him to his first Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night,^[6] by the amateurs of Wigan's Little Theatre, shortly followed by their Macbeth and Wigan High School for Girls' production of A Midsummer Night's Dream with music by Mendelssohn and with the role of Bottom played by Jean McKellen. (Jean continued to act, direct, and produce amateur theatre up to her death.)^[7]

He won a scholarship to St Catharine's College, Cambridge, when he was eighteen, where he developed an attraction to Derek Jacobi.^[8] He has characterised it as "a passion that was undeclared and unrequited".^[3]

Career[link]

Theatre[link]

While at Cambridge McKellen was a member of the Marlowe Society, appearing in Henry IV (as Shallow) alongside Trevor Nunn and Jacobi (March 1959), Cymbeline (as Posthumus, opposite Margaret Drabble as Imogen) and Doctor Faustus.^[9][10][11] His first professional appearance was in 1961 at the Nottingham Playhouse, as Roper in A Man for All Seasons, although an audio recording of the Marlowe Society's Cymbeline had gone on commercial sale as part of the Argo Shakespeare series.^[9][11] After four years in regional repertory theatres he made his first West End appearance, in A Scent of Flowers, regarded as a "notable success".^[9] In 1965 he was a member of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company at the Old Vic, which led to rôles at the Chichester Festival. In the 1970s and 1980s McKellen became a well-known figure in British theatre, performing frequently at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, where he played several leading Shakespearean roles, including the titular part in Macbeth (which he had first assayed for Trevor Nunn in a "gripping...out of the ordinary" production, with Judi Dench, at Stratford in 1976), and Iago in Othello, in award-winning productions directed by Nunn.^[9] Both of these productions were adapted into television films, also directed by Nunn.

In 2007 he returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company, in productions of King Lear and The Seagull, both directed by Trevor Nunn. In 2009 he appeared in a very popular revival of Waiting for Godot at London's Haymarket Theatre, directed by Sean Mathias and playing opposite Patrick Stewart.^[12][13]

McKellen is also President and Patron of the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain, an association of amateur theatre organisations throughout the UK.^[14]

Popular success[link]

McKellen had taken film roles throughout his career — beginning in 1969 with his role of George Matthews in A Touch of Love, but it was not until the 1990s that he became more widely recognised in this medium, through several roles in blockbuster Hollywood films.^[8]

In 1993, McKellen had a supporting role as a South African tycoon in the critically acclaimed^[15] Six Degrees of Separation, in which he starred with Stockard Channing, Donald Sutherland, and Will Smith. In the same year, he appeared in minor roles in the television miniseries Tales of the City (based on the novel by his friend Armistead Maupin) and the film Last Action Hero, in which he played Death. The same year, McKellen appeared in the television film And the Band Played On, about the discovery of the AIDS virus, for which McKellen won a CableACE Award for Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries and was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.^[16]

In 1995, he played the title role in the critical hit Richard III,^[17] which transported the setting into an alternative 1930s wherein England is ruled by Fascists.^[18] McKellen co-produced and co-wrote the film, adapting the play for the screen based on a stage production of Shakespeare's play directed by Richard Eyre for the Royal National Theatre, in which McKellen had appeared.^[8][18] In McKellen's role as executive producer he returned his £50,000 fee in order to complete the filming of the final battle.^[19] In his review of the film, Hal Hinson of The Washington Post, called McKellen's performance a "lethally flamboyant incarnation" and said his "florid mastery ... dominates everything".^[20] His performance in the title role garnered best actor nominations for the BAFTA Award and Golden Globe, and won the European Film Award for Best Actor. His screenplay was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

His breakthrough role among mainstream American audiences^{[citation needed]} came with the modestly acclaimed^[21] Apt Pupil, based on a story by Stephen King. McKellen portrayed an old Nazi officer, living under a false name in the U.S., who was befriended by a curious teenager (Brad Renfro) who threatened to expose him unless he told his story in detail. His casting was based partly on his performance in Cold Comfort Farm, seen by Apt Pupil director Bryan Singer, despite the BBC's refusal to release it in cinemas.^[19] He was subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters, wherein he played James Whale, the director of Show Boat (1936) and Frankenstein.^[8]

He reteamed with Bryan Singer to play the comic book supervillain Magneto in X-Men and its sequels X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand.^[8] It was while filming X-Men that he was cast as the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson's three-film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (consisting of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King). McKellen received honors from the Screen Actors Guild for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his work in The Fellowship of the Ring and was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the same role. He also voiced Gandalf in the video game adaptions of the film trilogy as well as in The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age.^[22] On January 10, 2011 it was officially confirmed that Mckellen would reprise the role of Gandalf in the film adaptation of The Hobbit.^[23]

McKellen in 2010

On 16 March 2002, he was the host on Saturday Night Live. In 2003, McKellen made a guest appearance as himself on the American cartoon show The Simpsons, in a special British-themed episode entitled "The Regina Monologues", along with Tony Blair and J. K. Rowling. In April and May 2005, he played the role of Mel Hutchwright in Granada Television's long running soap opera, Coronation Street, fulfilling a lifelong ambition. He is also known for his voicework, having narrated Richard Bell's film Eighteen, as a grandfather who leaves his World War II memoirs on audiocassette for his teenage grandson.

McKellen has appeared in limited release films, such as Emile (which was shot in a few days during the X2 shoot),^{[citation needed]} Neverwas and Asylum. He appeared as Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code. During a 17 May 2006 interview on The Today Show with the Da Vinci Code cast and director, Matt Lauer posed a question to the group about how they would have felt if the film had borne a prominent disclaimer that it is a work of fiction, as some religious groups wanted.^[24] McKellen responded, "I've often thought the Bible should have a disclaimer in the front saying 'This is fiction.' I mean, walking on water? It takes... an act of faith. And I have faith in this movie — not that it's true, not that it's factual, but that it's a jolly good story." He continued, "And I think audiences are clever enough and bright enough to separate out fact and fiction, and discuss the thing when they've seen it".^[24] McKellen appeared in the 2006 series of Ricky Gervais' comedy series Extras, where he played himself directing Gervais' character Andy Millman in a play about gay lovers. McKellen received a 2007 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy Series nomination for his performance. He also appeared in the 2009 remake of the 1967 The Prisoner, where he played the character Number Two.^[25]

Personal life[link]

McKellen and his first serious partner, Brian Taylor, a history teacher from Bolton, began their relationship in 1964.^[26] It lasted for eight years, ending in 1972. They lived in London, where McKellen continued to pursue his career as an actor. For over a decade, he has lived in a five-story Victorian conversion in Narrow Street, Limehouse.^[27] In 1978 he met his second partner, Sean Mathias, at the Edinburgh Festival. This relationship lasted until 1988. According to Mathias, the ten-year love affair was tempestuous, with conflicts over McKellen's success in acting versus Mathias' somewhat less-successful career.^{[citation needed]} Mathias and McKellen remained friends, and Mathias directed McKellen in Waiting For Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2009. The pair have entered into business partnership with Evgeny Lebedev purchasing the lease on The Grapes public house in Narrow Street,^[28] close to McKellen's home.^[29]

A friend of Ian Charleson and a great admirer of his work, McKellen contributed a chapter to the 1990 book, For Ian Charleson: A Tribute.^[30]

In the late 1980s, McKellen lost his appetite for meat except for fish, and so mostly excludes it from his diet.^[31]

Activism[link]

LGBT rights campaigning[link]

Sir Ian Murray McKellen at Manchester Pride 2010

McKellen at Europride 2003 in Manchester.

While McKellen had made his sexual orientation known to his fellow actors early on in his stage career, it was not until 1988 that he came out to the general public, in a programme on BBC Radio 3.^[32] The context that prompted McKellen's decision — overriding any concerns about a possible negative effect on his career — was that the controversial Section 28 of the Local Government Bill, simply known as Section 28, was under consideration in the British Parliament.^[8] McKellen has stated that he was influenced in his decision by the advice and support of his friends, among them noted gay author Armistead Maupin.^[8]

In 2003, during an appearance on Have I Got News For You, McKellen claimed that when he visited Michael Howard, then Environment Secretary (responsible for local government), in 1988 to lobby against Section 28, Howard refused to change his position but did ask him to leave an autograph for his children. McKellen agreed, but wrote, "Fuck off, I'm gay."^[33] McKellen also described Howard's junior ministers, the Conservatives David Wilshire and Dame Jill Knight, who were the architects of Section 28, as the 'ugly sisters' of a political pantomime.^[34]

Section 28, which proposed to prohibit local authorities from "promoting homosexuality" 'as a kind of pretended family relationship', was ambiguous and the actual impact of the amendment was uncertain.^[35] McKellen became active in fighting the proposed law, and declared himself gay on a BBC Radio programme where he debated the subject of Section 28 with the conservative journalist Peregrine Worsthorne.^[8] He has said of this period: "My own participating in that campaign was a focus for people [to] take comfort that if Ian McKellen was on board for this, perhaps it would be all right for other people to be as well, gay and straight".^[3] Section 28 was, however, enacted and remained on the statute books until 2003.

McKellen has continued to be very active in LGBT rights efforts. In a statement on his website regarding his activism, the actor commented that:

I have been reluctant to lobby on other issues I most care about – nuclear weapons (against), religion (atheist), capital punishment (anti), AIDS (fund-raiser) because I never want to be forever spouting, diluting the impact of addressing my most urgent concern; legal and social equality for gay people worldwide.^[36]

McKellen is a co-founder of Stonewall, a LGBT rights lobby group in the United Kingdom, named after the Stonewall riots.^[37] McKellen is also patron of LGBT History Month,^[38] Pride London, GAY-GLOS, The Lesbian & Gay Foundation,^[39] and FFLAG where he appears in their video "Parents Talking".^[40]

In 1994, at the closing ceremony of the Gay Games, he briefly took the stage to address the crowd, saying, "I'm Sir Ian McKellen, but you can call me Serena" (this nickname, originally given to him by Stephen Fry, had been circulating within the gay community since McKellen's knighthood was conferred).^[3] In 2002, he attended the Academy Awards with his then-boyfriend, New Zealander Nick Cuthell.

In 2006, McKellen spoke at the pre-launch of the 2007 LGBT History Month in the UK, lending his support to the organisation and its founder, Sue Sanders.^[38] In 2007 McKellen became a patron of The Albert Kennedy Trust, an organisation that provides support to young, homeless and troubled LGBT people.^[37]

In 2006, McKellen became a patron of Oxford Pride.^[41] At the time he said:

I have been to many Pride occasions across the World, from being Grand Marshall in San Francisco to the first ever gay march in Johannesburg in post-apartheid South Africa. Wherever gay people gather publicly to celebrate their sense of community, there are two important results. First, onlookers can be impressed by our confidence and determination to be ourselves and, second, gay people, of whatever age, can be comforted by the occasion to take first steps towards coming out and leaving the closet forever behind. I send my love to all members of Oxford Pride, their sponsors and supporters, of which I am proud to be one.^{[cite this quote]}

McKellen has taken his activism internationally, where it caused a major stir in Singapore. Invited to do an interview on a morning show, he shocked the interviewer by asking if they could recommend him a gay bar. The program immediately ended.^[42] In December 2008, he was named in Out's annual Out 100 list.^[43]

In May 2011, McKellen called Sergey Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow, a "coward" when he refused to allow gay parades in the city.^[44]

Charity work[link]

In April 2010, along with Brian Cox and Eleanor Bron, appeared in a series of TV advertisements to support Age UK, the charity recently formed from the merger of Age Concern and Help the Aged. All three actors gave their time free of charge.^[45]

Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch[link]

While in New Zealand filming The Hobbit in 2012, McKellen announced a special show 'Shakespeare, Tolkien, ITR and You!', with proceeds from the two shows going to help save the Isaac Theatre Royal, which suffered extensive damage during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. McKellen said he opted to help save the building as it was the last theatre he played in New Zealand (Waiting For Godot in 2010) and the locals' love for it made it a place worth contributing to^[46].

Selected stage and screen credits[link]

Stage[link]

The hands of McKellen on a 1999 Gods and Monsters plaque in London's Leicester Square.

• Much Ado About Nothing, Royal National Theatre, Old Vic, London, 1965
• Trelawny of the 'Wells', National Theatre, London & Chichester Festival, 1965
• The Promise, West End; Broadway, 1967
• Edward II (in title role), Edinburgh Festival & West End, 1969
• Hamlet (title role), UK/European Tour, 1971
• 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, UK Tour, 1972
• Dr Faustus (title role), Royal Shakespeare Company, Edinburgh Festival & Aldwych Theatre (London), 1974
• King John, RSC, 1975
• Romeo and Juliet (as Romeo), RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon & London, 1976
• The Winter's Tale, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1976
• Macbeth (title role), RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon & Young Vic (London), 1976–1977
• The Alchemist, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon & London, 1977
• Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, RSC, Barbican Arts Centre (London), 1977
• Three Sisters, RSC, UK Tour, 1978
• Bent, (as Max) Royal Court and Criterion, London, 1979
• Amadeus (as Salieri), Broadway, 1980
• Coriolanus (title role), National Theatre, 1984
• Wild Honey, National Theatre, 1984 (& Broadway, 1986)
• The Cherry Orchard (as Lopakhin), National Theatre, 1985
• The Duchess of Malfi, National Theatre, 1985
• The Real Inspector Hound, National Theatre, London & Paris, 1985
• Othello (as Iago), RSC, London & Stratford-upon-Avon, 1989
• Richard III (title role), National Theatre, world tour, 1990 & US tour, 1992
• Uncle Vanya (title role), National Theatre, 1992
• Peter Pan (as Mr. Darling/Captain Hook), National Theatre, 1997
• An Enemy of the People, National Theatre, 1997 & Ahmanson Theatre (Los Angeles), 1998
• Present Laughter, West Yorkshire Playhouse (Leeds, England), 1998
• Dance of Death, at the Broadhurst Theatre (New York) in 2001. At the Lyric Theatre (London, England) in 2003^[47]
• Aladdin, (as Widow Twankie) Old Vic, 2004 & 2005
• The Cut, Donmar Warehouse, 2006
• King Lear by William Shakespeare, (as Lear), Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 2007; New Zealand, 2007; New York (Brooklyn Academy of Music), 2007, Minneapolis, 2007, New London Theatre (West End), 2007–8
• The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, (as Sorin), Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 2007; New York (Brooklyn Academy of Music), 2007 Minneapolis, 2007, New London Theatre (West End), 2007–8
• Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, (as Estragon), Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, 2009 and 2010; Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, 2010^[48] and Fugard Theatre, Cape Town, South Africa, 2010
• The Syndicate by Eduardo de Filippo, Chichester Festival, 2011

Filmography[link]

Music[link]

• Vampire in the music video "Heart" by Pet Shop Boys
• The man who's "falling out of reach" in the music video "Falling Out of Reach" by Guillemots
• Appears on the Scissor Sisters track "Invisible Light", from their 2010 album "Night Work", reciting a passage regarding the "Invisible Light" of the title.^[49]

Audiobooks[link]

• Audiobook narrator of Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series Wolf Brother, Spirit Walker, Soul Eater, Outcast, "Oath Breaker", "Ghost Hunter" As well as a version of Homer's The Odyssey.

Other work[link]

A recording of McKellen's voice is heard before performances at the Royal Festival Hall, reminding patrons to ensure their mobile phones and watch alarms are switched off, and to keep coughing to a minimum.^[50][51]

Awards and honours[link]

Honours[link]

He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1979, and knighted in 1991 New Year Honours for his outstanding work and contributions to theatre.^[52][53][54] In the 2008 New Year Honours he was made a Companion of Honour (CH) for services to drama and to equality.^[2]

Honourary degrees[link]

In 2001 McKellen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Bath.^[55] In 2004 McKellen was conferred an honourary Doctor of Letters by Lancaster University. He was praised for his diversity of roles, his "deeply considered dramatic technique" and his Lancastrian roots.^[56]

Awards[link]

• 1981: New York Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, for Amadeus
• 1984: London Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Revival, for Wild Honey
• 1984: London Evening Standard Award for Best Actor, for Coriolanus
• 1989: London Evening Standard Award for Best Actor, for Othello
• 1990: London Olivier Award for Best Actor, for Richard III
• 1998: Back Stage West Garland Awards, for his one-man show A Knight Out in Los Angeles
• 2004: Manila, Philippines Pride International Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement & Distinction Award
• 2007: Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production, for Flushed Away
• In May 2007, he was named, by the Independent on Sunday Pink List, the fifth most influential gay person in Britain, down from the 1st place the previous year.^[57]
• 2009: San Sebastián International Film Festival Donostia Award in recognition of an extensive professional career.^[58]
• 2010: Empire Awards 2010: Empire Icon Award^[59]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ian McKellen

• McKellen's home page
• Ian McKellen at the Internet Movie Database
• Ian McKellen at the Internet Broadway Database
• Ian McKellen at Yahoo! Movies
• Ian McKellen at the British Film Institute's Screenonline

Interviews, blogs and clips[link]

• Good Morning (TVNZ) interview with McKellen - Waiting for Godot/The Hobbit
• Interview and photoshoot factory-publishing.com
• McKellen's personal pages on the Lord of the Rings movie, with a diary and answers to questions by fans
• Interview at www.sci-fi-online.com
• Podcast interview
• Interview at AfterElton.com
• Extended BBC interviews with McKellen as he prepares to play King Lear
• "A conversation with Sir Ian": Interactive video interview with McKellen on Shakespeare, Richard III and Richard's opening speech
• Emma Brockes, Every inch a king (interview) The Guardian, November 2007
• Ian McKellen: A Free Man The Telegraph, 15 December 2008