I am not aware of what exactly was going through the mind of Ian McKellen when he publicly came out in 1988, but I am fairly certain he did not think he would be as big a star as he is now, almost twenty-years later. Following his acclaimed role as gay Frankenstein director James Whale in Gods and Monsters (landing him his first Oscar nomination, the first out gay actor nominated for playing a gay character), McKellen went on to star in two of the most successful trilogies in movie history, The Lord of the Rings and X-Men. In these two fantasy franchises, McKellen displayed his inarguable range, playing the noble, heroic wizard Gandalf (his second Oscar nomination) in the former, the cold-blooded, calculating evil mutant Magneto in the latter.
Prior to those heights, McKellen turned in compelling lead performances in Richard III and Apt Pupil, as well as memorable character parts in Six Degrees of Separation and Bent. With magic and mutants behind him now, he has recently appeared in The Da Vinci Code and won an Annie Award for his droll toad in the animated Flushed Away. He will next be 'heard' again as the narrator of Stardust and seen onstage as King Lear.
Knighted in 1990, Sir Ian McKellen is also very active in gay rights issues and continues to be an inspiration both on and off screen.
Link via Imdb.com.
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