Sir Ian McKellen has appeared in theaters, on television, and film screens since the 1960s. Now, with his parts in the first two X-Men films and the phenomenally successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, he is known worldwide. This fully up-to-date biography includes new interviews and covers McKellen's childhood, his time at Cambridge University with Trevor Nunn and Derek Jacobi, roles in plays such as "Henry V" and "The Seagull," "Macbeth" at the RSC, Broadway, and running The Actors' Company and the McKellen/Petherbridge Company. Also covering McKellen's advocacy of gay issues and his opinions against war, it gives a well-rounded view of one of Britain's greatest stage and screen actors.