Sir Ian McKellen is contemporarily known by his work in the "X-Men" and "Lord of the Rings" franchises. As a child, he saw Laurence Olivier act at multiple Stratford-Upon-Avon theater festivals and immediately began working towards a life in the theater. Two of his early stage roles (Macbeth in "Macbeth" and Iago in "Othello") were made into movies with the same casts. He also starred in "Richard III" (1995) to much critical acclaim. His role as Gandalf in "The Hobbit" (2012) will be reprised in the next two additions to the series.
