Ian McKellen / Ian McKellen /

Yang was born a few months before the Second World War. He was the youngest child and only son of Dennis and Margery McKellen. Sister Jean was five years older. The family was not poor: Dennis was a high-level civil engineer, and even during the war, his earnings more than enough to live in a mining town in northern British Uigen. They lived opposite the park straight in a five-house, with the rear wall adjacent to the cricket field. Actually, the only thing parents are afraid of these terrible years, so it bombed. The industrial North was bombed shamelessly, and Yang, as the only member of the family, who in an emergency is unlikely to have been able to take care of himself, slept under a metal table in the living room. Thank God that a bomb had landed their house is not even once - painfully insecure shelter. And the danger, as it turned out, lay in wait for quite a different angle. At the age of three, Jan diphtheria. By all indications, he had to die, but ... unexpectedly survived, somehow magically absolutely. Although suspect this family of witchcraft, no one would, of course, did not dare.

McKellen were very religious. Necessarily be seen Sunday Matins in the Congregational Church. And after lunch the children went to Sunday school. This was not a gram of fanatical sectarianism. Film and theater were no less honored. In any case, on his first play "Peter Pan" (as long as the audience), a little John came three years too. I fell in love with the theater once and for all.

When Jan was 11, the family moved to Bolton, where his father moved to increase: the position of municipal inspector.
Zhite became - raspberry, even better than in Uigene. First, my father was a good friend of the owner of the local theater. Consequently, the son went there almost every day, watching everything, including visiting chechetochnikov and jugglers, forever spinning behind the scenes, and all this absolutely free. Secondly, a school in Bolton had a rich theatrical tradition. Here he first appeared on stage: played Malvolio in a school production of "Twelfth Night" by Shakespeare. And in high school, along with fellow students spent the summer in Stratford-upon-Avon. They lived in tents near the city, and in the evening attended performances of the famous Stratford Theater Festival. Here he first saw the scene of the great Laurence Olivier, not suspecting that it would take very little time, and all England would respectfully call him "Laurence Olivier of our generation".

Jan brilliantly graduated from high school, which gave him the right to a scholarship to study not just anywhere, but in Cambridge. He managed to finish this outstanding educational institution, but not nearly as good as we saw in the early. Theater quietly picked up a clean sweep. He became an actor famous Society Marlo - Theater, University of Cambridge. Two years later, to his credit was no longer a role, but the scholarship has been dramatically reduced because of "performance", alas, selected. MakKelena is not worried - the path has been defined! After graduation, he went to Coventry - there the theater offered him an engagement with a modest charge 9 pounds in a week. Housing, which he later remembered not only as a den, it cost 3.

So, 4 September 1961 Ian McKellen first appeared on stage as a professional actor. He nearly piled debut, missed his second exit on the scene. Foundation was laid.

And then his career was rolled like a snowball. In 1962, he played at Ipswich in 1963 - in Nottingham. It is here, and not in "Lord of the Rings", as one might think, McKellen first encountered the problem of translating magic. Directed by Tyrone Guthrie introduces him to Shakespeare's "Coriolanus" and carefully rehearsed to him all the scenes, with special emphasis on how to convey to the public the very atmosphere of the supernatural. It is with the magic "Coriolanus" began his meteoric rise. The play took so much delight that John (unheard of!) Was invited to London without listening. He took a small apartment in Kensington and moved to the capital. Not one.

That was another - very secret - hypostasis of his life. Ian moved to London, his lover Brian Taylor, a history teacher from Bolton. Yes, Ian McKellen - homosexual, moreover, very early cognizant himself to be. Therefore, . despite the invitation to the theater "Old Vic" to Laurence Olivier, . best male Shakespearean roles, . hysteria is not only the public, . but the critics at the Edinburgh Festival, and even competing for the right to be represented to him the playwright Noel Coward and dancer Rudolf Nureyev McKellen still felt like an outsider,
. Its because at any moment could "draw" ...

England - not the best country for supporters of same-sex love. Only ten years ago, in 1992, there was homosexuality removed from the list of mental illnesses, and a ban on the service, blue and pink "in the army was lifted only in January of 2000. Naturally, all this and still accompanied by a semi-official homophobia. Nevertheless, not love McKellen Britain never occurs. Why? Probably, this country gentleman was able to appreciate his supermuzhskoy act.

The bomb exploded in the 1988-meters in the air "Radio 4". By the time he had long since parted company with Brian and experienced the long 8 years of solitude. His new love of all 80 th became the director Sean Mathias. Subject radioobsuzhdeniya that evening was the notorious Article 28, violently pushed through parliament by the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. According to this article, "public support of homosexuality" was to be a criminal act. It was then that Ian MakKelen and prim England stunned the message that he, firstly, gay, and secondly, now that's it will publicly support a social movement of homosexuals for equal rights with heterosexuals.

Britain froze and ... not know what to answer. How charmed. A formal response came after a year with a small. Grace of God Queen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II devoted henceforth Sir Ian McKellen was knighted and complained to him nobility. Many felt that the way Elizabeth showed Thatcher, not to the premiere of his beloved, who was boss. Perhaps, but probably more. Queen - she is laid on the rank - as no one can appreciate the courage - the main knighted.

Word of his Ian McKellen kept. Since then and until now he is one of the most respected in the world of activists fighting for the rights of gays and lesbians.

Jan Kinodostizheniya MakKelena never had time for his furious theatrical triumph. Yes, I think it is a film is not particularly something and tried. Played course. If invited. But the basis of his acting life of the screen was not. Breakthrough came in the mid-90. Just as once in the theater, he quickly took off from picture to picture, deigning to nominations for the most serious awards, including Emmy and Golden Globe. And when in 1998 the screens released movie "Gods and Monsters", where Ian McKellen plays James Vail, director-gay that made the first "Frankenstein", it became clear that the actor did not miss either the public or the Queen. Critics called it a game hypnotic, I must say - rightly, an Academy Award nominated for "Oscar". And the queen ... Her Majesty has correctly assessed the extent of the courage of his subjects: there is a lot of gay actors, decisive role to play gay?

. Well, then followed by an offer to play Gandalf in "Lord of the Rings", the world fame and a small but pleasant side effect of New Zealand shooting - a new love named Nick
. Maybe it really magic?