LONDON – Sir Ian McKellen — Gandalf to “Lord of the Rings” fans — rose further in status Saturday as he joined the elite circle of Britain’s Companions of Honor. Kylie Minogue rivaled McKellen for attention as Britain announced Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honors list. The Australian pop diva was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE. Britain announces New Year’s honors list
Category: Ian McKellen
Lord of The Rings actor Sir Ian McKellen has recorded a selection of passages from one of Wordsworth’s best-known works for a Cumbria charity. The Shakespearean actor – best known for playing Gandalf in the Tolkien film trilogy – recorded sections of The Prelude for the Wordsworth Trust. The recording, made at Wordsworth’s former home Dove Cottage in Grasmere, is being released on a new CD. McKellen records Wordsworth verse
The latest addition to The Lord of the Rings Diorama series from Sideshow Collectibles is ‘.’ Sideshow previewed this item for the first time last night and we expect it to start pre-ordering next Thursday with their newsletter launch. Click on the following link to view the full preview and while you’re there, check out the other LOTR dioramas. [] []
Soon after actor Richard Harris died, there was a lot of talk that Ian McKellen — another premier British actor — could take over the role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films. For McKellen, however, it was never an option. “People say to me, ‘Don’t you wish you’d played Dumbledore? I say, ‘No!’ I played Gandalf. The original.” McKellen shared those comments with Ireland Online about this character from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But McKellen’s refusal to take on the role seemed to have more to do than simply what character from which franchise was superior. No Regrets For McKellen In Turning Down Harry Potter
From nzherald.co.nz: Scots actor James McAvoy is in talks to star in the new US$100 million ($131 million) Dam Busters film, it was reported today. The Scottish actor, who is tipped for an Oscar for his role as Robbie Turner in Atonement, has met director Christian Rivers and producers David Frost and Peter Jackson, the Daily Mail newspaper reports. ..The film, which may also star Ian McKellen as scientist Barnes Wallis, will be shot in Wellington, using replica Lancaster bombers built in China.
Jerry Vanderstelt was in the right place at the right time. But it wasn’t luck that landed him there, it was hard work and making his own opportunities. Today this good fortune and hard work culminate when the artist releases a lithograph celebrating “The Fellowship of the Ring,” film released in 2001.
At the San Diego Comic-Con 2001, Elijah Wood walked around the mammoth floor of convention floor drinking in the celebration of popular culture and keeping his eye out for hints of how the world might accept the movie he had worked on that was about to overwhelm popular culture, the first film in Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings.”