Framed – Sir Ian McKellen

We are quite jealous of him because he got to see Brendan Fraser in the buff when they filmed the critically acclaimed ‘God’s and Monsters’ where he played the gay director James Whale, does that sound like hard work to you?

He is only the second ever openly gay actor to be nominated for an Academy Award, sadly he didn’t win, and he can’t grumble he’s won many others including a golden globe.

He’s just like you and me… he loves Coronations Street so much that he begged to be in it, he was and played Mel Hutchright, and said one of his life long ambitions had been fulfilled.

Not one to be ashamed of his sexuality he came out to his step mother (after the death of both his parents) in his late teens who was ‘relieved his was no longer living a lie’ and then came out nationally on BBC Radio 3.

He has been listed as the fifth most influential gay person by the well known Independent ‘Pink List’ (though this was a slip from first place the previous year).

He’s a ‘big boy’ after seeing King Lear Germaine Greer commented on his ‘impressive genitalia’ in his disrobing scene. We have tried to find evidence on the net but sadly to no avail… yet!

Sir Ian McKellen has done much for the Gay Community and LGBT Rights Campaigning. He co founded Stonewall, marched against the Section 28 clause, given a speech at the end of the gay games calling himself ‘Serena’, and is a patron of The Albert Kennedy Trust which supports young homeless and troubled gay, lesbian and transgender people. 

He likes to camp it up famously playing Widow Twanki in The Old Vic’s Pantomime ‘Aladdin’ a highlight of his career.

He is down with the kids after being in all three X Men Movies; The Simpson’s, most recently playing a big old bear in The Golden Compass and of course as the great Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, although now we know that Dumbledore was meant to be a big old gay magician maybe he wishes he’d had that part?