**The definitive biography of Sir Ian McKellen from an acclaimed biographer** In 2001, Ian McKellen put on the robe and pointed hat of a wizard named Gandalf and won a place in the hearts of Tolkien fans worldwide. Though his role in the film adaptation of Lord of the Rings introduced him to a new audience, McKellen had a thriving career a lifetime before his visit to Middle Earth. He made his West End acting debut in 1964 in James Saunders’s *A Scent of Flowers* , but it was in 1980 that he took Broadway by storm when he played Antonio Salieri in Peter Shaffer’s Tony-Award-winning play *Amadeus*. He has starred in over four hundred plays and films and he is that rare character: a celebrity whose distinguished political and social service has transcended his international fame to reach beyond the stage and screen. The breadth of his career—professional, personal and political—has been truly staggering: Macbeth (opposite Judi Dench), Iago, King Lear, Chekhov’s Sorin in *The Seagull* and Becket’s tramp Estragon (opposite Patrick Stewart) in *Waiting for Godot*. Add to all this his tireless political activism in the cause of gay equality and you have a veritable phenomenon. Garry O’Connor’s *Ian McKellen: A Biography* probes the heart of the actor, recreating his greatest stage roles and exploring his personal life. *Ian McKellen* will show readers what makes a great actor tick. His life story has been a constantly developing drama and this biography is the next chapter.