1939 -

Few Oscar nominated actors would be equally at home playing a ‘fly by night’ novelist in a long running northern soap (Coronation Street) as they would a wise and wonderful wizard in a billion dollar movie trilogy.

Ian McKellen oozes strength of character and goodness, a person who has more excuse than many to be living the jet set lifestyle, yet he strives for a simple love of the theatre, equality and the simple life. On the stage he captivates his audience bringing his character to life, on the screen he shows depth rarely seen by others.

McKellen’s abhorrence of Section 28 was heartfelt and bolstered by his ‘coming out’ to a mass audience on BBC radio in the late eighties. Knowing that he had a platform upon which he could stand up and speak for so many, he co-founded the Stonewall Group campaigning for gay rights.

A man with compassion, integrity and a sense of ‘normality’ whether it be in big Hollywood blockbuster or intimate theatre productions at tiny venues, Ian McKellen is not only one of the greatest actors we have ever seen but the most admirable ambassador that we from the LGBT community could ask for.

Ian Fox-Williams, West Midlands