Ian McKellen Filmography: Every Movie and TV Show in Order

How many movies and TV shows has Ian McKellen been in? This complete Ian McKellen filmography lists 68 credited roles (55 films, 13 TV series), in chronological order from 1953 to 2026, with links to our full guides where available.

Ian McKellen movies in order

• The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982) as Chauvelin
• The Keep (1983) as Dr. Theodore Cuza
• Plenty (1985) as Sir Andrew Charleson
• Scandal (1989) as John Profumo
• Last Action Hero (1993) as Death
• The Ballad of Little Jo (1993) as Percy Corcoran
• And the Band Played On (1993) as Bill Kraus
• Six Degrees of Separation (1993) as Geoffrey
• I'll Do Anything (1994) as John Earl McAlpine
• The Shadow (1994) as Dr. Reinhardt Lane
• Cold Comfort Farm (1995) as Amos Starkadder
• Jack & Sarah (1995) as William
• Richard III (1995) as Richard III
• Restoration (1995) as Will Gates
• Rasputin (1996) as Tsar Nicholas II
• Bent (1997) as Uncle Freddie
• Swept from the Sea (1998) as Dr. James Kennedy
• Gods and Monsters (1998) as James Whale
• Apt Pupil (1998) as Kurt Dussander
• Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man (2000) as Narrator (voice)
• X-Men: The Mutant Watch (2000) as Self - 'Magneto'
• X-Men (2000) as Magneto
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) as Gandalf
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) as Gandalf
• X2 (2003) as Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) as Gandalf
• Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005) as Self
• The Magic Roundabout (2005) as Zebedee (voice)
• Neverwas (2005) as Gabriel Finch
• Asylum (2005) as Dr. Peter Cleave
• Doogal (2006) as Zebedee (voice)
• The Da Vinci Code (2006) as Sir Leigh Teabing
• X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto
• Flushed Away (2006) as The Toad (voice)
• Stardust (2007) as Narrator (voice)
• The Golden Compass (2007) as Iorek Byrnison (voice)
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) as Gandalf the Grey
• Doctor Who: The Snowmen (2012) as The Great Intelligence (voice)
• The Wolverine (2013) as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (uncredited)
• The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (2013) as Self
• The Wolverine: Path of a Ronin (2013) as Self
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) as Gandalf the Grey
• X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) as Magneto
• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) as Gandalf the Grey
• Mr. Holmes (2015) as Sherlock Holmes
• The Dresser (2015) as Norman
• Beauty and the Beast (2017) as Cogsworth
• McKellen: Playing the Part (2018) as Self
• Animal Crackers (2018) as Horatio P. Huntington (voice)
• All Is True (2018) as Earl of Southampton
• The Good Liar (2019) as Roy Courtnay
• Cats (2019) as Gus, the Theatre Cat
• Infinitum: Subject Unknown (2021) as Dr. Charles Marland-White
• The Critic (2024) as Jimmy Erskine
• The Christophers (2026) as Julian Sklar

Ian McKellen TV shows

• The Oscars (1953) as Self
• Coronation Street (1960) as Mel Hutchwright
• Sesame Street (1969) as Self
• The Simpsons (1989) as Ian McKellen (voice)
• Tales of the City (1993) as Archibald Anson Gidde
• Family Guy (1999) as Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (voice)
• David Copperfield (1999) as Creakle
• Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (2002) as Self
• Who Do You Think You Are? (2004) as Self
• Extras (2005) as Ian McKellen
• The Prisoner (2009) as 2 / Curtis
• Vicious (2013) as Freddie Thornhill
• ted (2024) as Narrator (voice)

Filmography data via TMDB, refreshed automatically as new roles are announced.