Ian McKellen
Birthday: 1939-05-25
Place of Birth: Burnley, Lancashire, England, UK
Biography: Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He has played roles on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is regarded as a British cultural icon and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991. He has received numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, six Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards and five Emmy Awards. McKellen made his stage debut in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre as a member of its repertory company, and in 1965 made his first West End appearance. In 1969, he was invited to join the Prospect Theatre Company to play the lead parts in Shakespeare's Richard II and Marlowe's Edward II. In the 1970s, McKellen became a stalwart of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Great Britain. He has earned five Olivier Awards for his roles in Pillars of the Community (1977), The Alchemist (1978), Bent (1979), Wild Honey (1984), and Richard III (1995). McKellen made his Broadway debut in The Promise (1965). He received the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus (1980). He was further nominated for Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare (1984). He returned to Broadway in Wild Honey(1986), Dance of Death (1990), No Man's Land (2013), and Waiting for Godot (2013), the latter two being a joint production with Patrick Stewart. McKellen achieved worldwide fame for his film roles, including the titular King in Richard III(1995), James Whale in Gods and Monsters (1998), Magneto in the X-Men films, Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003) and The Hobbit (2012–2014) trilogies. Other notable film roles include A Touch of Love (1969), Plenty (1985), Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Restoration (1995), Flushed Away (2006), Mr. Holmes (2015), and The Good Liar (2019). McKellen came out as gay in 1988, and has since championed LGBT social movements worldwide. He was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in October 2014. McKellen is a cofounder of Stonewall, an LGBT rights lobby group in the United Kingdom, named after the Stonewall riots. He is also patron of LGBT History Month, Pride London, Oxford Pride, GayGlos, LGBT Foundation and FFLAG. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ian McKellen, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Movies
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his ...
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forc...
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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the ...
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The Da Vinci Code
A murder in Paris’ Louvre Museum and cryptic clues in some of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous painti...
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Gods and Monsters
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The Golden Compass
After overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua trades her carefree existence r...
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Stardust
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Swept from the Sea
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Jack & Sarah
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And the Band Played On
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Six Degrees of Separation
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Neverwas
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Richard III
A murderous lust for the British throne sees Richard III descend into madness. Though the setting is...
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Flushed Away
London high-society mouse, Roddy is flushed down the toilet by Sid, a common sewer rat. Hang on for ...
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Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU
One-man stage performance by English stage and screen actor Sir Ian McKellen. McKellen reprises role...
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The Scarlet Pimpernel
During the French Revolution, a mysterious English nobleman known only as The Scarlet Pimpernel (a h...
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Asylum
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The Shadow
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Scandal
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Cold Comfort Farm
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Apt Pupil
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Last Action Hero
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The Keep
Set during World War II, a German army garrison is sent to guard a mountain pass in a village in Rom...
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Macbeth
Macbeth is a 1978 videotaped version of Trevor Nunn's Royal Shakespeare Company production of the pl...
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Plenty
David Hare's account of a one-time French freedom fighter who gradually realizes that her post-war l...
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Hamlet Within
A radical cinematic investigation into the myth of Hamlet, the avenging prince of Denmark, William S...
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Emile
In a story weaving the past and present together, Emile seeks redemption from the family he abandone...
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X-Men
Two mutants, Rogue and Wolverine, come to a private academy for their kind whose resident superhero ...
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X2
Professor Charles Xavier and his team of genetically gifted superheroes face a rising tide of anti-m...
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X-Men: The Last Stand
When a cure is found to treat mutations, lines are drawn amongst the X-Men—led by Professor Charles ...
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The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne
An elderly right-wing politician is kidnapped, seemingly as part of a student prank. But his captors...
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An Evening with Lily Savage
Enjoy the outrageous and flamboyant First Lady of British Comedy, Lily Savage, as she performs her i...
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King Lear
An aging King invites disaster, when he abdicates to his corrupt, toadying daughters, and rejects hi...
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The Magic Roundabout
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Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man
A child is born. We see underwater swimmers representing this. He is young, in a jungle setting, wit...
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Rasputin
Into an era seething with war and revolution, a man comes with an incredible power to heal a nation....
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit enjoying his quiet life, is swept into an epic quest by Gandalf the Grey and...
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Priest of Love
Following the banning and burning of his novel, "The Rainbow," D.H. Lawrence and his wife, Frieda, m...
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Gladio
In three programmes shown over consecutive weeks in BBC2's Timewatch strand, Allan Francovich interv...
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Bent
Max is a handsome young man who, after a fateful tryst with a German soldier, is forced to run for h...
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The Ballad of Little Jo
After being thrown out of her home, a young woman decides to disguise herself as a man to survive th...
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Alfred the Great
While Old England is being ransacked by roving Danes in the 9th century, Alfred is planning to join ...
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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf have successfully escaped the Misty Mountains, and Bilbo has gained t...
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Walter
A man with learning difficulties suffers neglect and ill-treatment, and this is only exasperated whe...
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Now You See Him: 'The Invisible Man' Revealed!
A documentary from Universal about the movie "The Invisible Man" (1933) directed by James Whale....
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Saint of 9/11
Saint of 9/11 presents the turbulent, restless, spiritual and remarkable journey of Father Mychal Ju...
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The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Following Smaug's attack on Laketown, Bilbo and the dwarves try to defend Erebor's mountain of treas...
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Schadenfreude
Jeremy O'Reilly, the self-important presenter of a TV news show, returns to a clueless East End comm...
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X-Men: Days of Future Past
The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods as ...
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London 2012: Paralympics Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic games....
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A Touch of Love
Intellectually driven doctoral student Rosamund Stacey, while undertaking graduate work at the Briti...
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Theatreland
8 part series behind the scenes at the famous Theatre Royal, Haymarket, with a focus on a production...
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To Die For
Simon and Mark live together in London. When Mark dies of AIDS, Simon gets on with his life rather q...
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Surviving Friendly Fire
In the early 90's seventy youth from a Hollywood homeless shelter started a theatre project encourag...
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Walter and June
Sequel to the TV film "Walter". In the United States, the two films have been released together on D...
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Muse of Fire
Funny, passionate, exciting, and smart: ‘Muse Of Fire’ will change the way you feel about Shakespear...
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Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
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A Bit Of Scarlet
A Bit of Scarlet excavates clips from Britain's cinema archives to create a moving and humorous test...
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Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare
A record of McKellen's one-man Broadway show about the Bard....
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The Critic
Jimmy Erskine is the most feared theatre critic of the age. He lives as flamboyantly as he writes an...
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Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
A portrait of the 30 year relationship between Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier. With comments by t...
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Zina
Zina, the daughter of Leon Trotsky by his first wife, is undergoing freudian analysis in Berlin in t...
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Miss in Her Teens
An adaptation of David Garrick's 1747 afterpiece, this lighthearted comedy follows Miss Biddy Bellai...
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Othello
Noble Moroccan Othello finds his life with beautiful, fiercely loyal Desdemona thrown tragically out...
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For the Love of God
'For the Love of God' is the wickedly irreverent tale of Graham (Coogan); an over-grown man-child st...
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The One Note Man
A musical man lives a careful life. Each day is like the next, just how he likes it. One day, howeve...
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All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film
An exploration into the history of Shakespeare's plays, from the silent era to the modern day featur...
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Hamlet
A tale of revenge that has stood the test of time, Shakespeare’s classic tragedy is reimagined for t...
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Mr. Holmes
In 1947, long-retired and near the end of his life, Sherlock Holmes grapples with an unreliable memo...
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Peter Tatchell: Just Who Does He Think He Is?
Profile of the life, work and ethos behind one of Britain's most controversial and prolific human ri...
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Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up
An affectionate portrait of San Francisco, and of the man whose Tales of the City have inspired thou...
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Stonewall 25: Global Voices of Pride and Protest
Finished a quarter century after the earth-shaking protests that forever altered the public percepti...
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I'll Do Anything
Matt Hobbs is a talented but unsuccessful actor. When estranged (and strange) ex-wife Beth dumps the...
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The Wolverine
Wolverine faces his ultimate nemesis - and tests of his physical, emotional, and mortal limits - in ...
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The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
With the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who about to film, the "classic" Doctors Peter Davison, Colin Ba...
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Animal Crackers
A family must use a magical box of Animal Crackers to save a rundown circus from being taken over by...
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Hamlet
Hamlet suspects his uncle has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Ham...
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The Hobart Shakespeareans
Rafe Esquith, 1992 American Teacher of the Year and National Medal of Arts recipient, teaches 5th-gr...
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Untitled Anthony Hopkins Documentary
Anthony Hopkins has confirmed that his wife is working on a documentary about his life....
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Quintessentially British
This unique and cheeky documentary explores Britain and what makes our country great from our tradit...
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Nelson Mandela Redrawn
This fascinating documentary unfolds in reverse telling the story of Mandela from the old man to the...
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Looking for Lowry
Looking for Lowry is an entertaining documentary film about the life and work of the much loved Brit...
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Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
The BBC delves into its archives to discover British acting greats as they take their first tentativ...
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The Life and Death of Lily Savage
Intimate documentary exploring how Paul O'Grady's creation, Lily Savage, took mainstream TV by storm...
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The Dresser
One fateful night in a small English regional theatre during World War II a troupe of touring actors...
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Doctor Who: The Snowmen
The Doctor has retired to 1892 London. Despite the protests of his allies, he is determined to keep ...
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Lady Grey London
Starring Marion Cotillard as Lady Grey, a burlesque artist with magical healing powers, the unshakab...
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Beauty and the Beast
A live-action adaptation of Disney's version of the classic tale of a cursed prince and a beautiful ...
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Edward II
The reign of Edward II, King of England, is troubled from the start when he brings his male lover, h...
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The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I Loved
Produced over four years with full access from Ken’s widow Lady Dodd, the film takes an in-depth loo...
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Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
From the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, David Tennant, Catherine Tate and guests mark the l...
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The Promise
Set in Leningrad. Follows the lives of three young Russians from the terror of the German siege of L...
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A Filmmaker's Journey: Making 'The Return of the King'
A documentary about the making of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'....
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Beyond the Movie: The Return of the King
Documentary exploring the parallels between 'The Return of the King' and real events and people in h...
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Restoration
An aspiring young physician, Robert Merivel found himself in the service of King Charles II and save...
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Dragfox
Sam's search for identity gets interrupted by a mysterious neighbourhood fox. Together they embark o...
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The Roof
A brief comedy about a visit from a legendary theatre maker and his legion of fans....
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Evolution X - The Making of X-Men
A four part documentary on the making of the first X-Men film, from pre-production, to principal pho...
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The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men! Making 'X2'
Documentary on the making of 'X2: X-Men United'....
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Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage
This documentary celebrates one of Britain’s greatest actors, Dame Judi Dench, and looks back over h...
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National Theatre Live: No Man's Land
One summer's evening, two ageing writers, Hirst and Spooner, meet in a Hampstead pub and continue th...
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X-Men: Premieres Around the World
We find notes from Singer, Stan Lee, Stewart, McKellen, Berry, Mane, Davison, Romijn-Stamos, Paquin,...
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Passage to Middle-Earth: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings'
The making of Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's classic work....
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A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation
When his father dies unexpectedly, a young man seeking to cope with his grief goes on a powerful emo...
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The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin celebrates one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, follow...
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The Good Liar
Career con man Roy sets his sights on his latest mark: recently widowed Betty, worth millions. And h...
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The Paul O'Grady Story
A razor-witted entertainer who found fame as two people - first his drag queen alter ego, Lily Savag...
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McKellen: Playing the Part
Built upon a 14 hour interview, McKellen: Playing the Part is a unique journey through the key landm...
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Cats
A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer...
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National Theatre Live: King Lear
Considered by many to be the greatest tragedy ever written, King Lear sees two ageing fathers – one ...
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Frodo Is Great... Who Is That?!!
The documentary looks at the rise to celebrity status of NZ actor and musician Bret McKenzie, who ap...
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All Is True
London, June 29th, 1613. The Globe Theater, ran by the famous playwright William Shakespeare, accide...
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David Macaulay: Roman City
The glories of Ancient Rome are explored in ROMAN CITY, based on David Macaulay's acclaimed book. Th...
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The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision
Making of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King....
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Edmund the Magnificent
When news breaks that the county pig fete's being revived, the once-legendary Farmer decides to make...
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How a Kite Flies
Sir Ian McKellen voices an alcoholic kite. A down-and-out who prefers to hang around his dingy local...
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Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring
A documentary about the influences on Tolkien, covering in brief his childhood and how he detested t...
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The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale
Written, co-produced and co-directed by David J. Skal, THE WORLD OF GODS AND MONSTERS is a behind-th...
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Hating Peter Tatchell
The powerful and inspiring true story of the controversial human rights campaigner whose provocative...
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Eighteen
Pip, a street kid just turning 18, receives his grandfather's World War II-era memoirs and discovers...
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Small-Time Revolutionary
England, 1988. Thatcher, New Order, Section 28, The Kants. Russell finds himself caught between two ...
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Ringers: Lord of the Fans
'Ringers: Lord of the Fans' is a feature-length documentary that explores how "The Lord of the Rings...
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The Tragedy of King Richard II
The Tragedy of King Richard II, by William Shakespeare. The actions and repercussions of a proud Kin...
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Countdown to War
Based on a play, the story details the dramatic negotiations between UK, France, Poland, Nazi-German...
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The Wolverine: Path of a Ronin
A nice exploration of the samurai-ninja aspect of the story, including its roots in the actual Marve...
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Shakespeare on Stage, Screen and Elsewhere with Ian McKellen
Acting legend Ian McKellen discusses his impressive range of Shakespearean performances. Since playi...
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Shakespeare on Film
Ian McKellen and Richard Loncraine in conversation about Richard III....
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Play the Devil: Making Richard III
Sir Ian McKellen and Richard Loncraine talking about making the film....
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X-Men: The Mutant Watch
While Senator Kelly addresses a senate committee about the supposed mutant menace, we learn about th...
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Infinitum: Subject Unknown
Jane is the subject of a twisted science experiment where she is placed in a parallel world and is f...
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Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet
Sir Ian McKellen reads the poetry, Michael Wood traces the journey on the ground. Together they conj...
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On Broadway
An all-star cast tells the inside story of the Broadway theater, and how it came back from the brink...
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Scarfe's Follies
Cartoonist Gerald Scarfe looks at that most English of things - the folly....
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The Christophers
The estranged children of a once-famous artist hire a forger to complete his unfinished works so the...
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The Making of 'The Two Towers'
A behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of 2002's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." Cre...
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The Making of 'The Return of the King'
A behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of 2003's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the K...
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Süleyman the Magnificent
Süleyman (or Süleiman) the Magnificent was the longest-reigning emperor of the Ottoman empire. Known...
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Freedom: 50 Years of Pride
This documentary reveals the surprising and overlooked history of Pride: its origins, its struggles ...
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Ken Dodd: A Legacy of Happiness
A star-studded documentary revealing the private man behind one of Britain’s greatest comic geniuses...
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Avengers: Doomsday
The Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, Thunderbolts, and X-Men all fight against Doctor Doom. Plot...
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Dragged Through Time
Touching on major moments for the LGBTQ community throughout history....
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After Stonewall
This sequel to "Before Stonewall" documents the history of gay and lesbian life from the riots at St...
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No Man's Land
Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart lead the cast in this glorious revival of Harold Pinter’s comic cla...
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Dying Day
A lonely man with punctilious habits listens to a tape cassette of ambient barroom sounds, which inc...
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A World War II Fairy Tale: The Making of Michael Mann's 'The Keep'
Exploring Michael Mann's 1983 film adapted from the F. Paul Wilson novel and its impact....
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Guerrilla Distribution
Back in 2005 two filmmakers tried to defeat their nemesis by making a film about a giant monkey on t...
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Graceless Go I
Film "Graceless Go I" based of the 1969 novel of the same name by Anthony Storey. A young and crass ...
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My First Time
Six young Brits recount their first gay sexual experiences as hot, athletic models recreate those tr...
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Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol
Ebenezer Scrooge embarks on a supernatural journey to face his past, present and future and fight fo...
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Frank and Percy
During their dog walks on Hampstead Heath, two older gentlemen find their conversations about everyd...
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