Ian McKellen, Garry OConnor
Ian McKellen, Garry OConnor
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Ian McKellen
A Biography

Author: Garry O'Connor

Narrator: Andrew Wincott

Unabridged: 12 hr 28 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/26/2019

Synopsis

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, re-creating his greatest stage roles and exploring his personal life. Ian McKellen will show listeners what makes a great actor tick.

About Garry O'Connor

Garry O'Connor is a biographer and novelist, noted for his publications on theatrical and literary figures. He has written acclaimed biographies of Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Paul Scofield, Peggy Ashcroft, and Alec Guinness. O'Connor has written and presented programs for radio, including Campion's Ghost for Radio 4, adapted from his novel about John Donne.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Mr Pink Ink

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not particularly a fan of non-fiction; I mainly read to escape the day to day and the horrors of real life. But, that being said, I'm not averse to reading non-fiction titles on subjects I really like and I really like Ian McKellan, for many reasons, and I was supe......more

Goodreads review by Ian

The biographer spends too much of the book prattling on about his own and other people's achievements that it clouds any true representation of his supposed main subject. A disappointing read!......more

Goodreads review by Daniel Ray

LOTR is my favorite book. And Gandalf is my favorite character. But I thought this biography was a total bore and mostly just a monotonous analysis of his work. He shares little about his relationships with the people he worked with for all those years. The final chapter does open up and shares why......more

Goodreads review by James

This is an excellent biography of a great man. It was wonderful to experience parts of his life as a reader of the story. I was impressed by the work and friendships that he developed, as well as the accomplishments that he achieved. Ian McKellen is a unique individual that has lived his life in the......more

Goodreads review by Simon

A bit too bitchy about McKellen's career, or more exactly his motivations about the choices he made. And we get it, Mr. O'Connor. You don't like Sir Ian's lifelong significant other or Vicious, the sitcom he and Derek Jacobi did together a few years back. Books like this are why I don't read a lot o......more

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