— | Amol Rajan Interviews | Self - Interviewed Guest |
— | Billy And Dom Eat The World | Self |
— | Marley | Scrooge (rumored) |
— | Hamlet Revenant | |
2024 | The Life and Death of Lily Savage | Self |
2024 | The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I Loved | |
2024 | Dragfox | Ginger Snap the Fox (Speaking) |
2017 | How a Kite Flies | Mr. Kite (voice) |
— | Untitled Anthony Hopkins Documentary | Self |
— | Schadenfreude | Continuity Announcer |
— | Richard II | Richard II |
2022 | Hamlet Within | |
2022 | Amol Rajan Interviews Ian McKellen | Self |
2021 | Great British Theatre | |
2016 | Shakespeare on Stage, Screen and Elsewhere with Ian McKellen | |
2016 | Shakespeare on Film | |
2016 | All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film | Prospero's Speech Reader (voice) |
2016 | Play the Devil: Making Richard III | |
2015 | Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC | Self (archive footage) |
2014 | Nelson Mandela Redrawn | Self |
2013 | The Egg Trick | Magician |
2011 | The Betty Driver Story | Self |
2011 | Looking for Lowry | Himself |
2011 | Perspectives | |
2009 | Theatreland | Himself |
2007 | The Art of Breaking Character | Self |
2004 | Peter Tatchell: Just Who Does He Think He Is? | |
2003 | Evolution X - The Making of X-Men | |
2003 | The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men - Making X2 | |
2001 | Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love | Narrator (voice) |
1999 | The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale | Self |
1996 | An Evening with Lily Savage | Self |
1994 | Stonewall 25: Global Voices of Pride and Protest | |
1994 | David Macaulay: Roman City | Augustus Caesar (voice) |
1993 | Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up | Narration (voice) |
1982 | Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare | |
1979 | Every Good Boy Deserves Favour | Alexander Ivanov |
1978 | The Vanishing Army | |
1974 | Playhouse | |
1972 | Hedda Gabler | George Tesman |
1970 | Hamlet | Hamlet |
1970 | The Tragedy of King Richard II | King Richard II |
1969 | The Promise | |
1966 | David Copperfield | David Copperfield |
1965 | The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne | Wolf |
— | A Filmmaker's Journey: Making 'The Return of the King' | Self |
2024 | ted | Narrator (voice) |
2024 | Hamlet | Hamlet |
2024 | The Critic | Jimmy Erskine |
2023 | The One Note Man | Narrator (voice) |
2022 | Quintessentially British | Self |
2021 | Infinitum: Subject Unknown | Dr. Charles Marland-White |
2021 | Hating Peter Tatchell | Self |
2020 | Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet | |
2020 | Reunited Apart | Self |
2020 | Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU | |
2019 | The Good Liar: Das alte Böse | Roy Courtnay |
2019 | Cats | Gus, the Theatre Cat |
2019 | On Broadway | Self |
2018 | All Is True | Earl of Southampton |
2018 | McKellen: Playing the Part | Himself |
2018 | National Theatre Live: King Lear | King Lear |
2017 | Beauty and the Beast | Cogsworth |
2017 | Animal Crackers | Horatio P. Huntington (voice) |
2017 | The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin | Self |
2017 | Edmund the Magnificent | Self - Narrator (voice) |
2017 | The Paul O'Grady Story | Himself |
2016 | Shakespeare Live! From the RSC | Self - Performer |
2016 | National Theatre Live: No Man's Land | Spooner |
2016 | Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage | Self |
2016 | The Roof | And Even Yet Another Fan |
2015 | Mr. Holmes | Sherlock Holmes |
2015 | The Dresser | Norman |
2014 | X-Men: Days of Future Past | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto |
2014 | Der Hobbit: Die Schlacht der fünf Heere | Gandalf the Grey |
2014 | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Self |
2014 | Variety Studio: Actors on Actors | Self |
2014 | Miss in Her Teens | The Prologue |
2014 | Trailblazer Honors | Self - Speaker |
2013 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | Gandalf the Grey |
2013 | The Wolverine | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (uncredited) |
2013 | Vicious | Freddie Thornhill |
2013 | The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot | Self |
2013 | The Wolverine: Path of a Ronin | Self |
2013 | Muse of Fire | Self |
2012 | Der Hobbit: Eine unerwartete Reise | Gandalf the Grey |
2012 | Doctor Who: The Snowmen | The Great Intelligence (voice) |
2012 | London 2012: Paralympics Opening Ceremony | Self |
2010 | Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy | Self (archive footage) |
2010 | A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation | Narrator (voice) |
2010 | Lady Grey London | |
2010 | Small-Time Revolutionary | Hamish Miller (voice) |
2009 | The Prisoner | 2 / Curtis |
2009 | Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen | Self - Guest |
2008 | King Lear | King Lear |
2007 | The Golden Compass | Iorek Byrnison (voice) |
2007 | Stardust | Narrator (voice) |
2007 | The Graham Norton Show | Self - Guest |
2007 | The Graham Norton Show | Self |
2007 | For the Love of God | The Jackdaw |
2006 | X-Men: The Last Stand | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto |
2006 | The Da Vinci Code | Sir Leigh Teabing |
2006 | Flutsch und weg | The Toad (voice) |
2006 | Doogal | Zebedee (voice) |
2006 | The One Show | Self - Guest |
2006 | Saint of 9/11 | Narrator |
2005 | Doctor Who | Voice of the Snowman |
2005 | Extras | Ian McKellen |
2005 | The Magic Roundabout | Zebedee (voice) |
2005 | Neverwas | Gabriel Finch |
2005 | Asylum | Dr. Peter Cleave |
2005 | Ringers: Lord of the Fans | Self |
2005 | Eighteen | Jason Anders (voice) |
2005 | The Hobart Shakespeareans | Himself |
2004 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Self |
2004 | The Paul O'Grady Show | |
2004 | Frodo Is Great... Who Is That?!! | Self |
2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Gandalf |
2003 | X2 | Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto |
2003 | Real Time with Bill Maher | Self |
2003 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | |
2003 | Émile | Emile |
2003 | X-Men: Premieres Around the World | Self |
2003 | Beyond the Movie: The Return of the King | Self |
2003 | The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision | Self |
2003 | Churchill | Himself - Narrator (voice) |
2003 | Film Collectibles: Capturing Movie Memories | Self |
2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Gandalf |
2002 | Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway | Self |
2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Gandalf |
2001 | Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring | Self |
2001 | Quest for the Ring | Self |
2001 | A Passage to Middle-Earth: Making of 'Lord of the Rings' | Self |
2000 | X-Men | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto |
2000 | X-Men: The Mutant Watch | Self - 'Magneto' |
2000 | Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man | Narrator (voice) |
2000 | Now You See Him: 'The Invisible Man' Revealed! | Self |
1999 | Family Guy | Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (voice) |
1999 | David Copperfield | Creakle |
1998 | Der Musterschüler | Kurt Dussander |
1998 | Gods and Monsters | James Whale |
1998 | Swept from the Sea | Dr. James Kennedy |
1997 | Bent | Uncle Freddie |
1997 | The View | Self - Guest |
1997 | A Bit Of Scarlet | Narrator |
1997 | Surviving Friendly Fire | |
1996 | Rasputin | Tsar Nicholas II |
1995 | Richard III | Richard III |
1995 | Restoration | Will Gates |
1995 | Cold Comfort Farm | Amos Starkadder |
1995 | Jack & Sarah | William |
1994 | The Shadow | Dr. Reinhardt Lane |
1994 | I'll Do Anything | John Earl McAlpine |
1994 | Inside the Actors Studio | Self |
1994 | To Die For | Quilt Documentary Narrator (voice) |
1993 | Last Action Hero | Death |
1993 | Six Degrees of Separation | Geoffrey |
1993 | And the Band Played On | Bill Kraus |
1993 | Tales of the City | Archibald Anson Gidde |
1993 | The Ballad of Little Jo | Percy Corcoran |
1992 | Gladio | Aldo Moro (voice) |
1990 | Othello | Iago |
1989 | The Simpsons | Ian McKellen (voice) |
1989 | Scandal | John Profumo |
1989 | Countdown to War | Adolf Hitler |
1988 | Windmills of the Gods | Chairman |
1985 | Plenty | Sir Andrew Charleson |
1985 | Zina | Kronfeld |
1984 | Playing Shakespeare | |
1983 | The Keep | Dr. Theodore Cuza |
1983 | Walter and June | Walter |
1982 | The Scarlet Pimpernel | Chauvelin |
1982 | Walter | Walter |
1981 | Priest of Love | D.H. Lawrence |
1981 | עמוד האש | Narrator |
1979 | A Performance of Macbeth | Macbeth |
1978 | Armchair Thriller | Anthony Skipling |
1978 | An Audience with... | Self |
1975 | Saturday Night Live | Self - Host |
1972 | Country Matters | David Masterman |
1970 | Edward II | King Edward |
1969 | Sesame Street | Himself |
1969 | Alfred the Great | Roger |
1969 | A Touch of Love | George |
1965 | BBC Play of the Month | Captain Plume |
1960 | Coronation Street | Mel Hutchwright |
1953 | The Oscars | Self |