McKellen

British

/ məˈkɛlən /

noun

Sir Ian ( Murray ). born 1939, British actor, noted esp for his Shakespearean roles; films include The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–03)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And Mr. McKellen is mildly avuncular, radiating a stealthy, benevolent attitude.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

The dialogue is delivered by digitally rendered, three-dimensional-looking images of Mr. McKellen and three other actors, Golda Rosheuvel, Arinzé Kene and Rosie Sheehy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

The actor even does an Ian McKellen impression just because.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2025

Doechii, who only played for 45 minutes, still managed to mark herself out as a future headliner; while Scissor Sisters brought out actual Gandalf Sir Ian McKellen to perform Invisible Light.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2025

It brought Ian McKellen to Brooklyn as King Lear, built a replica of its main theater in an Upper East Side drill hall and sent a stream of shows to Broadway.

From New York Times • Nov. 23, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023