Sir Ian McKellen Opens Internet Home Page

World Wide Website features photos, posters, film/stage previews, and entertainment history.

Sir Ian McKellen
London, UK

For Immediate Release
Monday, 1 September, 1997

London — Millions have enjoyed Sir Ian McKellen's performances on stage, in films, on radio, and on television. Now, the leading British actor of our generation is appearing on the Internet in a new website at mckellen.com. For film fans and theatre-goers, the site offers a rare glimpse into Sir Ian's professional scrapbook, including his colourful collection of theatre posters. A visit to "mckellen.com" is a journey through a slice of entertainment history, with comprehensive listings of Sir Ian's appearances in plays, films, radio, and television productions. Where else will you find in one place the likes of Trevor Nunn, Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench, Faye Dunaway, Clive Barker, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Armistead Maupin, and Will Smith?

There are previews of Sir Ian's roles in upcoming films, including "Apt Pupil," directed by Bryan Singer ("The Usual Suspects") and "Bent," directed by Sean Mathias. Viewers can download clips from past productions such as "Richard III." Sir Ian has contributed his thoughts to web pages about upcoming stage productions of "An Enemy of the People" and "Peter Pan" for the Royal National Theatre.

Sir Ian also uses the website as a forum for his writings on theatre, Shakespeare, and other favourite subjects. As one of the few openly gay celebrities (and fewer gay knights), Sir Ian has been one of the most visible activists in the civil rights movement and other causes. His website provides details and links to other websites of interest. Email sent from the website will be forwarded to Sir Ian, who is savvy on both Mac and PC.

Sir Ian was directly involved in every element of creation and development of his website. The innovative website design is by Keith Stern of CompuWeb, Los Angeles, who also created the award-winning "Official Home Page for Spinal Tap" at www.spinaltap.com.