Ian McKellen

Sir Ian McKellen is one of Britain's most celebrated actors, known for playing Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Magneto in the X-Men films. He came out as gay live on BBC Radio 4 in January 1988 during a discussion of Section 28, the Thatcher-era law that banned the "promotion" of homosexuality in schools — becoming one of the first major British stars to come out publicly. He co-founded the LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall UK in 1989 and has remained one of the world's most prominent queer activists for over four decades. He was in a long-term relationship with director Sean Mathias and has spoken extensively about how his coming out liberated him as both a person and a performer.