17 June 2024 , 22:56
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A spokesperson for beloved British actor Sir Ian McKellen has released a fresh statement about the star's condition after he fell off the stage during a performance tonight.
The Lord Of The Rings actor, 85, who is currently playing John Falstaff in a production of Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre, was in a fight scene when he lost his footing and fell from the stage during Monday evening’s performance.
After Sir Ian fell from the stage, a spokesperson for the theatre told The Mirror: “Thank you to our audience and the general public for their well wishes following Ian’s fall during this evening’s performance of Player Kings. Following a scan, the brilliant NHS team have assured us that he will make a speedy and full recovery and Ian is in good spirits.
"The production has made the decision to cancel the performance on Tuesday 18 June so Ian can rest. Those affected will be contacted by their point of purchase as soon as possible tomorrow. Thank you to doctors Rachel and Lee who were on hand in the audience and to all the venue staff for their support.”
Audience members were evacuated from the theatre after Sir Ian's fallSir Ian is expected to next appear in Wednesday’s matinee performance of the production.
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After the accident, audience members were informed that the remainder of the evening performance had been cancelled and they were evacuated from the premises.
A BBC journalist, who saw the play, said the veteran stage and screen actor was in a scene involving the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy when he fell off the front of the stage. The actor was heard to cry out in pain as staff rushed to help.
Ian McKellen as Fallstaff (DAILY EXPRESS)Audience member Paul Critchley said it was a “shock” to witness the fall. Mr Critchley, a Methodist minister from Downham Market, Norfolk, said: “Sir Ian seemed to trip as he moved downstage to take a more active part in the scene. He picked up momentum as he moved downstage which resulted in him falling off the stage directly in front of the audience.
“The house lights came up very quickly as the stage management and front of house team dealt with the incident. We were evacuated immediately so that Sir Ian could be treated in privacy. An announcement was made by theatre management that the show had been cancelled, that Sir Ian was receiving treatment and an ambulance had been called.
“It was a shock to witness his fall and I wish him a speedy recovery. My thoughts are also with his fellow cast members, stage crew and front of house team at the Noel Coward Theatre.”
London Ambulance Service has declined to comment.
Player Kings, a production of Henry IV, parts one and two, adapted and directed by Robert Icke, is due to move to the Bristol Hippodrome in July and will also be staged in Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle.
Sir Ian’s career has spanned more than six decades and seen the actor perform at theatres around the country. On screen he is most known for playing Magneto in the X-Men films and Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s fantasy trilogy, based on the books from JRR Tolkien.
The show combines Henry IV parts one and two with Sir Ian McKellen as Falstaff (Grab)On the stage he has played a number of Shakespearean characters including Richard II, Macbeth, Coriolanus, and King Lear. His many acting credits have led to a number of accolades over the years including several Olivier Awards.
The actor was born in Burnley, Lancashire, in 1939 and, alongside his sister Jean, was raised by his mother Margery and father Denis.
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Sir Ian has often credited his parents for encouraging his interest in becoming a performer, previously claiming in a 2017 interview with the Irish Examiner: “Apparently she said, ‘If Ian decides to be an actor, it’s a good job, because it brings pleasure to people’.”
His mother died when he was just 12 and he would lose his father at the age of 22.
Sir Ian acted at all the schools he attended.
When at Bolton School he was able to take on his first Shakespeare performance at Hopefield Miniature Theatre when, as a 13-year-old Malvolio, he performed the letter scene from Twelfth Night.
He then won a scholarship to read English at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and was soon appearing in regular productions, including appearing alongside now famous alumni such as Sir Derek Jacobi, Sir David Frost and Dame Margaret Drabble.
By the time Sir Ian graduated in 1961 he had decided to become an actor, and landed his first job in a production of A Man For All Seasons at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.
Since then, he has gone on to become a household name for his acclaimed performances in everything from Shakespearean tragedies to Hollywood blockbusters.
Outside of acting, Sir Ian has been active in the gay rights movement.
Very few people knew of his homosexuality at a young age, including his parents.
In 1988, he publicly came out on a BBC Radio 4 programme while discussing Margaret Thatcher’s Section 28 legislation, which made the promotion of homosexuality as a family relationship by local authorities an offence.
He said of the law: “I think it’s offensive to anyone who is, like myself, homosexual, apart from the whole business of what can or cannot be taught to children.”
Section 28 was eventually fully repealed in 2003.