(London) British actor Ian McKellen, known for his role as the wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, fell on stage in London at the age of 85 on Monday evening, leading to the cancellation of the performance.
While playing the character John Falstaff in the middle of a battle scene in the play Player Kings, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Ian McKellen lost his footing and fell from the stage, witnesses reported to British media.
They heard the actor screaming in pain and then being taken away by staff at the Noël Coward Theatre and an ambulance.
A specialist in Shakespeare, which he has performed numerous times in the theater, Ian McKellen became a world star in the 2000s by playing Magneto, a mutant capable of manipulating metal in X-Men, then the long-bearded magician Gandalf , in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
A theater spokesperson said Ian McKellen was in “good spirits” and that doctors who examined him assured he would “make a full and speedy recovery.”
This Tuesday’s performance was also canceled, but the actor, also known for his commitment to defending LGBT people in the United Kingdom, is expected to return to the stage on Wednesday.