LONDON — Actor Ian McKellen is expected to make a full recovery after he fell from a stage in London during a fight scene on Monday and was hospitalized, a spokesman said.
McKellen, 85, was in “good spirits” after doctors said a scan showed he was expected to make a full recovery from the fall, a spokesman for the Noel Coward Theater said.
The stage and screen veteran known for playing Gandalf in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films and many stage roles over a career spanning six decades, cried out in pain after the fall, according to a BBC journalist in the theater.
McKellen played John Falstaff in “Player Kings,” a production of Henry IV, parts one and two, adapted and directed by Robert Icke, at the Noel Coward Theater.
He lost his balance and fell off the stage in a scene with the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy. The fall startled theatergoers.
“Sir Ian appeared to stumble as he walked off stage to take a more active part in the scene,” audience member Paul Critchley told the PA news agency, saying it was a shock. “He picked up speed as he walked off stage, which resulted in him falling off the stage directly in front of the audience.”
Staff and two doctors in the audience helped the sick actor, the spokesperson said.
The theater was evacuated and the play was cancelled. Production for Tuesday was also canceled to give McKellen time to rest.
McKellen’s career includes playing Magneto in the X-Men films and several Shakespearean characters, including Richard II, Macbeth and King Lear.
He has won a Tony Award for ‘Amadeus’, several Laurence Olivier Awards and has been nominated for two Oscars and several BAFTA awards.
