In the old-fashioned sitcoms, to be gay was, in itself, funny, and you laughed at the characters rather than with them. — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
The conventional wisdom is that if you are gay, you cannot play the romantic straight lead in a movie. — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
There have been many gay knights in the past - like Sir Noel Coward or Sir John Gielgud. — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
I'm dead against the idea that you should try to "cure" people of being gay. — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
There are deaths in public places on the grounds that the victim is gay. — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
Thanks to every gay person in public and non-public life who has come out. — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
You won't hear me talk about my politics, you won't hear me talk about my vegetarianism, you won't hear me comment on… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
It was wrongly assumed that I wished to become some sort of leader among gay activists, whereas in reality I was happier… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
In the '50s and '60s, the life of a gay man was a secret. Homosexuality was illegal, so you didn't draw attention… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
It's only fair that stable gay relationships of long standing should have the same rights and responsibilities as married couples. I know… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
In the U.K. there is still work to be done, particularly in schools, stopping the homophobic bullies in the playground and introducing… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
Even now, there are young actors who want careers as romantic leading men, and the best thing is not to reveal you're… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
I am going around British secondary schools, as a gay man talking about my life, and encouraging schools to get rid of… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
The battle going on over gay marriage in America reveals an awful lot. The Bible belt - people hate gay people. Because… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
The demographic of our audience is young. It also contains a high proportion of black, Jewish and gay people, who have all… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
I think it's one thing to declare your sexuality, if you care about what that is. It's another thing to start talking… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
The huge difference in my lifetime is that you can just go up to somebody and make a pass. You couldn't do… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
In the past, kids didn't tell their parents they were gay, so there were never the bust-ups. Some parents react so strongly… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
One school invited me down, as two pupils had come out, and the headmaster didn't know what to do about it. I… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
Imagine trying to be a gay actor, a gay anything in modern Russia? Where to be positively oneself, to be affectionate in… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
Establishing the rights for gay people to be married would cost the Australian government nothing financially and would gain for you worldwide… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
There is a fantasy as old as the modern gay rights movement that if all our skins turned lavender overnight, the majority,… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
I can't take on all the worries of the world, you know. I can only talk about being gay and being an… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
I have been reluctant to lobby on other issues I most care about - nuclear weapons (against), religion (atheist), capital punishment (anti),… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
I've had enough of being a gay icon! I've had enough of all this hard work, because, since I came out, I… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
I've always longed for the theatre and acting to be popular. No actor wants to play to an empty house. We only do it… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
It's my impression that I've done every job that I've been asked to do. — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
I'm fortunate to be famous for two rather imposing characters like Magneto and Gandalf. — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
If you are playing King Lear you are the centre of attention anyway. You don't need to draw attention to yourself. It's all laid… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
Godot is whatever it is in life that you are waiting for: 'I'm waiting to win the lottery. I'm waiting to fall in love'.… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
I'm only an actor. I'm not a writer. I'm not going to leave any legacy. All I've ever done is learn the lines and… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
I'd never read 'Lord of the Rings' until I was asked to play Gandalf, so I didn't really know it was a frightfully famous… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
You might be surprised by how interested young people are in older people. — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
The strength of British theatre should be that these actors in their middle years know what they're doing and are good at it. Not… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
Until I came out, my acting was all about disguise, and thereafter it became about telling the truth. — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
Elijah looks angelic but his beauty of spirit is what makes his Frodo leap out of the screen. Unalloyed goodness is one of the… — Ian Mckellen Copy Share Image
![“I think it's one thing to declare your sexuality, if you care about what that is. It's another thing to start talking in public about what you do in private and who you do it with. It's not that they [my significant others] don't want to be identified as gay, but that they don't want to be…” quote by Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e27/ian-mckellen-1396_care_i-think-it-s-one-thing-to-declare-your-s_1055264.jpg)
