Veteran actor Ian McKellen hospitalised after falling off stage during performance

Veteran actor Ian McKellen recently suffered an injury and had to be rushed to a hospital after he fell off the stage during a performance in London. It happened during the performance of Player Kings at the Noël Coward Theatre at the West End in London.

The 85-year-old actor was reportedly in a battle scene when he lost his footing and fell. The audience was asked to leave the theatre and the evening show was cancelled. Ian was taken to the hospital immediately.

A representative for the theatre shared a statement that Ian McKellen will “make a speedy and full recovery” and that the 85-year-old actor is “in good spirits.”

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In a statement, they said, “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.”

As for Player Kings, Ian McKellen plays John Falstaff in the project. It is a production of William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Parts One and Two. The project started its 12-week run at the West End in April.

This is not the first time that Ian McKellen has worked on a Shakespeareproject. Prior to this, he has done stage roles in Macbeth, King Lear, Richard II, Coriolanus, Iago and Richard III. He also played Hamlet this year in a film adaptation by director Sean Mathias.

In films, Ian played Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as Magneto in the X-Men movies.