who played gandolf in the lord of the rings
Gandalf Sir Ian McKellen portrayed Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings film series (2001â€“2003) directed by Peter Jackson, after Sean Connery and Patrick Stewart both turned down the role.[25][26] The make-up and costumes were based on designs by John Howe and Alan Lee. According to Jackson, McKellen based his performance as Gandalf on Tolkien himself: