Ian McKellen in Apt Pupil
Ian McKellen (1939 - )
Film Deaths
- Zina (1985) [Arthur Kronfeld]: Commits suicide by approaching in the German troops.
- The Shadow (1994) [Dr. Reinhardt Lane]: Killed (off-screen) by John Lone's men.
- Richard III (1995) [Richard III]: Shot to death by Dominic West during a battle atop a wrecked building; the movie ends with a shot of Ian smiling as he falls into the flames below. (Obviously, this bears no historical account of the real Richard the Third's death).
- Apt Pupil (1998) [Kurt Dussander]: Commits suicide by blowing air/inhaling gas into his IV tube, infecting his chest; he dies shortly afterwards while the doctors try to save him.
- Gods and Monsters (1998) [James Whale]: Commits suicide by drowning himself in his swimming pool. His body is shown afterwards when Brendan Fraser and Lynn Redgrave discover him.
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) [Gandalf the Grey]: Falls to his death from a great height during the battle with the Balrog. In The Two Towers, it’s revealed that he’s magically resurrected (changing from Gandalf the Grey to Gandalf the White in the process).
- The Magic Roundabout (Doogal) (2005; animated) [Zebedee]: Push a cliff by Zeebad (voiced by Tom Baker) in a dream sequence.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) [Erik Lensherr a.k.a. Magneto]: Fatally wounded by a piece of shrapnel while trying to hold off the robot Sentinels; he dies shortly after talking to Patrick Stewart. His death is reversed when Hugh Jackman alters the past, saving everyone.
- Beauty and the Beast (2017) [Cogsworth]: Playing a human turned into an anthropomorphic clock, Ian becomes inanimate due to the curse taking full effect when the last rose petal falls. He is resurrected in human form when Hattie Morahan undoes the curse.
TV Deaths
- Hamlet (1970 TV) [Hamlet]: Dies after being wounded with a poison-tipped sword during a duel (the IMDB listing for this movie doesn't state who played Laertes in this version).
- The Tragedy of King Richard II (1971 TV) [Richard II]: Stabbed by John Cording, an assassin hired by James Laurenson.
- Countdown to War (1989 TV) [Adolf Hitler]: Commits suicide by shooting himself in the bunker.
- And the Band Played On (1993) [Bill Kraus]: Dies of AIDS-related illnesses.
- Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996 TV) [Tsar Nicholas II]: Executed by shooting, along with the rest of the royal family, by a firing squad of Bolsheviks in the basement.
- The Simpsons: The Regina Monologues (2003; animated) [Ian McKellen]: Crushed to death by a falling marquee after "Bart" (voice of Nancy Cartwright) wishes him good luck. (Played for comic effect.)
- King Lear (2008 TV) [King Lear]: Dies of grief over the loss of his daughter.
- Family Guy: Send In Stewie Please (2018; animated) [Dr. Cecil Pritchfield]: Dies from a heart attack, while begging "Stewie" (voice of Seth MacFarlane) to give him his heart medication.
Gallery
Ian McKellen in Richard III
Ian McKellen in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring