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Ian McKellen was hospitalized after falling off stage during a performance of “Player Kings” at the Noël Coward Theatre on the West End in London, according to the BBC.
The 85-year-old actor was reportedly in a battle scene when he lost his footing and fell. The audience was evacuated from the theater, and the evening show was canceled. The severity of McKellen’s injuries is unclear.
Variety has reached out to McKellen’s representative for further comment.
McKellen plays John Falstaff in “Player Kings,” which is a production of William Shakespeare’s “Henry IV, Parts One and Two.” It started its 12-week run on the West End in April. After circling a fight scene involving two other characters, McKellen apparently fell off the front of the stage. Per the BBC, “As the house lights came up, the actor cried out and staff rushed to help.”
An audience member speaking to the BBC called the incident “very shocking,” adding, “As far as I saw, he was conscious because he was asking for assistance.”
McKellen is a frequent Shakespeare actor, with stage roles including Macbeth, King Lear, Richard II, Coriolanus, Iago and Richard III. He also played Hamlet this year in a film adaptation from director Sean Mathias.
McKellen also famously played Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, as well as Magneto in the “X-Men” movies.
In 2018, McKellen canceled a matinee performance of “King Lear” after he sustained a leg injury due to falling while running to catch a train. Instead of performing Shakespeare, McKellen treated the London audience to a Q&A.
