During his time at Cambridge University as an English student, Ian McKellen was an active performer in the theatre scene, appearing in a wide range of productions. Originally hailing from Bolton, McKellen was accepted into St Catharine’s College on a scholarship in 1958 and paved the way for his incredibly successful acting career beginning in Cambridge’s very own ADC Theatre.

In 1959, McKellen appeared in a rendition of Saint’s Day at the ADC, a play by John Whiting which follows the life of an aged poet. Derek Jacobi, who starred alongside McKellen, is praised for giving “a superb cameo performance”, but the reviewer seemed to doubt McKellen’s credibility in his role. Although the thespian is described as showing “deep feeling and considerable sincerity”, the reviewer appears unconvinced, describing McKellen as “hopelessly miscast” – perhaps more a reflection on the directing team than McKellen’s theatrical capabilities!

In the following year, McKellen’s name crops up again in a review of a performance of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck. It is clear that McKellen has now established a reputation in the Cambridge theatre scene and he is heralded as standing “head and shoulders above the rest” in his role as Ekdal. Again, however, the reviewer seems unimpressed with the execution of the play and questions whether it was McKellen’s or the author’s fault “that the audience laughed so much at his tragic self-inflation?”.

McKellen’s final year at Cambridge was not without its theatrical endeavours: in a rundown of shows, he is pictured posing for a Footlights’ production of The Country Wife as a “farewell appearance”. McKellen’s contemporary (and now famous theatre director), Trevor Nunn is also mentioned in the article, and the show clearly promises to be a raucous evening: “restoration comedy at its most outspoken and audacious”.

McKellen has gone on to star in several Lord of the Rings films, The Da Vinci Code and has made numerous appearances at the RSC, including Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet. Now the recipient of a CBE, McKellen’s time in Cambridge was evidently instrumental in the creation of his further career

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