Lord of the Rings star’s fall from stage left him ‘crying in pain’ and hospitalised

British actor Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, was rushed to hospital on Monday. McKellen fell from the stage during a London performance.

The 85-year-old actor was starring as John Falstaff in a production of Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre in London’s West End. He lost his footing during a fight scene, AFP reported.

It was during this scene that McKellen reportedly fell off stage and audience members heard him “crying in pain”.

The lights quickly came up and theatre staff and medical personnel were on hand to help the actor before he was rushed to hospital, Express reported.

The audience was evacuated from the theatre as a result, with the rest of the show cancelled and tickets refunded.

“Following a scan, the brilliant NHS (National Health Service) team have assured us that he will make a speedy and full recovery and Ian is in good spirits,” a theatre spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“The production has made the decision to cancel the performance on Tuesday, June 18, so Ian can rest.”

He is expected to return to the stage on Wednesday.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

McKellen, who also played Magneto in the X-Men films, is one of Britain’s most recognised actors, having won many awards during a 60-year career on stage and screen.

Player Kings is a return to Shakespeare for McKellen; combining two of the Bard’s history plays about King Henry IV.

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