Sir Ian McKellen screamed out in agony as he tripped over props and plunged off the stage during a West End performance last night – leaving shocked theatregoers in tears as the acting legend was rushed to hospital.
Audience members told MailOnline the 85-year-old tumbled off the front of the stage in a ‘belly flop fashion’ and yelled ‘help me… my arms’ just before the interval of Player Kings at the Noël Coward theatre in London.
The crowd were evacuated from the theatre at around 8pm while medics were called to the venue – and ticket holders were told the evening show had been cancelled.
Representatives for the production confirmed that Sir Ian ‘will make a speedy and full recovery’ and is in ‘good spirits’ – but Tuesday night’s performance has also been cancelled so he can rest.
Sir Ian – who plays John Falstaff in the play – was circling a battle scene involving the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy, when he tripped and fell off the stage.
As the house lights came up, the actor best known for his portrayals of Gandalf in the Lord Of The Rings franchise and Magneto in X-Men, cried out in pain as ushers and two medics in the audience rushed to help him.
Kol Baker, who was watching the show from the second tier, told MailOnline that Sir Ian had been ‘berating the villain and moving around’ during the scene when he ‘tripped over’ some props and fell off the stage ‘in almost a belly flop fashion’.
‘Instantly he screamed and honestly the noises were bone-chilling,’ the 23-year-old added – as he recalled Sir Ian yelling ‘help me, help me’ followed by ‘my arms, my arms’ and ‘help me, help me’ again
Sir Ian McKellen (centre) bows at the curtain call during the press night performance of ‘Player Kings’ at the Noel Coward Theatre on April 11
Sir Ian is seen performing in a scene of Player Kings, which is on the West End until June 22
Audience members gather outside the Noel Coward theatre after having to evacuate
Ambulances rushed to the West End to help Sir Ian, who is in ‘good spirits’ and recovering in hospital
Pictured is an interior shot of the theatre showing the stage Sir Ian fell from
‘The lights were on so quickly the curtains drawn and within seconds they asked to evacuate the whole auditorium. Whilst leaving the theatre within 10 minutes he was in the back of an ambulance speeding down Trafalgar Square.’
Describing what caused the actor to fall, he explained: ‘The scene in question was a warzone so there was broken up bricks and daggers from the battle and the set which was all torn up for that scene.’
He said there was ‘so much concern and shock for Sir Ian’, adding: ‘Everyone I think is just such huge fans of his work and with his age just really empathetic and almost terrified that it could be life-threatening because of his age.’
Mr Baker said that Sir Ian had been ‘performing amazingly with great vigour’ before he fell.
When asked how the audience reacted, the theatregoer added: ‘Instantly people were standing up, the first two rows completely went to rush to go help Sir Ian and everyone was explaining ‘oh my god’ and ‘that poor man’.
‘It was very sincere and so much concern for his well-being,’ he added. ‘He had made everyone laugh so much this evening.’
A spokesperson for Player Kings told MailOnline: ‘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.
‘Following a scan, the brilliant NHS team have assured us that he will make a speedy and full recovery and Ian is in good spirits.
‘The production has made the decision to cancel the performance on Tuesday 18 June so Ian can rest. Those affected will be contacted by their point of purchase as soon as possible tomorrow.
‘Thank you to doctors Rachel and Lee who were on hand in the audience and to all the venue staff for their support.’
London ambulances are seen rushing to the scene following the shock fall on the West End
Images shared on social media showed people holding white boards as the Lord of the Rings star was moved into the ambulance outside the theatre
The audience stood outside the theatre after the venue was evacuated following Sir Ian’s fall
An NHS incident response unit is pictured outside the Noel Coward Theatre
Sir Ian McKellen talks challenges of playing Falstaff
Sir Ian pictured above in his role as Gandalf in The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
Sir Ian also played Magneto in the movie X-Men. He is pictured above during X2, the second movie he starred in in the franchise, in 2003
At least three London ambulances were pictured outside the theatre.
Player Kings, which started its 12-week West End run in April, is a production of Henry IV, Parts One and Two.
Many in the audience shared their shock at the incident on social media last night.
Paul Critchley, a Methodist minister from Downham Market, Norfolk, said: ‘Sir Ian seemed to trip as he moved downstage to take a more active part in the scene.
‘He picked up momentum as he moved downstage which resulted in him falling off the stage directly in front of the audience.
‘The house lights came up very quickly as the stage management and front of house team dealt with the incident. We were evacuated immediately so that Sir Ian could be treated in privacy.
‘An announcement was made by theatre management that the show had been cancelled, that Sir Ian was receiving treatment and an ambulance had been called.
‘It was a shock to witness his fall and I wish him a speedy recovery. My thoughts are also with his fellow cast members, stage crew and front of house team at the Noel Coward Theatre.’
Others expressed their horror online. One tweeted: ‘Just witnessed an awful accident with Sir Ian McKellen tripping off the stage in London. He seems badly hurt. We are all in shock and tears.’
Sir Ian McKellen attends the National Youth Theatre’s BIG Night Out after party at Soho House Greek Street on June 3
A sign for Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre in London staring Sir Ian McKellen, who was taken to hospital after he fell from the stage during a West End performance
Richard Coyle, Sir Ian McKellen and Toheeb Jimoh bow at the curtain call during the press night performance of ‘Player Kings’ at the Noel Coward Theatre on April 11, 2024 in London
Sir Ian McKellen is pictured above in his role as Falstaff in ‘Player Kings’, based on Shakespeare’s Henry IV
Ian McKellen pictured as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Sir Ian also reprised his role as Gandalf in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in 2014
Sir Ian, pictured in 2019, lost his footing and fell from the stage during a fight scene
Marvel villain: The English actor has played Magneto in films based on Marvel Comics and is shown in the 2006 film X-Men: The Last Stand
Sir Ian McKellen (L) and Brian Cox attend the National Youth Theatre’s BIG Night Out after party at Soho House Greek Street on June 03, 2024 in London
Another wrote: ‘Audience shocked by Sir Ian McKellen’s fall off stage tonight at Noel Coward Theatre. Staff working hard to help him. Thoughts with him, cast and crew.’
And a third said: ‘Shocking to watch, it was a terrible fall. Hoping he is not badly injured, he seemed to be in great pain.’
Sandro Trapani told the BBC the incident was ‘very shocking’, adding: ‘I really hope that he is going to be alright. As far as I saw, he was conscious because he was asking for assistance.’
Sir Ian, who now lives in Limehouse, was born in Burnley, Lancashire, in 1939 and, alongside his sister Jean, was raised by his mother Margery and his father Denis.
He has often credited his parents for encouraging his interest in becoming a performer, previously claiming in a 2017 interview with the Irish Examiner: ‘Apparently she said, ‘If Ian decides to be an actor, it’s a good job, because it brings pleasure to people’.’
His mother died when he was just 12 and he would lose his father at the age of 22.
Sir Ian acted at all the schools he attended. When at Bolton School he was able to take on his first Shakespeare performance at Hopefield Miniature Theatre when, as a 13-year-old Malvolio, he performed the letter scene from Twelfth Night.
He then won a scholarship to read English at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and was soon appearing in regular productions, including appearing alongside now famous alumni such as Derek Jacobi, David Frost and Margaret Drabble.
By the time Sir Ian graduated in 1961 he had decided to become an actor, and landed his first job in a production of A Man For All Seasons at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.
Since then, he has gone on to become a household name for his acclaimed performances in everything from Shakespearean tragedies to Hollywood blockbusters.
TV star: Sir Ian is shown with Marilyn Tayerson in a still from the 1972 TV show Country Matters
Sir Ian McKellen attends the press night after party for ‘Player Kings’ at St Martins Lane Hotel on April 11, 2024 in London
Ian McKellen (Edward II), James Laurenson (Piers Gaveston) in EDWARD II by Christopher Marlowe directed by Toby Robertson for the Prospect Theatre Company at the Piccadilly Theatre, London in 1970
Donald Sutherland, Ian McKellen, Stockard Channing and Will Smith (right to left) in the film Six Degrees Of Separation in 1994
Sir Ian McKellen as David Masterman, and Susan Penhaligon, as Ianthe Forrest in the TV show Country Matters in 1972
Ian McKellen, Claire Sweeney and Paul O’Grady on The Paul O’Grady show in 2005
Paul Eddington as Lyov and Sir Ian McKellen as Stefan in the ITV Sunday Night Theatre in 1972
He shot to international acclaim for his film work, receiving an Academy Award nomination in 1998 for Best Actor after he starred in Gods and Monsters.
In 2019, the actor topped the The Stage 100 list of most influential people in British Theatre following his UK Tour of Ian McKellen on Stage.
Sir Ian was knighted in 1991 for services to theatre and was later appointed a Companion of Honour for services to drama and equality by Queen Elizabeth II in 2008.
Sir Ian has been nominated for 12 Olivier Awards and won six for his roles in Pillars Of The Community, The Alchemist, Bent, Wild Honey, Richard III and his one-man show Ian McKellen On Stage.
Over the past six decades, Sir Ian has taken on the role of almost every Shakespeare male protagonist – but he was ‘never attracted to’ playing the character of Falstaff until he was persuaded to by director Robert Icke.
After Player Kings’ run at the Noel Coward theatre, the show will tour the country. It is due to move to the Bristol Hippodrome in July and will also be staged in Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle.
The play brings together Shakespeare’s two history plays (Henry IV, parts 1 and 2) with the cast including Toheen Jimoh as Hal and Richard Coyle as King Henry IV.
In April, Sir Ian had to take drastic, and speedy, measures to ensure he made it across London in time for his daily performance of the show – riding on the back of a motorbike.
One source said at the time: ‘Sir Ian tried getting picked up by a car provided by theatre bosses but it took so long to get across town it was pointless.
‘One night it took him 90 minutes to get from his home. After that, it was decided a motorbike was the only option.’
Ian McKellen starred opposite Martin Freeman in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in 2014
Ian McKellen (Percy) and Roger Allam (Frank) in the play Frank and Percy in 2023
Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman and Ian McKellen in X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006
Sir Ian McKellen starred in Hamlet at the Theatre Royal in Windsor in 2021
Recorded in front of an audience at the Harold Pinter Theatre in January 2020, the production of Ian McKellen on Stage is available to stream online
Sir Ian McKellen is pictured above in Hamlet at the Theatre Royal in Windsor in 2021
an McKellen (Sorin) and Frances Barber (Arkadina) in ‘The Seagull’ by The Royal Shakespeare Company in 2007
Mother Goose the pantomime starring Ian McKellen as Mother Goose and John Bishop as Vic Goose at the Theatre Royal Brighton in 2022
He has also previously had to pull out of performances due to injuries.
In 2018, he had to apologise to theatre-goers after a leg injury forced him to pull out of a performance of King Lear. Sir Ian had been rushing to catch the train and pulled his calf muscle.
Last September, Sir Ian opened up about his life changing ‘overnight’ when he came out as gay 35 years ago. Very few people knew of his homosexuality at a young age, including his parents.
In 1988, he publicly came out on a BBC Radio 4 programme while discussing Margaret Thatcher’s Section 28 legislation, which made the promotion of homosexuality as a family relationship by local authorities an offence.
He said of the law: ‘I think it’s offensive to anyone who is, like myself, homosexual, apart from the whole business of what can or cannot be taught to children.’ Section 28 was eventually fully repealed in 2003.
Sir Ian has spoken about his experiences on coming out on several occasions.
Back in July 2000, he wrote in The Independent: ‘The only good thing I can think to say about Section 28 is that it finally encouraged me to come out. A bit late in the day, but it remains the best thing I ever did.’
He told Variety about coming out in 1988: ‘Almost overnight everything in my life changed for the better – my relationships with people and my whole attitude toward acting changed.’
Sir Ian told how coming out actually had a huge impact on his acting work.
He explained: ‘The kind of acting that I had been good at was all about disguise – adopting funny voices and odd walks.
Last September, Sir Ian (pictured in 1978) opened up about his life changing ‘overnight’ when he came out as gay 35 years ago. Very few people knew of his homosexuality at a young age, including his parents
People demonstrate against Clause 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 which states that a local authority ‘shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality’, in February 1988, with Sir Ian and Michael Cashman in the front row
Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart kiss on the red carpet during the ‘Star Trek Picard’ UK Premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on January 15, 2020 in London
Mother Goose the pantomime starring Ian McKellen as Mother Goose and John Bishop as Vic Goose at the Theatre Royal Brighton in 2022
Ian McKellen is pictured above at the Clause 28 March in Manchester in February 1988
‘It was about lying to the world. I was no longer in the situation where I was running along beside the character explaining it to the audience. I just became the character.’
Then in 2015, he said that coming out actually made him a better performer, saying: ‘What happened immediately, according to friends, is I became not just a happier person, but a better actor.’
Ian also said he felt that it was difficult for non-gay people to relate to his struggle.
The veteran actor said: ‘People who are not gay just simply don’t know how it damages you to be lying about what you are and ashamed of yourself.
‘I was brought up at a time when it was illegal for me to have sex with a man. And that was not that long ago,’ he added.
He previously revealed how he had to ‘swear he wasn’t gay’ in order to work on Broadway in the 1960s.
Just last week, Sir Ian made headlines after he took a swipe at former US president Donald Trump – accusing him of being ‘one of the worst public speakers there has ever been’.
He told The Times: ‘Trump is an absolute bewilderment. I haven’t seen him live. But he’s one of the worst public speakers there has ever been. Whether he’s reading a script or not, it’s so patent what he is.’