British actor Ian McKellen is expected to make a full recovery after being hospitalized after falling off a stage in London on Monday during a fight scene, according to a spokesman.
McKellen85 years old, was “good mood“after doctors said a scan offered a favorable prognosis and expected to make a full recovery of the dropaccording to a spokesperson for the Noel Coward Theater.
The veteran of theater and the big screenknown for playing Gandalf in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films and in many stage roles over a six-decade career, he cried in pain after the fall, according to a BBC journalist present at the theatre. McKellen played John Falstaff in ‘Player Kings’a production of Henry IV, parts one and two, adapted and directed by Robert Icke, at the London Teatro Noel Coward.
The actor he lost his balance and fell off the stage in a scene with the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy. The fall surprised theatergoers. “Sir Ian appeared to stumble as he walked off stage to take a more active role in the scene,” an audience member told the PA news agency, in statements reported by the AP. “He gained momentum as he came off the stage, which caused him to fall off the stage directly in front of the audience,” he said.
After the fall, the staff and two doctors from the audience helped the actorsaid the spokesperson. The theater was evacuated and the play suspended. Tuesday’s production was also canceled to give McKellen time to recover and rest.
McKellen’s career includes, among other famous roles, playing Magneto in the ‘X-Men’ movies already several Shakespeare charactersincluding Richard II, Macbeth and King Lear.
The British actor has won a Tony Award for ‘Amadeus’, several awards Laurence Olivier and it has been nominated for two Oscars and several BAFTAs.
