UK Hello! Magazine – 8th June 1999

Sir Ian McKellen spent his 50th birthday miserable and alone, locked away in a Spanish bedroom. Preferring not to mark his half-century in public, he had taken off to a health farm recommended by Lady Olivier, the actress Joan Plowright. One decade on, his friends were not going to let him get away with that again. He was told to keep two days free (one for the celebration and one to recover!) and whisked away to a secret location, where he found himself surrounded by 170 stars from the entertainment world, friends who spanned his award-winning career of almost 40 years as actor, director and campaigner.

“I knew Mig and Louise were organizing something, but I’m astonished at this,” said Sir Ian, referring to his personal assistant Louise Hary and Mig Kimpton, National Youth Theatre general manager and producer of his one-man show. “In the car I had no idea. As we passed the Thames I thought we were going on a river trip. Then we got perilously near the Old Vic and I thought maybe there would be a show. Then we went past Buckingham Palace and I thought we were going in there!”

But Sir Ian, who has just finished a six-month season at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds and starts filming a sci-fi thriller, The X-Men, next month, was given the full red-carpet treatment when he finally arrived in a red Bentley with a leather-clad outrider at the Royal Garden Hotel.

In his speech, actor and activist Michael Cashman later entertained guests with an account of their journey: “The Bentley was flying the gay flag and the motorcycle outrider was dressed top to toe in black leather. Ian kept asking, ‘Where are we going’ And we kept saying, ‘That’s what we do with 60-year-olds – take them out for a drive.”

On a more serious note, Michael talked of how Sir Ian, who helped found the gay and lesbian rights group Stonewall ten years ago, recognized pain and despair in others. “He reaches out and he touches it. Ian McKellen has the unique gift of recognizing that unless we learn the lessons from the dead and dying we undermine the reason we live: to better the world and our understanding of each other. It is extremely difficult to sum up the love in this room for one man. We all have our special stories to sum up Ian,” he said, proposing the toast. “I want to thank the world for Ian McKellen.”

After a standing ovation, Sir Ian cast a twinkling eye over his audience and declared: “There is no friend here I am unhappy to see. It could have been dreadful! If it had been any one of you I would have been happy to spend the evening alone with you. Ten years ago I wanted to avoid any celebration on my 50th birthday and I took Joan Plowright’s advice to go to a heath farm in Spain. I didn’t speak Spanish and they didn’t speak English. For three days I didn’t go out of my room. I was entirely on my own and absolutely miserable. That’s the last time I take her advice! On my 60th I insisted on a decent day – and I have been given it.”

Unfortunately, filming commitments kept Lady Olivier herself away this evening, but Sir Ian’s show business friends spanned the whole spectrum of stage, film, TV and music, producing a remarkable guest list from Francesca Annis, who played Juliet to his Romeo more than 20 years ago, to veteran Oscar-winner Luise Rainer. One of the first arrivals was Lady Redgrave, the actress Rachel Kempson, with her daughter Lynn Redgrave. Lynn, who like Sir Ian Oscar-nominated for Gods and Monsters, said: “This is the best party and the best fun.”

Comedienne Dawn French was one of many guests who spoke of Sir Ian’s generous encouragement. “Ruby Wax introduced me to him 15 years ago,” she said. “He comes to see our shows and is very good on advice. He knows everything to know and is happy to help when I ask him how to approach a part. He is completely approachable.”

Dawn arrived with “my new friend – Geri Halliwell. Wrapped in a pink pashmina shawl over a black dress, her blonde hair swept back with an Alice band, the former Spice Girl was seated by broadcaster Janet Street-Porter and the Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant.

“You have such a lovely figure, you could be a model,” Geri told willowy Janet.

“You’re really tall.” “It’s posture,” responded Janet firmly.

Janet was Sir Ian’s neighbour in London’s Limehouse for seven years. “He made me macaroni cheese,” she recalled. “He would come to my house for dinner and I’d give him something posher than that – I was into my showing-off stage, so it would probably have been partridge.”

Another Limehouse neighbour was actor/playwright Steven Berkoff and his wife Clara Fischer. They and Sir Ian would always cheer on the London Marathon competitors as they ran past. Theatre producer Sir Eddie Kulukundis, who arrived with actress wife Susan Hampshire, said: “Each year I am in the wagon in front of the first lady runners and Ian would always shout and wave. He is very encouraging.”

Someone else who has received Sir Ian’s support was Michelle Collins. With a flourishing TV career since the demise of Eastenders’ Candy, Michelle remembers Sir Ian coming to the Hackney Empire on New Year’s Day to see her in panto. “What a fantastic bloke to do that. What better way of getting rid of a hangover!”

Elsewhere the girl fondly described by Sir Ian as “my new friend”, Monica Lewinsky, looked stunning as she took to the dance floor in a full-skirted black dress of beaded tulle.

Sir Ian has rather taken Monica under his protective wing after they met at the Oscars. He invited her to the British premiere of Gods and Monsters and spoke of her plans to stay in the UK. “I think that might have been wishful thinking on his part,” laughed Monica. Her gift to him was a scarf. “I knitted it myself in navy blue chenille, grey wool and little black dots of confetti,” she said. “I chose this because I am sure someone like Ian has everything – but not something with a little tag saying, ‘Made especially by me, Monica.’”

The party was enlivened by a cabaret which Sting took the stage to sing Happy Birthday. “I’ve never sung this in public before,” he said. “I feel like Marilyn Monroe.”

There was a palpable affection around the room for the guest of honour, Imogen Stubbs, who was in Othello with Sir Ian, directed by her husband Trevor Nunn, said: “I felt the luckiest girl in the world to be acting with him. He is a rogue who makes you giggle during shows. He is very twinkly. He once told me, ‘Trevor Nunn is a wonderful director but he wears a toupe. It was only when I was getting married to him that I realized he didn’t! Ian is so nice and encouraging to young people in the profession. He is lovely and generous and kind. He makes you feel really special.”

Jane Asher, his West End co-star in Alan Ayckbourn’s Henceforward agrees about his mischievous side: “We had a competition to see who could do the most ridiculous things on stage: standing on one leg, closing the up-stage eye, both eyes, or passing red knickers from one to another. He is the most ungrand person.”

Another ungrand Northerner, artist David Hockney, said “Ian does very good impersonations of me, but he does it with a Lancashire accent. I am from Bradford, he is from Bolton. He says I’m from Holton of Yorkshire.”

Practically everyone seemed to have a story of a kindness by Sir Ian that they were grateful for. Culture Minister Chris Smith asked him to speak at a fund-raising dinner in his constituency of Islington: “He said he was no good at speaking his own lines, but he came along anyway and gave a moving speech, thought to be by Shakespeare from Sir Thomas More. He was brilliant.”

From comedienne Sandi Toksvig, the memory was of appearing at the Royal Albert Hall. “I was extremely nervous. He stood and waited with me the entire time before I went on, with his arms around me, and then gave me a gentle push when it was time to go on stage. That’s the kindest thing I have ever known anybody do. He is a sweetheart.”

Richard E Grant agreed: “You won’t find anybody who doesn’t like him.” Graham Norton, who introduced the cabaret, said: “We met at a Stonewall show where he was artistic director. It was quite intimidating, because he is Sir Ian and I’m ‘the poof off the telly’, but he was terribly supportive, nice and understanding of what comedians do.”

Actress Rachel Weisz was a late arrival – direct from the theatre after her performance in Suddenly Last Summer. She recalled when they filmed together.

“We shared accommodation and a cleaning lady, who was very angry because I was messy,” said Rachel. “Ian would tidy up before she arrived. He is a great cook, very easygoing and easy to live with, like a student. He is very funny, very charming. It is wonderful when someone as talented as him takes you by the hand and says, ‘I am rooting for you’”

Antony Sher appeared on stage with Sir Ian in Uncle Vanya. “I was in awe. I had been such a fan ever since I arrived from South Africa, so working with him was so exciting. I was sort of embarrassed, but I wrote him a little fan note saying, ‘I have worked with a really great actor.’ He is terribly modest. He is a great actor and it’s extraordinary being on stage with him because he really makes you go the distance.”

At the end of the party Sir Ian explained that because he wasn’t the host or the organizer he’d been quite relaxed throughout the party and had had a terrific time. It had certainly been a night to remember: “So wonderful to see all those faces, all those friends.”

From left to right: Richard E. Grant, Jane Asher, Imogen Stubbs, Sir Ian, Trudie Styler and Sting.