How tall is Ian McKellen

berta said on 27/Jan/23
peak did look anywhere from 5´11-6 foot. i think 181,5. Current is hard so say but he seems to have lost little for his age. went from 181,5 down to mzybe 178. Only 2,5 cm at his age is extremmely good.

Ian Momo 'Questionable 5'10' said on 10/Jan/22
Peak was 5'11,5 quite easily, like with Alan Rickman

Current height maybe just over 5'10

Steven Stinson said on 19/Feb/21
out of Bed at his Peak 183 cm, current 5ft10 - 5ft10 1/4

slim 6'1 said on 8/Feb/21
I’d have no problem giving the quarter inch upgrade for his peak

Genau said on 3/Feb/21
ah sorry i meant current 5ft10 1/4 not 5ft8 1/4 sry

Genau said on 2/Feb/21
slim 6'1 agree peak 5ft11 1/2 current 5ft8 1/4

slim 6'1 said on 7/Jan/21
181-181.5 for peak 👍

Slim 6'1@ said on 5/Nov/20
181.5 when young
178-178.5cm current

Slim 6'1" said on 30/Sep/20
Quarter inch upgrade for peak, rob

Almost 180cm guy said on 12/Sep/20
I think Ian has lost at least 3 centimeters already, in my opinion a peak height 5ft 11.5 and an current height 5ft 10.25 would be the correct list. Here is photo from 1996 of Ian with Elton John: Click Here
Ian looked at least four inches taller than Elton back then, similar in their photos from 1999: Click Here Click Here
In addition, Ian still in 2001 looked neraly five inches taller than Dominic Monaghan and a good six inches taller than Billy Boyd: Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here
Rob, maybe you should give him 5ft 11.5 for his peak height?

Willis Christian Macaraig said on 18/Aug/20
Ian is the same height as Michael Fa s s Bender.

Slim 6'1" said on 6/Aug/20
181-182 young

178-179 now

Nick Lal said on 29/May/20
Agreed, more than 5'11 when compared to the rest of the LOTR cast. I was 5,'11 as 21. Definitely more than anyone 5'10 or 5'9. Even with shoes on. Ian is a flat 6'0.

Nick28L said on 29/May/20
Needs an upgrade to 6'0. Almost felt like head the tallest within The Lord of the Rings cast Yeah Rob, agree with some. A definite 6'0 flat at peak. I was 5'11 at ,21 and felt 6'0ish. Definitely a 6'0 within the 2000s. Now a bare 5'10.75ish. Buut hey we all age!

Miss Sandy Cowell said on 25/May/20
🎁🎈🎂🎊 Happy Birthday Ian! 🎊🎂🎈🎁

Many Happy Returns to Sir Ian McKellen, who turns 8️⃣1️⃣ Golden Years of age today! Have a great time, Ian! XXX

5ft11.5 peak 😁
5ft10.25 today 😘

🎁🎈🎂🎊🎁🎈🎂🎊🎁🎈🎂🎊🎁🎈🎂🎊

John price said on 3/May/20
He walked past me last summer on a train whilst I was stood so could get a good idea of his height. His posture wasn't great but he looked similar to my height (174.5cm) if he had better posture when I saw him i'd say he was around the 177cm mark.

Miss Sandy Cowell said on 9/Aug/19
I am watching 'Walking Through History' with Tony Robinson and the ancient Druids are being discussed. It is due to their appearance, what with the long hair and beards, that the 'Lord of the Rings' wizard Gandalf also looked like that!

Ian's peak height: 5ft11.75
Now: 5ft10.5

179cm guy said on 3/Jun/19
Peak: 181.5cm
Current: 178.5cm

179cm guy said on 27/May/19
Rob, now that Ian has turned eighty don't you think that a current listing that is closer to 5'10 than 5'11 might be better for him? The full one-inch loss? He looks shorter than Michael Fassbender ( Click Here ) Jason Isaacs ( Click Here ) ( Click Here ) ( Click Here ) ( Click Here ) and Orlando Bloom ( Click Here ) ( Click Here ) ( Click Here )

Miss Sandy Cowell said on 18/Mar/19
@ Rob - I think it would be well worth considering giving Ian a place on the Classic Actors page.

Miss Sandy Cowell said on 18/Mar/19
The quotation 'It depends whether I'm standing up straight' is more applicable than ever in 'The Da Vinci Code'. Sir Ian walks with a stick and is disabled.

BUT as for his mind, it is 100% agile and, though the film has so far been about as gripping as a film can get, when we meet Ian's character, Sir Leigh Teabing, the jaw-dropping stuff comes pouring out and I'm afraid in my case, a no-holds-barred swearing fest; I just couldn't help myself! This man is so fascinating, and the way he explains the meaning of Da Vinci's painting of The Last Supper and the symbolic relevance is genuinely easy to grasp and understand.

Ian's character is also very funny! He owns his own plane, and while flying Tom Hanks's Robert Langdon and Audrey Tautou's cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, to safety, or so he thinks, he is 'greeted' by a huge bunch of untrustworthy Police officers and members of the Church. He opens his beautifully spoken mouth and enquires, "Has that old cannabis charge finally caught up with me?" 🤡😂😖

Well, that's where I am up to in the film right now! That line was so funny and unexpected that I had to pause the film for a tea-break and a write-up!

Definitely not an ideal film by which to judge Ian's height today, because the 'standing up straight' bit applies in this because he plays a disabled man.

I will stick with almost the same statistics as I decided upon the last time, but I really do have to take Ian's current height down a bit, so I shall settle for 5ft10.5 and stay with the 6ft I gave him for his peak height last time.

@ Bobby - This film is terrific, and guess who's going to be ordering the two follow-ups post haste? I can't thank you enough for getting me into this mind-expanding subject! 😁👍

Mister lennon said on 15/Mar/19
Maybe solid 5'11 peak, 180-181.

And perhaps weak or flat 5'10 today, 177-178

'Annonymous' said on 12/Mar/19
Hi Rob! I think that the peak height 5'11.5" peak height and 5'10.25" as the current height would be better list for McKellen. Look at McKellen alongside Julian Clary in 1997:
Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here
Taking into account that Clary had more hair than him, McKellen looked only two inches shorter than Julian. Looking at him last year, McKellen looks a little closer to 5'10" today. Look, he looks shortet today than Orlando Bloom:
Click Here Click Here Click Here
And here Ian with Martin Freeman (Ian has some more shoes than Martin):
Click Here
He looks a lot shorter today than Jason Isaacs:
Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here
Here are his latest photos alongside Patrick Stewart:
Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here
I think Patrick can be shy today with 5'8" that's why I believe Patrick is 5'7.75" today. Rob, full 5'11.5" would really look better for peak height Ian, today may look more 5'10" but I believe that if we measure him he will still stretch a little over 5'10" but not 179 cm anymore. Rob, could you give him peak height 5'11.5" and current height 5'10.25"?

179cm guy said on 24/Feb/19
Rob do you think that there's any chance that Ian has dipped below 5'10 yet, given that he's turning eighty this year? Has he lost the full two inches?

Dream(5'9.5") said on 19/Oct/18
Rob, this is just my point of view, but Ian Mckellen (at peak) never struck me as short. I usually got a ‘tall’ impression from him.

Maybe it’s his proportions. He’d clear 6’0” ‘out of bed’ without question.

Sandy Cowell said on 14/Oct/18
He has such a kind face in 'The Lord of the Rings'! "I am Gandalf the White!"

Well, I named my white cat 'Erramius the White' - almost after him!

6ftft peak, 5ft10.75 now! XXX😘

Bobby said on 28/Sep/18
Rob, do you think that Ian McKellen was at peak height during Lord of the Rings? He looks proportionally to be quite close to 6ft tall in it.

MAD SAM said on 23/May/18
Genuinely looks a 6 foot guy in the past, looks a weak 5’11” these days though

berta said on 17/May/18
i agrre "Dream" Mckellen and timberlake could be same height. at peak. Both strong 181

Dream said on 27/Mar/18
@Psychedelic Earth

I bet my books Justin Timberlake will be ‘no taller’ than a peak Ian Mckellen and would be maybe a bit shorter than a peak Mckellen.

Psychedelic Earth said on 2/Feb/18
He’s probaly shrink more today.

Jake94 (5'9 said on 18/Jan/18
Crazy that some of the dwarfs where actually taller than him. Amazing camera work and editing from the Hobbit.

Bobby said on 16/Dec/17
I'll wager that Ian was close to six feet in his younger days. So 5'11.5 to 5'11.75, his six feet claim wouldn't have been absurd back then. He has always struck me as being tall though and did look 5'11 in the first X-Men movie, maybe he was closer to it then, like 5'10.75.

Sandy Cowell said on 21/Oct/17
@ Slim 6 - That's a good one!
(Rampage 🍀!)

I'll give the delightful Ian 5ft10.5,and 5ft11.5 for peak height. He hasn't had a comment from me since January! One inch total loss is good going!

Lovely man with an addictive voice!

Slim 6' said on 20/Oct/17
Agree with mark and rampage 🍀. 5'11.5" is fine for peak.

Mark(5'9.5") said on 5/Oct/17
He always gave a 6’0” impression. Maybe he did very well not to shrink too much.

5’11.5” should be a peak.

Slim said on 29/Sep/17
The full 5'11.5" is fine for peak.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 8/Sep/17
Could look 5ft11½

Slim said on 5/Sep/17
We should give him 5'11.5" peak tbh.
And 5'10.25" these days:

Mark(5'9.5 said on 3/Sep/17
6'3"?..... Not buying that. Though Mckellen has certainly gave a 6 foot impression at times. He's over 5'11" flat for sure.

Alistair said on 30/Aug/17
I've seen Sir Ian in our local park in Limehouse and I am 6ft 3 inches and he was definitely taller than me!

even said on 16/Aug/17
listing is correct

Mark(5'9.5 said on 7/Aug/17
He did really well to only lose 3/4 of an inch for his age.

Perfect listing for Peak and Current.

Mark(5'9.5") said on 28/Jul/17
Mckelllen didn't strike me as short. He actually gave a 6 foot impression at times back then! The peak is perfect. This listing is fine!

Mark(5'9.25 said on 2/Jun/17
Justice has been done again!

Shadowfax said on 19/May/17
Hi Rob, how tall was he during the filming of The Lord of the Rings?

berta said on 4/May/17
ore maybe take away 180 cm peak he really did look more like 182 ore at worst 181 peak.

Michael R said on 26/Apr/17
6 foot in the morning at peak?

Johan said on 22/Apr/17
Its funny that people love his performance as Gandalf, thank Sean Connery for turning down the role. Ian was second choice.

Judd said on 21/Apr/17
So why the 5'11 listing at peak?

Judd said on 20/Apr/17
rob you still think he was a 5'11.5/182cm peak guy?

berta said on 31/Mar/17
Rob maybe give him little taller at peak i really cant see him under 181 at peak. todayhe may be about 178,5 he is 77 years old i think he have lost more than 1 cm. maybe about 3 cm, 181,5 peak and 187,5 now, maybe :P

Mark(5'9.25") said on 25/Mar/17
Rob, how likely is 180-181 cm peak? Mckellen could have been a weak 6 footer in his 20s-30s

Adijos said on 19/Mar/17
Peak 182 cm, actual 180 cm!

172.4cm guy said on 8/Mar/17
Here is a pic of Ian, Billy Cruddup, and Patrick Stewart, Click Here. Ian easily has almost 3.0 inches on Billy, and about 1.5-2.0 inches on Patrick. Given that Billy is a weak 5-8, and Patrick is about a 5-8.5 these days, I think Ian's listing at 5-10.5 inches is fairly accurate.

grizz said on 25/Feb/17
He certainly didn't look short next to Hugh Jackman in the most recent Graham Norton episode.

JAK said on 10/Feb/17
Rob, have you seen Ian McKellen's episode of Who Do You Think You Are? Despite having what I would describe as a stooped, "old man" posture he still came across as tall. He was as tall or taller than all of the experts, many of which were younger than him. I'm not saying he was ever taller than 5'11", I just found it interesting that he appeared to be so tall.

Sandy Cowell said on 13/Jan/17
@ Rob - Yes! Nail it he certainly did, from his fight scenes with Christopher Lee to the laughter at the very end!

Sandy Cowell said on 12/Jan/17
I agree with Mark's comment from 12th May last year! He is the best Gandalf ever!
When Peter Jackson chose his cast for 'the Lord of the Rings', he wanted them to look like they'd just stepped out of the pages of the books and he didn't fail with any of them as they were all so fantastic!
I would have given Ian 5ft11, but his actual height isn't far off! He is also in a comedy series, the name of which I forget right now, and he does look a teeny bit shorter in that, but he has an excellent posture, which is very much to his credit.
I am fond of his voice; he has the sort of voice that I can listen to and never grow tired of! 🎬🎭📣 👌❤

Kdawg said on 3/Jan/17
is Ian McKellen 5ft 10.5in barefoot or in shoes?

Mark said on 12/May/16
Best Gandalf ever!

His height is just fine even though he shrank!

Johno said on 12/Mar/16
Yeh, 5'10.

Johno said on 18/Feb/16
Rob he has shrank quite a bit, he always has around 1.25 inches on Sir Patrick Stewart and Orlando Bloom. I don't see above 5'9.5 today Rob.

5'9.5

MOF said on 2/Sep/15
Walked right past him a year ago, came so close I almost bumped into him. I'm exactly 5'11" and he appeared to equal to my height. He may have been wearing boots or big shoes, couldn't tell.

George said on 12/Dec/14
@teej, are you sure Harry wasn't wearing a pair of those?
Click Here

teej said on 6/Dec/14
I dont think he's 5'11 after i saw him with 5'10 harry styles on graham norton show. Harry looked 1 and a half inches taller comfartably. Could he have shrunk that much?

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 29/Oct/14
182cm peak, Rob?

Max M. said on 28/Jul/14
I,ve researched and he is 5,10

Byron T. said on 5/Feb/14
Thanks for the downgrade, Rob! Photo evidence has proved he's shorter than a 5'11'' Michael Fassbender.

Super6Feet3Inches/6'3.25" said on 3/Feb/14
Hey Rob do you think Ian McKellen was still 5'11" in lord of the rings 1 or 5'10.75"

Bundy said on 17/Jan/14
I have to agree McKellen is shorter then Fassbender. He definitely needs to be downgraded to 5'10". What's the hold up, Rob. He may have once been 5'11" but he is for sure much shorter nowadays as you even say so yourself.

cole said on 18/Dec/13
Yeah around 5'10 now seems more likely. He's shorter than Fassbender.

Seanmc said on 22/Nov/13
Saw him last month in Whole Foods, TriBeCa NYC. Definitely 5'11". Bigger frame than I thought as well. Search pics of him and Michael Fassbender and you will see what I mean. Definitely not a frail guy and more like the super heroes he plays :)

dmeyer said on 15/Nov/13
I agree 6'9 Is too tall

Lorne??? said on 26/Sep/13
Remember Mckellen is like 74 now, at the height where height loss truly sets in.

Iceman said on 24/Sep/13
Ian McKellen looks shorter then Fassbender and doesn't look 3 inches taller then Patrick Stewart. 5'10" seems more believable for Mckellen.

jtm said on 31/Aug/13
he could have been 5'11 when he was younger but he is no more than 5'10 now.

Byron T. said on 8/Aug/13
Click Here
Rob, at age 74, what do you think the maximum height Ian McKellen can be?

gsbr said on 24/Jul/13
Today, he looks about the same height as the 5'11" Michael Fassbender.

SAK said on 2/May/13
He is shorter now. Probably 5f11 in his prime.

Byron T. said on 30/Dec/12
@ Sam: Judging from the photo you had provided, I don't think Ian McKellen can be less than 5'10.'' There is more than 1 inch height difference between him and a 5'8'' Andy Serkis.

Sam said on 10/Dec/12
At age 73, McKellen looks to be less than 5'10" today besides 6'2" Richard Armitage. I think it's time for a "current height" downgrade, don't you Rob?:
Click Here

DaShakes said on 6/Feb/12
@Arnold, I agree 6'9 anywhere in the world is very tall. I'm merely 5'8 so I wish I were taller. I get picked on for being small when technically I'm of average height (Asian). I hope I'll be able to hit a strong 5'9 or 10 once I'm done growing. Got a few more years to do that lol

Arnold Darscjiae said on 1/Feb/12
I am really tall and I regard that as a problem. When I was 11 I was 5'10 and I wanted to be 5'11. When I was fifteen I was a massive 6'4 and now I am 6'9!! I hate being so tall as people keep making comments such as hows the weather up there. One person even went as far as pretending to think I was a lamp post! Some people wish they were tall, I wish I was small.

jake, 1.82 m- 1.83 m- 1.84 m said on 26/Jan/12
5" 11.25 peak, 5" 10.5 now.

dunstabledan said on 25/Nov/11
'5 "11 (180.5) looks about right, Im 181 in flat trainers, and met him on set of X-Men, he was nearly exactly same as myself. Nice old fella too, and a great actor, which is of course what counts.

RisingForce said on 14/Apr/09
Ian is an enigma. Here he really doesn't look much taller than Patrick Stewart who apparently is just below 5-9. Click Here But in this picture he looks 2 inches taller. Click Here You can't really tell if he has elevator shoes either. Click Here He looks 2, maybe 3 inches taller here as well. Click Here So there you see his height fluctuating a couple of inches.

He does look taller than 5-10.75 Orlando Bloom in this series of pictures though. Click Here And even with a slouch he looks about as tall as 5-11ish Jude Law who is standing straight. Click Here Click Here

You can see he looks anywhere from 5-9ish to almost 6 feet, and that's without the use of The McKellen Technique or obvious elevator shoes! Perhaps subtle lifts and his slouch make his height vary so much. I'd say 5-10.5, 5-11 for now.

D said on 30/Jan/09
Looked 6'2-6'3 next to Rebecca Romijn in X-Men but she was barefoot and he was probably wearing lifts.

Rusty said on 23/Jan/09
That photo makes him look 6'3". He seems to be one of those slightly above average height people that can makes themselves look towering through camera techniques.

anonymous said on 20/Jan/09
Is this an example of the McKellan technique?: Click Here

Sarah said on 3/Dec/08
Fine actor, i think he looks 5'10 at the least 5'11 tops.i enjoy his work,especially Gods and Monsters.

Hugh said on 10/Oct/08
I think Ian is more 5ft10ish these days. 5ft11 at his peak I have no problem beleiving though.

Adam Brennon said on 1/Apr/08
So Rob, do you think Heston was very unfortunate having lost four inches and that this is by no means inevitable?

Aratirion said on 12/Sep/07
No way, McKellen is 5'10. He's taller than Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom, which makes him at least 5'11. I think 5'11 is quite accurate, but he can be a little bit taller.

Jovin said on 19/Aug/07
He was in Singapore last month doing a play called 'King Lear' and seagull and I got a very lucky chance to meet and chat with Mr McKellen. Very nice man. I am a legit 5-10.75" and he looked as tall as me 5-10.5 to 5-11 is very very certain for sure, no more, no less. Believe it or not.

Anonymous said on 22/Jul/07
Saw him last night at a play, amazing actor. He looked about 5'10.5-5'11

bam said on 12/Jun/07
5-10.5, glenn's sighting confirms this. Great actor.

Anonymous said on 5/May/07
I dunno. Looks 5'10, say 5'10.5 if we consider Emily Watson (on the left) is 5'8. But then we don't see their footwear nor where they are standing. I always thought she was more like 5'7.5 really. Well, it's merely an observation.

George H. said on 17/Apr/07
I think I may have told this story before, but I had an uncle who died at 93 and who was still the same height as his driver's license said when he was in his prime. The guy stood rigid until his very last day, just lost a bit of weight.

dmeyer said on 16/Apr/07
hey rob is it possible to shrink only 1 cm at 60 years old i have read a french article that say we loose 1.5 cm from 50 years old every 10 yearsmaybe people that take good care of theyr bone by exercising

Zach said on 12/Nov/06
Saw him on Parkinson last night, he did seem to have an inch on Parky so 5'11 sounds right. He does actually have a very small 'old-man' frame which without perspective may make him seems shorter than he is.

anonymous2 said on 12/Sep/06
I saw him a long time ago, when he was in his early 50s, and I'd have given him 5'11 then.

Frank2 said on 30/May/06
I'm sure he was standing on something. You don't lose that much height in just ten years. And he's not some old fart either. Ian's only 67 this month! I'm almost sixty and I haven't lost a centemeter in height.

Picture said on 30/May/06
Are you going to give this great actor a peak height Editor Rob?
6 ft.

dmeyer said on 26/May/06
defenetly around 6 feet in heyday he barly looks shorter than clinton

Bleemo said on 15/May/06
Ok we need some genius to find screencaps of Ian's last chat on Jonathon Ross that aired this weekend, anybody see it? He literally took his shoe off to show it to Ross and it was a backless, plastic clog type affair. Jonathon Ross wafted it about quite a bit before giving it back which eradicates the chance of lifts.

The reason it was so interesting is because when he walked up to Ross who is almost a cast iron 6'1.5, Mckellen looked quite tall. I think we are potentially being a bit harsh on him, he was definately smaller but not by a huge amount, 5'11 seems possible again.

In an unrelated note, Uma Thurman seemed insane on that show another celebrity fruitloop, it was liked she was beamed down from mars or something.

del Mar said on 1/May/06
I'm trying again. What means The McKellen technique and the Billy Crudup technique?

Frank2 said on 30/Apr/06
The drag photo was a joke. Harris was never 6'1".

Ed said on 30/Apr/06
To be perfectly honest in your first pic Frank2 I see zero evidence of lifts with Mckellan as Gandalf at all. His feet are in the shadow of his robe. Plus there are plenty of other shots of him in his Gandalf outfit, where you can see the boots have maybe an inch heel. As far as the drag pic, well the guy's in drag, so yeah high heels would be a part of that getup, I don't know what evidence that proves on him ALWAYS wearing lifts other than he dressed in drag! The other pics of Mckellan and Bloom are on a lousy angle with Bloom and Mckellan turned to the viewer! I don't dispute the guy is maybe 5ft10 now and likes to stand on his toes in some pictures, but I can't buy nor have you shown any evidence of him wearing lifts in the LOTR films, that's purely spectulation on your part. Regarding Harris, maybe he was shorter in his older age around 5ft10.5 to 5ft11.5, Rob still has him billed 6ft1, and Ford who I think was most likely 5ft11.5 in Patriot Games was still shorter. Maybe Harris borrowed Mckellan's lifts?

Bleemo said on 29/Apr/06
To be honest I think Orlando is dodgier in his footwear then Mckellan. Bare in mind how old Mckellan is these days, he is 67 and everybody starts to shrink atleast a wee bit in their old age.

I do agree that Orlando could be 5'9 to be honest, since one interviewer described him as such and he is all over the place height wise. For Mckellan having seen all the evidence I do think he can be 5'10 now but not shorter as he can look as tall as viggo in relatively non suspect looking footwear. In his prime he could well have been 5'11, he was listed as 6' as a younger man on the stage.

I sometimes think with the more vibrant actors that people forget they are older, take Alan Rickman for instance, it sounds crazy but he's 60! and is doing well to be around 6' still.

Frank2 said on 29/Apr/06
He wore lifts to make himself appear much taller since his character was supposedly tall. I didn't need to read about it. I just watched the film. I've seen him in the flesh and he's not 6'. He's not even my height.

And for the last time, Richard Harris was not 6'1". He was at the very most about 5'11.5". And that was when he was much younger. He was half a head shorter than Gary Cooper in The Wreck of the Mary Deare.

Logic people! Logic! Remove emotion from the equation and seek the truth though plain, deductive reasoning. It worked for Sherlock and it'll work for you.

Ed said on 28/Apr/06
I'm still interested why you think Mckellan wore lifts, where did you hear that? Can you tell me of a partcular site where this information is? If he wore huge lifts, how big? 2 to 3 inch lifts, with that he'd be 6ft to 6ft1 in the LOTR films at 5ft10, or 6ft2 if he's really 5ft11 barefoot. That's a little excessive! I agree Ford is 6ft, which would make sense since Harris was taller in Patriot Games at about 6ft1.

Frank2 said on 28/Apr/06
Harrison Ford is at least 6'. McKellen wore lifts in LOTR.

Ed said on 27/Apr/06
So Frank2 what about Mckellan's huge lifts in LOTR? Plus, I still don't see how Harris was taller than Ford unless Ford is 5ft10.I say Harris was 6ft1, and Ford 6ft at the time of Patriot Games.

Frank2 said on 26/Apr/06
Then Gary Cooper was 6'5" because he towered over Harris in The Wreck of the Mary Deare.

Ed said on 25/Apr/06
In all the photos I've seen he wears flat soled leather boots, with maybe an inch heel at most. Did you read this somewhere that he wore lifts in the Lord of the Rings movies, because I honestly don't see it. Plus, even Rob has Harris at 6ft1, and he seemed almost an inch taller than Ford in Patriot Games.

Frank2 said on 25/Apr/06
And to answer Ed's second question, McKellon wore huge lifts in The Lord of the Rings.

Frank2 said on 25/Apr/06
Richard Harris wasn't 6'1". In The Wreck of the Mary Deare he was several inches shorter than 6'3" Gary Cooper. I pegged him at just under six feet. I have an actor friend who's 5'10" and he claims Harris was only a little taller than him when he worked with him back in the seventies. Of course this is the same fellow who told me that Dean Martin was 5'9" so I take it with a grain of salt. Martin was 5'10" when I saw him.

Ed said on 24/Apr/06
Hey Frank2, I thought Richard Harris was 6ft1, he looked taller than Harrison Ford in Patriot Games, unless Ford is shorter? Regarding Mckellan's height, if 5ft10 is what everyone keeps saying he is, than what are the rest of the Lord of the Rings cast members. Are they all 5ft10 or smaller? I was always under the impression Mckellan and Mortensen were the tallest at 5ft11, followed by Bloom and Bean at 5ft10. All pictures point to this, but pictures can be deceiving, I'm also talking about movie footage not those candid shots with Mckellan on his toes.

Frank2 said on 24/Apr/06
Watch Gods and Monsters. Ian is obviously an inch to an inch and a half shorter than David Dukes who was just slightly taller than me and I'm 5'11". I met David through a mutual lady friend who once dated him and he was no taller than 5'11.5". I seriously doubt that Ian is any more than 5'10". He might have been taller when he was much younger, but by no more than a inch. He does like to stand on his tiptoes when being photographed.

Frank2 said on 24/Apr/06
Ian with 5'11.5" Richard Harris: Click Here

With 5'8" Ron Howard: Click Here

With 5'11" Tom Hanks: Click Here
Not standing on our tiptoes are we, Ian?

Elio said on 23/Apr/06
He looked pretty tall when he was in Coronation Street last year. However the cast is generally quite short.

Glenn said on 23/Apr/06
I met Lee 17 years ago.he was 6-4.Ian looked my height slouched.so no more than 5-10.Frank is right.

Frank2 said on 23/Apr/06
One more time: Click Here

Frank2 said on 22/Apr/06
5'10" McKellon with 6' Alan Rickman: Click Here

Ed said on 16/Apr/06
Rob, why isn't he using his Mckellan Technique in this pic of him and Fraser. He has to be doing it in his pic with Christopher Lee you posted. There's no way Fraser is taller than Lee. I thought Fraser was 6ft2ish by the way, I didn't realize he was a legit 6ft3.

Frank2 said on 25/Mar/06
That photo of McKellen and 6'3" Fraser shows a five inch difference. I'm sure Ian is no more than 5'10".

Frank2 said on 2/Mar/06
He never has looked to be any more than five ten. Just watched Gods and Monsters and he looks like he's at least five inches shorter than six foot three Brendan Fraser. Also he's at least an inch shorter than the now late David Dukes who I know was five eleven and a half.

andrew said on 4/Feb/06
He has shrunk much more than a cm, even you shrink an inch from morning till evening. His height is exactly the same as Viggo Mortensen's: 5'11". That 6' was really long ago.

jokey said on 3/Nov/05
McKellen looks like he's wearing huge, height increasing shoes in a scene from the first X-Men. He towers over the Toad guy in that scene and doesn't look short as he should next to Mane. I don't know if Magneto supposed to a tall guy. He was also made to look huge early in Lord of the Rings, so it's sometimes easy to think of McKellen as bigger guy than he really is.