Actor Ian McKellen, 85, is hospitalized after toppling off stage in London

LONDON (AP) — Actor Ian McKellen was hospitalized Monday after toppling off a London stage during a fight scene in a play.

The 85-year-old known for playing Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” films and many stage roles over a six decade career cried out in pain after the fall, according to a BBC journalist at the theater.

McKellen was playing John Falstaff in “Player Kings,” a production of Henry IV, parts one and two, adapted and directed by Robert Icke, at the Noel Coward Theatre.

He lost his footing and fell off the stage in a scene with the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy. The tumble startled theatergoers.

“Sir Ian seemed to trip as he moved downstage to take a more active part in the scene,” audience member Paul Critchley told the PA news agency, saying it was a shock. "He picked up momentum as he moved downstage which resulted in him falling off the stage directly in front of the audience."

The theater was evacuated and the play was canceled as medics treated the actor.

McKellen’s career includes playing Magneto in the X-Men films and several Shakespearean characters including Richard II, Macbeth and King Lear.

He has won a Tony Award for “Amadeus,” several Laurence Olivier Awards and has been nominated for two Oscars and several BAFTA awards.

FILE - Actor Sir Ian McKellen speaks during the press conference for the film "Mr. Holmes" at the 2015 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. McKellen has been hospitalized Monday, June 17, 2024, after toppling off a London stage during a fight scene in a play. The 85-year-old actor known for playing Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” films and his many stage roles was playing John Falstaff in a production of Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)

A sign for Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre in London, starring Sir Ian McKellen, who has been taken to hospital after he fell from the stage during a West End performance, Monday, June 17, 2024. The 85-year-old actor known for playing Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” films and his many stage roles was playing John Falstaff in a production of Player Kings at the theater. (Jacob Freedland/PA via AP)

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