Ian McKellen Finds Knighthood An Oddity

Veteran actor Sir Ian McKellen finds his knighthood an "oddity" and only uses the title when he's trying to impress people.The Lord Of The Rings star received the honour in 1991 for his outstanding contribution to the theatre.McKellen, 67, says, "Like suggesting someone for a knighthood or if I were writing to the Prime Minister. "I am very pleased to have it, I should say, and I am not careless of the honour but it is an oddity in our society and it would be better if we didn't have titles and so on those grounds I probably should have turned it down."67-year-old McKellen has made more than 40 movies and, of late, has been discovered by a new generation of cinemagoers as Magneto in all three ‘X-Men’ films, through his Oscar nominated performance in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, and this summer in his role as Sir Leigh Teabing in ‘The Da Vinci Code’.‘Da Vinci’ co-star, Tom Hanks, said: "There are a number of great British actors who could have played that part but I met Sir Ian and I immediately knew we’d have a great time working together and that he’d do something remarkable with that character. It turns out I was right. I don't think anybody has more fun acting than him.”However, one of the actor’s most admirable roles is as a gay rights campaigner.McKellen - who came out in 1988 - was knighted a year later for his contribution to the performing arts.