Actor Ian McKellen falls during a theater performance in London

London. British actor Ian McKellen was injured on Monday after falling from the stage during a theater performance. He was admitted to hospital. The 85-year-old, who achieved world fame with his role as Gandalf in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films, screamed in pain, a BBC journalist present reported. The performance was stopped and the venue was evacuated while paramedics treated McKellen.

A spokesperson for the Noel Coward Theater in London announced that he would make a full recovery as soon as possible. The actor is in a “good mood”. Doctors told him a scan showed he was unlikely to suffer permanent damage. However, the performance scheduled for Tuesday (today) was canceled to give McKellen time to rest, it was reported.

McKellen lost his balance in a fight scene

The award-winning actor played the role of John Falstaff in the play “Player Kings,” a production of the first and second parts of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV.” In a fight scene with the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy, he lost his balance and fell off the stage. Theatergoer Paul Critchley told the PA news agency that the audience saw everything clearly. It was a shock. Theater staff and two doctors in the audience came to McKellen’s aid after he fell, the spokesman said.

In his career spanning six decades, McKellen played Magneto in the “X-Men” films and several Shakespearean characters in theater, including Richard II, Macbeth and King Lear.

RND/AP