Ian McKellen announces time off as the 85-year-old veteran actor shares health update since falling off the stage

On July 1, Ian McKellen, 85, via a statement shared on X by the producers of Player Kings, announced he wouldn't be returning to the UK tour of his theatre production. McKellen has been playing the role of John Falstaff in Player Kings, a theater adaptation of William Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts One and Two.

In the statement, McKellen expressed,

"Two weeks after my accident onstage, my injuries improve day by day. It's with the greatest reluctance that I have accepted the medical advice to protect my full recovery by not working in the meantime."

He also added,

"I had been so looking forward to bringing Player Kings to theatre-goers in Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle. But I can assure them that, with David Semark now playing Falstaff, Robert Icke's production and his acting company remain as dazzling as ever."

Meanwhile, David Semark, McKellen's understudy who took over the role in the plays show in London, will be continuing to do so in Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle.

Extending their best wishes to the X-Men actor, the production wrote,

"Ian continues to recuperate very well, but he needs the time to rest and ensure a complete recovery. We continue to send him our best wishes."

McKellen fell from the stage during an action sequence at the Noël Coward Theatre, where he was playing John Falstaff, and was taken to the hospital on June 17.

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What happened to Ian McKellen?

Veteran actor Ian McKellen, best known for playing Gandalf in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, was reportedly taken to the hospital on June 17 after falling from the stage during a performance of the Player Kings at the Noël Coward Theatre.

Theatregoers saw McKellen miss a step and fall off stage during a fight scene with the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy. As the lights were switched on, the production team rushed to help the actor and took him to the hospital, as a result of which the show was canceled.

At the same time, the theater published a statement revealing Ian McKellen is expected to make a full recovery and was in "good spirits."

"Thank you to our audience and the general public for their well wishes following Ian's fall during this evening's performance of Player Kings. Following a scan, the brilliant NHS team have assured us that he will make a speedy and full recovery and Ian is in good spirits."

Ian McKellen also thanked his fans in a statement shared with Variety via his publicist Clair Dobbs.

“Since the accident, during a performance of Player Kings last night, my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists and nurses working for the National Health Service. To them, of course, I am hugely indebted. They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work.”

The 85-year-old actor started his acting career by starring in theatrical plays such as Henry IV and A Man for All Seasons. After appearing in the films, A Touch of Love in 1969 and Six Degrees of Separation in 1993, Ian McKellen rose to fame.