Sir Ian McKellen taken to hospital after falling off stage during show

Lord of the Rings actor Sir Ian McKellen has given an update on his health after a shocking accident during a live performance.

Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen has broken his silence after falling off stage during a performance in London.

The 85-year-old actor was in a fight scene during a performance of Player Kings – a production of Shakespeare’s Henry IV – at the Noel Coward theatre yesterday when he lost his footing and fell.

The theatre was evacuated and the actor taken to hospital to be treated for injuries.

Taking to social media on Wednesday, the actor said he was planning to return to work.

He tweeted: “I want to thank everyone for their kind messages and support. 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.”

I’ll be Falstaff in @PlayerKingsPlay a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s great history plays Henry IV 1 and 2, by award-winning writer and director Robert Icke. We’ll be in London’s West End for 12 weeks with previews in Wimbledon and Manchester. Visit https://t.co/3qPikRG8Eppic.twitter.com/CWbXKhhXKm

— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) November 15, 2023

Witness accounts have revealed McKellen lost his balance on stage and fell “head-first” into the audience, letting out a “bloodcurdling scream” that raised concerns through the theatre.

Eyewitness Charlie Johnson, a local journalist, recounted the moments leading up to the accident to ITV.

“As we approached the interval of the play, there was a fight scene going on,” Johnson said. “There were strobe lights and then it all went dark, at which point you could see the silhouette of Sir Ian come out from the wings. And the way the stage works at the Noel Coward (theatre) is there’s sort of a step down just as the stage meets the audience.”

Sir Ian McKellen with the cast of Player Kings. Picture: Getty Images

“I think what happened was he put his foot too far, sort of went off that initial step, at which point he lost his balance and pretty much just went head-first into the audience.”

“And within seconds, a bloodcurdling scream arose from the actor. He was clearly in a lot of pain; he was screaming, ‘Help me,’” the journalist said.

Another eyewitness, Kol Baker, shared that McKellen had been “berating the villain and moving around” during the scene when he “tripped over” some props and fell off the stage “in almost a belly-flop fashion.”

“Instantly he screamed and honestly the noises were bone-chilling,” Baker continued, adding that the award-winning actor yelled “help me, help me” followed by “my arms, my arms” and “help me, help me” again.

Sir Ian McKellen in scene from film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

“The lights were on so quickly the curtains drawn and within seconds they asked to evacuate the whole auditorium. Whilst leaving the theatre within 10 minutes, he was in the back of an ambulance speeding down Trafalgar Square,” he added.

“Instantly people were standing up, the first two rows completely went to rush to go help Sir Ian and everyone was explaining ‘oh my god’ and ‘that poor man,’” he said of the crowd’s reaction to the actor’s fall.

“It was very sincere and so much concern for his wellbeing,” he said.

The rest of the evening show was cancelled.

A spokesperson for the theatre on Tuesday said the actor was “in good spirits” and expected to make “a speedy and full recovery”.

An audience member tweeted that they saw the actor “severely injure himself”. However, the extent of his injuries is not known.

Sir Ian – who plays John Falstaff – was circling a battle scene involving the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy, when he fell off the front of the stage, the BBC reports.

The audience was evacuated after the incident. Picture: X

One member of the audience told the BBC the incident was “very shocking”.

“I really hope that he is going to be all right,” Sandro Trapani said.

“As far as I saw, he was conscious because he was asking for assistance.”

Another audience member Paul Critchley said it was a “shock” to witness the incident.

“Sir Ian seemed to trip as he moved downstage to take a more active part in the scene.

“He picked up momentum as he moved downstage which resulted in him falling off the stage directly in front of the audience.

“The house lights came up very quickly as the stage management and front of house team dealt with the incident.

“We were evacuated immediately so that Sir Ian could be treated in privacy.

“An announcement was made by theatre management that the show had been cancelled, that Sir Ian was receiving treatment and an ambulance had been called.

Sir Ian McKellen in scene from film "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

“It was a shock to witness his fall and I wish him a speedy recovery.

“My thoughts are also with his fellow cast members, stage crew and front of house team at the Noel Coward Theatre.”

British broadcaster Paul Nero tweeted: “Audience shocked by Sir Ian McKellen’s fall off stage tonight at Noel Coward Theatre. Staff working hard to help him. Thoughts with him, cast and crew.”

Audience shocked by Sir Ian McKellen’s fall off stage tonight at Noel Coward Theatre. Staff working hard to help him. Thoughts with him, cast and crew. #playerkingspic.twitter.com/mLLhu83cpj

— Paul Nero (@paulnero1) June 17, 2024

Sir Ian is best known for his role as Gandalf in the in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. He has also appeared in the X-Men movies, Beauty and the Beast, The Da Vinci Code and Mr Holmes.

He has a long list of Shakespeare roles to his name including as Richard II, Richard III, King Lear. He is set to star as Hamlet, in a new film adaptation directed by Sean Mathias.

Originally published as Sir Ian McKellen taken to hospital after falling off stage during show