Ian McKellen was taken to the hospital after he fell as he was performing Monday evening in London’s West End.
McKellen, 85, fell from the stage during a production of “Player Kings” at the Noël Coward Theatre, spokespeople for McKellen and the play said in a statement.
McKellen is playing Sir John Falstaff in the new version of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV,” which began its 12-week run at the theater in April.
Medical professionals expect McKellen to “make a speedy and full recovery,” according to the statement, which doctors determined “following a scan.”
The statement added that McKellen is in “good spirits.”
“Player Kings” will be canceled Tuesday “so Ian can rest,” the statement said.
The statement also thanked “doctors Rachel and Lee who were on hand in the audience and to all the venue staff for their support.”
The BBC reported that McKellen was performing a fight scene involving the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy when he lost his footing and fell off the front of the stage.
He cried out in pain, and staff members rushed to help him as the house lights came up over the theater, according to the BBC. The audience was told the rest of the show was canceled and was evacuated from the theater.
McKellen has appeared in a number of Shakespeare adaptations on screen and onstage in his decadeslong acting career. He is perhaps most famously known as Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” movies.
His acting credits also include roles in the “X-Men” movies and in “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Da Vinci Code.”
