One of the most respected British theater and screen actors in the world, Ian McKellen's net worth is a product of decades working in show business, and over the past decade, also playing two of the most iconic geek roles in show business: Gandalf the Wizard and Magneto.

On the stage, he's known for his Shakespeare performances and his perfect delivery, but it can be fairly assumed that Ian McKellen's net worth comes mostly from his film projects, in a long career that has seen the famous actor play all sorts of roles, though he has become iconic due to two in particular.

Ever since he was cast as Gandalf the Grey in the first adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth (in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy that was launched in the years 2001, 2002 and 2003), Ian McKellen's net worth has grown exponentially, due to the fact that as one of the main actors in the movie he receives part of the revenue from box office, video performance and the like.

Of course, that's not the only place where Ian McKellen's net worth comes from; the other franchise he's a part of, "X-Men," (where he plays the older version of mutant supervillain Magneto, a role he shares with Michael Fassbender) has also gathered the actor a lot of love from the geek community, and it is often joked that he's one of the biggest figures in geek culture.

His best friend and "X-Men" co-star Patrick Stewart, is another theater actor that has become mainstream due to geek culture, as he played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and mutant leader Professor Xavier in the famous Marvel movies.

After many years of success, and two Academy Award nominations, Ian McKellen's net worth currently stands at $55 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.