 McKellen was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters by Cambridge University on 18 June 2014 . He was made a Freeman of the city of London on Thursday 30 October 2014 . The ceremony took place at Guildhall in London . McKellen was nominated by London 's Lord Mayor Fiona Woolf , who said he was chosen as he was an " exceptional actor " and " tireless campaigner for equality " . He is also a Fellow of St Catherine 's College , Oxford . 
