 After four years in regional repertory theatres he made his first West End appearance , in A Scent of Flowers , regarded as a " notable success " . In 1965 he was a member of Laurence Olivier 's National Theatre Company at the Old Vic , which led to roles at the Chichester Festival . With the Prospect Theatre Company , McKellen made his breakthrough performances of Richard II ( directed by Richard Cottrell ) and Marlowe 's Edward II ( directed by Toby Robertson ) at the Edinburgh festival in 1969 , the latter causing a storm of protest over the enactment of the homosexual Edward 's lurid death . 
