 McKellen was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1979 , was knighted by Elizabeth II in 1991 for services to the performing arts , and made a Companion of Honour for services to drama and to equality in the Queen 's 2008 New Year Honours . He has been openly gay since 1988 , and continues to be a champion for LGBT social movements worldwide . He was made a Freeman of the City of London in October 2014 . 
