▁of ▁London ▁in ▁October ▁ 2 0 1 4 . ▁ ▁Early ▁life ▁McK ellen ▁was ▁born ▁on ▁ 2 5 ▁May ▁ 1 9 3 9 ▁in ▁Burn ley , ▁Lanc ash ire , ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁Marg ery ▁Lo is ▁( née ▁S ut cl iffe ) ▁and ▁Den is ▁Murray ▁McK ellen . ▁He ▁was ▁their ▁second ▁child , ▁with ▁a ▁sister , ▁Jean , ▁five ▁years ▁his ▁senior . ▁Short ly ▁before ▁the ▁out break ▁of ▁the ▁Second ▁World ▁War ▁in ▁September ▁ 1 9 3 9 , ▁his ▁family ▁moved ▁to ▁W igan . ▁They ▁lived ▁there ▁until ▁Ian ▁was ▁twelve ▁years ▁old , ▁before ▁re loc ating ▁to ▁Bol ton ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 1 , ▁after ▁his ▁father ▁had ▁been ▁promoted . ▁The ▁experience ▁of ▁living ▁through ▁the ▁war ▁as ▁a ▁young ▁child ▁had ▁a ▁last ing ▁impact ▁on ▁him , ▁and ▁he ▁later ▁said ▁that ▁" only ▁after ▁peace ▁res umed ▁... ▁did ▁I ▁real ise ▁that ▁war ▁wasn ' t ▁normal ." ▁When ▁an ▁inter v iewer ▁remarked ▁that ▁he ▁seemed ▁quite ▁calm ▁in ▁the ▁after math ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 1 ▁September ▁attacks , ▁McK ellen ▁said : ▁" Well , ▁dar ling , ▁you ▁forget — I ▁sle pt ▁under ▁a ▁steel ▁plate ▁until ▁I ▁was ▁four ▁years ▁old .” ▁ ▁McK ellen ' s ▁father ▁was ▁a ▁civil ▁engineer ▁and ▁lay ▁pre acher , ▁and ▁was ▁of ▁Protest ant ▁Irish ▁and ▁Scottish ▁descent . ▁Both ▁of ▁McK ellen ' s