Sir Ian McKellen was in the middle of a battle scene onstage when he fell off and began screaming in pain.
Staffers and audience members rushed to help the actor, who was quickly taken to the hospital. The play was meanwhile canceled.
The fall took place while the 85-year-old actor was playing John Falstaff in Player Kings in London’s Noël Coward Theater on Monday.
During the performance, the X-Men star was making his way around a battle scene in one portion of the play when he lost his footing and fell off stage.
Sir Ian McKellen was rushed to the hospital after falling off stage during a performance in London’s Noël Coward Theater on Monday
Image credits: Player Kings / Instagram
He “tripped over” some props and fell “in almost a belly flop fashion,” Kol Baker, who was sitting amongst the audience, told MailOnline.
“Instantly he screamed and honestly the noises were bone-chilling,” he added.
The 23-year-old audience member recalled the English actor yelling, “Help me, help me … my arms, my arms.”
The staff rushed to the star’s aid, and the house lights were immediately switched on. The rest of the performance was canceled, and the audience was evacuated from the theater "so that Ian [could] rest," a spokesperson said.
The veteran actor spoke about playing John Falstaff in Player Kings and said he was a "difficult" character to relate to
Kol, who was watching the performance from the second tier of the venue, said the audience was asked to evacuate within seconds and that the esteemed thespian was in the back of an ambulance in about 10 minutes.
The screen and stage veteran was “performing amazingly with great vigor” before he fell and caused “so much concern and shock.”
A witness said several staffers and audience members rushed to the actor's aid after he fell and yelled in pain
Image credits: Ian Mckellen / Instagram
“Everyone I think is just such huge fans of his work and with his age just really empathetic and almost terrified that it could be life-threatening because of his age,” he said and added, “Instantly people were standing up, the first two rows completely went to rush to go help Sir Ian and everyone was explaining 'oh my god' and 'that poor man.’”
“It was very sincere and so much concern for his well-being. He had made everyone laugh so much this evening,” he continued.
Representatives for Player Kings said The Lord of the Rings actor is in "good spirits" and is on his way to a full recovery
In a statement, representatives for the production said the star would make a “speedy and full recovery” and that Tuesday night’s performance was canceled so that he could get some rest.
“Thank you to our audience and the general public for their well wishes following Ian's fall during this evening's performance of Player Kings,” a Player Kings spokesperson told the outlet. “Following a scan, the brilliant NHS team have assured us that he will make a speedy and full recovery and Ian is in good spirits.”