Sir Ian McKellen knows what he wants written on his gravestone

British actor Sir Ian McKellen has already decided the epitaph on his tombstone.

"It should be, 'Here lies Gandalf. He came out.' Two big achievements," the Daily Express quoted Sir Ian, as saying.

However, age is not stopping the 70-year-old star, who has made up his mind to reprise his Lord Of The Rings role of Gandalf next year for The Hobbit.

He said, "You're closer to death and you better make sure you don't waste too much of your time doing things you don't want to."

Speaking at the Variety Club Awards at London's Grosvenor Hotel, where he was presented with a gong for his contribution to acting, he said, "I have gone beyond worrying about getting awards for acting. I deserve an award for just being alive."

Sir Ian also hinted at a possible return to soap Coronation Street in which he played the role of author Mel Hutchwright in 2005.

He said, "If the script writers do a second character for me I'd love to go back."