[from Contact Music]

Actor Sir Ian McKellen was caught napping during a London stage performance on Wednesday - and snored so loudly he distracted the entire auditorium.

The Lord of the Rings star, 64, was sitting in the audience for the opening night of The Holy Terror at the Duke of York's Theatre in the capital, when his snoring could be heard reverberating round the venue.

A source says, "Some people looked around to see where the noise was coming from.

"He must have slept for about 20 minutes."

Published April 16, 2004