McKellen and Fry score nominations as Great Britons of 2007

The Daily Telegraph recently announced the shortlist of finalists for the 2007 Morgan Stanley Great Briton Awards. The awards are fairly new, established in 2004 with sponsorship from Morgan Stanley, The Daily Telegraph, and the Royal Society of Arts, as a way of honoring those people who have made significant contributions to British life over the course of the year. Candidates are nominated by the public, with thousands of names submitted each year. The nominations are then narrowed down to three finalists for each of the seven categories (Arts, Business, Campaigning & Public Life, Creative Industries, Environment, Science & Innovation, and Sport) by a panel of judges.

This year, two openly gay men were among the 21 finalists; Ian McKellen, nominated in the "Arts" category, and Stephen Fry, who scored a nomination in the category of "Creative Industries".

The Telegraph elaborates on McKellen’s nomination:

One of the most acclaimed actors of his generation, McKellen has been honoured with more than 40 international awards for his performances on stage and screen. While movie blockbusters such as X-Men and Lord of the Rings have brought him international stardom, he originally found fame playing the title role in Edward II both on stage and television. In 1972, McKellen co-founded the Actors' Company, earning him a reputation as a spokesman for actors and the British theatre in general. He also remains an outspoken advocate for the gay rights campaigning group Stonewall. This year he returned to the stage to great acclaim, appearing in the Royal Shakespeare Company's The Seagull and in the title role of King Lear. The judges described McKellen as "one of the last great actors" who delivers a "quality of acting that you have to be awed by". His performance in King Lear; perhaps Shakespeare's most demanding role was, said one judge, "simply brilliant".

And of Stephen Fry:

Comedian, writer, actor, filmmaker, television personality - Stephen Fry is one of the great British polymaths. As one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, he has appeared in A Bit of Fry and Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster, while also bringing Oscar Wilde to life in the cinema and making a successful career as a novelist. Fry has spoken publicly about his experience with bipolar disorder and has presented a documentary about it, Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic-Depressive. The two-part series was broadcast in 2006, repeated in March 2007 as part of the BBC's programming in aid of Comic Relief. He was nominated for Best Entertainment Performance (QI) and Best Factual Series (Secret Life of the Manic Depressive) at the 2007 British Academy Television Awards. The judges agreed that Fry is "the epitome of everything British, both modern and old" and - despite his huge intellect - a man who can communicate in a down to earth manner.

Hopefully Fry has some chance of winning his category because, with competition from J.K. Rowling, McKellen unfortunately doesn’t stand much of a chance.