Ian McKellen withdraws from tour of his play to ‘protect my recovery’ after fall from stage.

Actor Ian McKellen said Monday he is withdrawing from a U.K. tour of his latest play because he needs more time to recover after falling off the stage at a London theater last month.

McKellen, 85, said his injuries “improve day by day.”

“It’s with the greatest reluctance that I have accepted the medical advice to protect my full recovery by not working in the meantime,” he said in a statement.

The “Lord of the Rings” star spent three nights in a London hospital after tumbling from the stage during a performance of “Player Kings” at the Noel Coward Theatre on June 17.

The play is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s two “Henry IV” history plays, directed by Robert Icke . Several performances were canceled after the incident before the run resumed with understudy Devid Semark in the role of Falstaff.

Producers said Semark would continue to play the part during a national tour that runs July 3-27.

McKellen, who played Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings,” and Magneto in the “X-Men” films, is one of Britain’s most acclaimed Shakespearean actors, with roles including Richard III, Macbeth and King Lear.

He has won a Tony Award — for “Amadeus” — several Olivier Awards, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards, five Emmys and several BAFTA awards.