The two starred in 2019 crime thriller The Good Liar, the first time the pair had acted on screen together after staring opposite each other on the stage.
Dame Helen opted for a refined V-neck shirt dress by Patrick McDowell as she presented alongside Sir Ian, who looked dapper in a black tuxedo and dickie bow.
The two appeared at the Royal Albert Hall for the annual award ceremony as stars marked the ceremony’s 50th anniversary.
Bolton School old boy, Sir Ian developed his craft while at the leading school and has been awarded a number of Olivier Awards over the past years.
He was also a member of the local amateur dramatics groups and became a patron of Bolton Little Theatre.
After reading English at Cambridge University and although recognised worldwide his roles in X-Men as villain Magneto and of course Gandalf in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, he was worked non-stop in the British theatre.
He has been leading man and produced plays, modern and classic, for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Great Britain and in the West End of London.
Sir Ian chose to celebrate his 80th birthday by raising funds for theatres, with his actual birthday being celebrated in Bolton’s Albert Halls.
The celebrations in Bolton attracted a number of big names too.