Actor Ian McKellen, 85, offers thanks for messages of support after three nights in the hospital

LONDON (AP) — Actor Ian McKellen is resting, taking light exercise and undergoing physiotherapy after spending three nights in the hospital after he toppled off a London stage during a fight scene earlier this week. The 85-year-old veteran actor thanked the public for their many messages of support following his fall at the Noel Coward Theatre on Monday. An understudy, David Semark, will take his place in “Player Kings″ during the production’s final London dates, a statement sent on McKellen’s behalf by his publicist Clair Dobbs said Thursday. The play is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s two “Henry IV” history plays, directed by Robert Icke.