1 7
Age 37

HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

Age 87

#43

Current Rank

#41

#5

Peak Rank

#3

25

Years Ranked

43

5

Years in Top 10

6

26.4

Average Rank

28.2

21

Theatrical Releases

42

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 $381.0 Million

Biggest Hit

Beauty and the Beast $504.0 Million

$2.8 Billion

Career Domestic
Box Office

$3.9 Billion

COMMUNITY VOTE

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Career Comparison Summary AI-generated historical comparison. Click to expand.

Note: Films released during the selected year influence the following year's rankings.

By the 2026 season, the comparison is less about a single breakout moment and more about the shape of each actor's accumulated Hollywood results. The category score gives Ian McKellen the broader edge, though the result remains a comparison of career outcomes rather than personal popularity.

Commercial scale is another meaningful divider, with the career domestic box office measure giving Ian McKellen the larger theatrical footprint. Overall, the head-to-head score leans leans toward Ian McKellen, but the strongest context comes from the categories where the gap is clearest.

CAREER RANKING HISTORY

Daniel Radcliffe Ian McKellen

FILMOGRAPHY COMPARISON

Daniel Radcliffe

21 theatrical releases • $2.8 Billion Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
2025 Merrily We Roll Along $2.5 Million
2022 The Lost City $105.3 Million
2019 Playmobil: The Movie $1.1 Million
2016 Now You See Me 2 $65.1 Million
2016 Swiss Army Man $4.2 Million

Ian McKellen

42 theatrical releases • $3.9 Billion Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
2026 The Christophers $1.8 Million
2024 The Critic $449,020
2019 Cats $27.2 Million
2019 The Good Liar $17.2 Million
2019 All Is True $1.2 Million