3 5
Age 69

HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

Age 87

#31

Current Rank

#41

#8

Peak Rank

#3

41

Years Ranked

43

1

Years in Top 10

6

25.7

Average Rank

28.2

45

Theatrical Releases

42

Transformers: Dark of the Moon $352.4 Million

Biggest Hit

Beauty and the Beast $504.0 Million

$1.5 Billion

Career Domestic
Box Office

$3.9 Billion

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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.

At this point in the rankings, Frances McDormand versus Ian McKellen is best read as a compact career snapshot rather than an all-time verdict. Elite Top 10 presence favors Ian McKellen, whose advantage across Top 10 seasons gives the comparison more long-range context.

Commercial scale is another meaningful divider, with the career domestic box office measure giving Ian McKellen the larger theatrical footprint. The comparison therefore points leans toward Ian McKellen, with the most meaningful separation coming from the highlighted career measures.

CAREER RANKING HISTORY

Frances McDormand Ian McKellen

FILMOGRAPHY COMPARISON

Frances McDormand

45 theatrical releases • $1.5 Billion Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
2022 Women Talking $5.5 Million
2021 The French Dispatch $16.1 Million
2021 Nomadland $3.7 Million
2018 Isle of Dogs $32.0 Million
2017 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri $54.5 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