4 3
Age 87

HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

Age 92

#41

Current Rank

#56

#3

Peak Rank

#3

43

Years Ranked

41

6

Years in Top 10

12

28.2

Average Rank

20.8

42

Theatrical Releases

47

Beauty and the Beast $504.0 Million

Biggest Hit

Skyfall $304.4 Million

$3.9 Billion

Career Domestic
Box Office

$2.5 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.

At this point in the rankings, Ian McKellen versus Judi Dench is best read as a compact career snapshot rather than an all-time verdict. The biggest-hit category sharpens the box office contrast, especially because Ian McKellen's leading film creates the stronger single-release benchmark.

Commercial scale is another meaningful divider, with the career domestic box office measure giving Ian McKellen the larger theatrical footprint. From a historical perspective, the matchup leans toward Ian McKellen and remains tied to the selected ranking season.

CAREER RANKING HISTORY

Ian McKellen Judi Dench

FILMOGRAPHY COMPARISON

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

Judi Dench

47 theatrical releases • $2.5 Billion Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
2021 Belfast $9.3 Million
2021 Blithe Spirit $282,500
2021 Six Minutes to Midnight $132,500
2019 Cats $27.2 Million
2019 All Is True $1.2 Million