1 4
Age 87

HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

Age 78

#41

Current Rank

#41

#3

Peak Rank

#3

43

Years Ranked

47

6

Years in Top 10

6

28.2

Average Rank

26.3

42

Theatrical Releases

64

Beauty and the Beast $504.0 Million

Biggest Hit

Titanic $600.7 Million

$3.9 Billion

Career Domestic
Box Office

$2.9 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.

As of the selected ranking year, Ian McKellen and Kathy Bates form a comparison shaped more by career pattern than by any single credit. The category score gives Kathy Bates 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. From a historical perspective, the matchup leans toward Kathy Bates and remains tied to the selected ranking season.

CAREER RANKING HISTORY

Ian McKellen Kathy Bates

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

Kathy Bates

64 theatrical releases • $2.9 Billion Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
2024 Summer Camp $2.4 Million
2023 The Miracle Club $2.4 Million
2023 Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. $20.4 Million
2019 Richard Jewell $22.3 Million
2019 The Death & Life of John F. Donovan $152,713