8 0
Age 87

HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

Age 41

#41

Current Rank

#62

#3

Peak Rank

#4

43

Years Ranked

27

6

Years in Top 10

2

28.2

Average Rank

36.9

42

Theatrical Releases

32

Beauty and the Beast $504.0 Million

Biggest Hit

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest $423.3 Million

$3.9 Billion

Career Domestic
Box Office

$2.2 Billion

COMMUNITY VOTE

Who had the greater Hollywood career overall?

Cast your vote and compare your opinion with the community.

Community voting reflects visitor opinion and is independent of the Hollywood Rankings methodology.

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

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

Looking at the Hollywood Rankings in 2026, this matchup highlights how differently two careers can score within the same historical snapshot. The category score gives Ian McKellen the broader edge, though the result remains a comparison of career outcomes rather than personal popularity.

Elite Top 10 presence favors Ian McKellen, whose advantage across Top 10 seasons gives the comparison more long-range context. Based on the available ranking data, the balance leans toward Ian McKellen without turning the result into a subjective judgment of acting quality.

CAREER RANKING HISTORY

Ian McKellen Keira Knightley

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

Keira Knightley

32 theatrical releases • $2.2 Billion Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
2022 Charlotte $18,520
2019 The Aftermath $1.6 Million
2019 Official Secrets $2.0 Million
2018 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms $54.9 Million
2018 Colette $5.1 Million