3 5
Age 51

HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

Age 43

#3

Rank

#1

#3

Peak Rank

#1

20

Years Ranked

19

4

Years in Top 10

9

21.0

Average Rank

13.2

29

Theatrical Releases

27

Titanic $600.7 Million

Biggest Hit

Forrest Gump $329.7 Million

$1.3 Billion

Career Domestic
Box Office

$2.3 Billion

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CAREER RANKING HISTORY

Kathy Bates Tom Hanks

Kathy Bates

29 theatrical releases • $1.3 Billion Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
1998 The Waterboy $161.5 Million
1998 Swept from the Sea $397,020
1998 Primary Colors $39.0 Million
1998 A Civil Action $56.7 Million
1997 Titanic $600.7 Million

Tom Hanks

27 theatrical releases • $2.3 Billion Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
1999 Toy Story 2 $245.9 Million
1999 The Gren Mile $136.8 Million
1998 You've Got Mail $115.8 Million
1998 Saving Private Ryan $216.5 Million
1996 That Thing You Do! $25.9 Million
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, Kathy Bates versus Tom Hanks is best read as a compact career snapshot rather than an all-time verdict. The category score gives Tom Hanks the broader edge, though the result remains a comparison of career outcomes rather than personal popularity.

The biggest-hit category sharpens the box office contrast, especially because Kathy Bates's leading film creates the stronger single-release benchmark. From a historical perspective, the matchup leans toward Tom Hanks and remains tied to the selected ranking season.