Want to know the best Ian McKellen movies? How about the worst Ian McKellen movies? Curious about Ian McKellen box office grosses or which Ian McKellen movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Ian McKellen movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well, you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Ian McKellen (1939-) is an Oscar®-nominated English actor. McKellen is regarded as one of the greatest stage and screen actors both in his native Great Britain and internationally. His IMDb page shows over 120 acting credits since 1961. This page will rank Ian McKellen movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, videos, games, and movies that were not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings. To do well in our overall rankings a movie has to do well at the box office, get good reviews by critics, be liked by audiences, and get some award recognition.
Ian McKellen Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Ian McKellen Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies any way you want.
- Sort Ian McKellen movies by his co-stars
- Sort Ian McKellen movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Ian McKellen movies by adjusted worldwide box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Ian McKellen movies by how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Ian McKellen movie received.
- Sort Ian McKellen movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
Possibly Interesting Facts About Ian McKellen
1. Ian Murray McKellen was born in Burnley, Lancashire, England in 1939. His great aunt is actress Dame Anna Neagle.
2. Ian McKellan was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in Stratford-upon-Avon at the same time as Patrick Stewart. When Stewart married jazz singer Sunny Ozell, the ceremony was conducted by Ian McKellen.
3. Before performing the role of Gandalf in the Lord of the Ring movies, Ian McKellen listened to a recording of J.R.R. Tolkien reading Gandalf lines from the novel. He used this as a base for creating the character and imitated the accent used by Tolkien in the recording.
4. Along with Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen is one of only two actors to appear in all six of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth films.
5. Ian McKellen was appointed Knight Bachelor in the 1991 Queen’s New Year Honours List for his services to drama.
Check out Ian McKellen’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Gandalf is my favorite character in the Lord of the Rings movies. Never been a fan of his Magneto. The last X-Men was boring, and the cast looked bored too. Cats was bad. I pick on my girlfriend for making us watch it.
Ian McKellen is # 401 on the 2020 Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe list; these are the other actors on the 1000 he worked with (seeing some possible Tolkien or X-Men credits missing, mouth aghast)
1 CHRISTOPHER LEE The Golden Compass (2007)
1 CHRISTOPHER LEE THE HOBBITT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (2014)
1 CHRISTOPHER LEE The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
1 CHRISTOPHER LEE The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
1 CHRISTOPHER LEE The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
5 DONALD SUTHERLAND Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
7 ROBERT DE NIRO Stardust (2007)
8 JOHN HURT Scandal (1989)
18 JOHN GIELGUD Plenty (1985)
18 JOHN GIELGUD Priest of Love (1981)
27 ALFRED MOLINA The Da Vinci Code (2006)
30 PETER O’TOOLE Stardust (2007)
32 DEREK JACOBI The Golden Compass (2007)
33 SYLVESTER STALLONE ANIMAL CRACKERS (2017)
36 ANTHONY QUINN Last Action Hero (1993)
47 JOHN RHYS-DAVIES Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005)
47 JOHN RHYS-DAVIES The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
47 JOHN RHYS-DAVIES The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
47 JOHN RHYS-DAVIES The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
49 FRANK WELKER The Shadow (1994)
63 HELEN MIRREN THE GOOD LIAR (2019)
70 JOSS ACKLAND Asylum (2005)
70 JOSS ACKLAND Swept from the Sea (1997)
85 F. MURRAY ABRAHAM Last Action Hero (1993)
87 CHARLES DANCE GREAT WEST END THEATRES (2012)
87 CHARLES DANCE LAST ACTION HERO (1993)
87 CHARLES DANCE PLENTY (1985)
88 SAM NEILL Plenty (1985)
88 SAM NEILL Restoration (1995)
92 BRAD DOURIF The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
92 BRAD DOURIF The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
94 BRIAN COX X2 (2003)
95 IAN HOLM THE HOBBITT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (2014)
95 IAN HOLM The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
95 IAN HOLM The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
103 GABRIEL BYRNE The Keep (1983)
115 IAN MCSHANE THE GOLDEN COMPASS (2007)
118 NICOLE KIDMAN The Golden Compass (2007)
119 JIM BROADBENT Richard III (1995)
119 JIM BROADBENT Sprung! The Magic Roundabout (2005)
121 WHOOPI GOLDBERG Doogal (2006)
132 WILLIAM HURT Neverwas (2005)
133 MERYL STREEP Plenty (1985)
136 SHANE RIMMER Priest of Love (1981)
148 MICHELLE PFEIFFER Stardust (2007)
152 WOODY HARRELSON I’ll Do Anything (1994)
155 SCOTT GLENN The Keep (1983)
164 NICK NOLTE I’ll Do Anything (1994)
164 NICK NOLTE Neverwas (2005)
166 TOM HANKS The Da Vinci Code (2006)
168 JAMES HONG The Shadow (1994)
177 KATHY BATES Swept from the Sea (1997)
177 KATHY BATES The Golden Compass (2007)
178 JUDI DENCH ALL IS TRUE (2019)
178 JUDI DENCH CATS (2019)
178 JUDI DENCH Doogal (2006)
178 JUDI DENCH Jack & Sarah (1995)
189 ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER Last Action Hero (1993)
192 STANLEY TUCCI BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017)
195 JASON FLEMYNG Stardust (2007)
197 VINNIE JONES X-MEN: THE LAST STAND (2006)
211 DANNY DEVITO ANIMAL CRACKERS (2017)
211 DANNY DEVITO Last Action Hero (1993)
212 SHARON STONE Last Action Hero (1993)
214 ELIAS KOTEAS Apt Pupil (1998)
217 WALLACE SHAWN ANIMAL CRACKERS (2017)
222 MAGGIE SMITH Richard III (1995)
225 DAVID HEMMINGS Alfred the Great (1969/I)
226 ALEC BALDWIN The Shadow (1994)
227 BILL NIGHY Flushed Away (2006)
227 BILL NIGHY Sprung! The Magic Roundabout (2005)
247 RICHARD E. GRANT Jack & Sarah (1995)
271 STEVE COOGAN FOR THE LOVE OF GOD (2007)
273 SAM ELLIOTT The Golden Compass (2007)
277 JULIAN GLOVER Alfred the Great (1969/I)
298 JEAN RENO Flushed Away (2006)
298 JEAN RENO The Book That Wrote Itself (1999)
298 JEAN RENO The Da Vinci Code (2006)
313 AVA GARDNER Priest of Love (1981)
316 SIMON CALLOW MISS IN HER TEENS (2014)
324 WILLIAM H. MACY Doogal (2006)
327 BURT KWOUK Plenty (1985)
338 BRUCE DAVISON Apt Pupil (1998)
338 BRUCE DAVISON Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
338 BRUCE DAVISON X2 (2003)
338 BRUCE DAVISON X-Men (2000)
339 TIM CURRY The Shadow (1994)
343 PETER BOYLE The Shadow (1994)
345 ROBERT DOWNEY JR. Restoration (1995)
345 ROBERT DOWNEY JR. Richard III (1995)
350 TARA STRONG ANIMAL CRACKERS (2017)
351 BERNARD HILL THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
351 BERNARD HILL THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (2002)
356 STOCKARD CHANNING Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
358 JUDE LAW Bent (1997)
359 BRENDAN FRASER Gods and Monsters (1998)
360 NIGEL HAWTHORNE Richard III (1995)
374 PATRICK STEWART The Wolverine (2013)
374 PATRICK STEWART X2 (2003)
374 PATRICK STEWART X-Men (2000)
374 PATRICK STEWART X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014)
374 PATRICK STEWART X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
381 CATE BLANCHETT The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
381 CATE BLANCHETT The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
381 CATE BLANCHETT THE HOBBITT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (2014)
381 CATE BLANCHETT The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
381 CATE BLANCHETT The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
381 CATE BLANCHETT The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
383 MARK STRONG STARDUST (2007)
387 PETER VAUGHAN Alfred the Great (1969/I)
397 MIRIAM MARGOLYES Flushed Away (2006)
407 HEATHER GRAHAM Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
407 HEATHER GRAHAM The Ballad of Little Jo (1993)
416 JIM CARTER RICHARD III (1995)
416 JIM CARTER THE GOLDEN COMPASS (2007)
416 JIM CARTER THE GOOD LIAR (2019)
423 BO HOPKINS The Ballad of Little Jo (1993)
437 SEAN BEAN THE BOOK THAT WROTE ITSELF (1999)
437 SEAN BEAN THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)
437 SEAN BEAN THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
437 SEAN BEAN THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (2002)
438 RUPERT EVERETT STARDUST (2007)
443 LESLIE PHILLIPS Scandal (1989)
444 MICHAEL MURPHY X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
446 MICHAEL BYRNE APT PUPIL (1998)
455 DAVID THEWLIS RESTORATION (1995)
457 ELIJAH WOOD The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
457 ELIJAH WOOD The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
457 ELIJAH WOOD The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
463 JURGEN PROCHNOW The Da Vinci Code (2006)
463 JURGEN PROCHNOW The Keep (1983)
467 JOHN WOOD Richard III (1995)
468 KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS Richard III (1995)
468 KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS The Golden Compass (2007)
475 BRITT EKLAND Scandal (1989)
489 HUGH GRANT Restoration (1995)
490 LYNN REDGRAVE Gods and Monsters (1998)
504 ROBERT PATRICK Last Action Hero (1993)
540 EWAN MCGREGOR BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017)
541 ALAN CUMMING Eighteen (2005)
541 ALAN CUMMING Neverwas (2005)
541 ALAN CUMMING X2 (2003)
553 KATE WINSLET Flushed Away (2006)
567 MAURICE DENHAM Thank You All Very Much (1969)
584 JOANNA LUMLEY SPRUNG! THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT (2005)
603 GEORGE CLOONEY The Book That Wrote Itself (1999)
621 COLLEEN CAMP Last Action Hero (1993)
622 CHAZZ PALMINTERI THE BOOK THAT WROTE ITSELF (1999)
637 VERA FARMIGA NEVERWAS (2005)
644 MELISSA LEO THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO (1993)
649 EMMA THOMPSON BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017)
652 VIGGO MORTENSEN The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
652 VIGGO MORTENSEN The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
652 VIGGO MORTENSEN The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
655 KEVIN KLINE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017)
656 EILEEN ATKINS JACK & SARAH (1995)
657 RICHARD MASUR Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
658 JOSEF SOMMER X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
681 STEPHEN FRY THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (2014)
681 STEPHEN FRY THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (2013)
694 TOM BOWER The Ballad of Little Jo (1993)
699 HUGO WEAVING THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY (20102)
699 HUGO WEAVING THE HOBBITT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (2014)
699 HUGO WEAVING THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)
699 HUGO WEAVING THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
699 HUGO WEAVING THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (2002)
735 DANIEL CRAIG The Golden Compass (2007)
738 CHEVY CHASE Doogal (2006)
738 CHEVY CHASE Last Action Hero (1993)
743 WILLIAM MORGAN SHEPPARD The Keep (1983)
758 ROBERT PROSKY Last Action Hero (1993)
758 ROBERT PROSKY The Keep (1983)
762 ANNETTE BENING Richard III (1995)
762 ANNETTE BENING The Book That Wrote Itself (1999)
764 HUGH BONNEVILLE ASYLUM (2005)
767 HARRY SHEARER I’ll Do Anything (1994)
777 EMILY BLUNT ANIMAL CRACKERS (2017)
783 DEE BRADLEY BAKER THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (2014)
795 WILL SMITH Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
804 CLIVE OWEN Bent (1997)
816 JOAN PLOWRIGHT LAST ACTION HERO (1993)
827 DAVID SUCHET FLUSHED AWAY (2006)
830 FAMKE JANSSEN THE WOLVERINE (2013)
830 FAMKE JANSSEN X2 (2003)
830 FAMKE JANSSEN X-Men (2000)
830 FAMKE JANSSEN X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014)
830 FAMKE JANSSEN X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
833 HALLE BERRY X2 (2003)
833 HALLE BERRY X-Men (2000)
833 HALLE BERRY X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014)
833 HALLE BERRY X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
834 ROGER ASHTON – GRIFFITHS PLENTY (1985)
834 ROGER ASHTON – GRIFFITHS RESTORATION (1995)
839 KENNETH BRANAGH ALL IS TRUE (2019)
870 RENE AUBERJONOIS The Ballad of Little Jo (1993)
881 RACHEL WEISZ Bent (1997)
881 RACHEL WEISZ Swept from the Sea (1997)
888 R. LEE ERMEY X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
911 BRUCE PAYNE THE KEEP (1983)
916 WILLIAM HOOTKINS Zina (1986)
933 WOLF KAHLER PRIEST OF LOVE (1981)
933 WOLF KAHLER THE KEEP (1983)
936 JEREON KRABBE SCANDAL (1989)
949 RAY WINSTONE CATS (2019)
949 RAY WINSTONE SPRUNG! THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT (2005)
958 BEN FOSTER X-MEN: THE LAST STAND (2006)
963 DEXTER FLETCHER STARDUST (2007)
976 JOE MORTON APT PUPIL (1998)
978 LAURA LINNEY MR. HOLMES (2015)
979 SEAN ASTIN RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS (2005)
979 SEAN ASTIN THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)
979 SEAN ASTIN THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
979 SEAN ASTIN THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (2002)
989 KEVIN J. O’CONNOR GODS AND MONSTERS (1998)
Sir Ian has appeared with 28 Oscar winners.
ANTHONY QUINN Last Action Hero (1993)
ART CARNEY Last Action Hero (1993)
CATE BLANCHETT The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
CATE BLANCHETT The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
CATE BLANCHETT THE HOBBITT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (2014)
CATE BLANCHETT The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
CATE BLANCHETT The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
CATE BLANCHETT The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
EMMA THOMPSON BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017)
F. MURRAY ABRAHAM Last Action Hero (1993)
GEORGE CLOONEY The Book That Wrote Itself (1999)
HALLE BERRY X2 (2003)
HALLE BERRY X-Men (2000)
HALLE BERRY X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014)
HALLE BERRY X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
HELEN MIRREN THE GOOD LIAR (2019)
JENNIFER LAWRENCE X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014)
JESSICA LANGE Neverwas (2005)
JIM BROADBENT Richard III (1995)
JIM BROADBENT Sprung! The Magic Roundabout (2005)
JOHN GIELGUD Plenty (1985)
JOHN GIELGUD Priest of Love (1981)
JUDI DENCH ALL IS TRUE (2019)
JUDI DENCH CATS (2019)
JUDI DENCH Doogal (2006)
JUDI DENCH Jack & Sarah (1995)
KATE WINSLET Flushed Away (2006)
KATHY BATES Swept from the Sea (1997)
KATHY BATES The Golden Compass (2007)
KEVIN KLINE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017)
MAGGIE SMITH Richard III (1995)
MARION COTILLARD Lady Grey London (2011)
MELISSA LEO THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO (1993)
MERYL STREEP Plenty (1985)
NICOLE KIDMAN The Golden Compass (2007)
RACHEL WEISZ Bent (1997)
RACHEL WEISZ Swept from the Sea (1997)
ROBERT DE NIRO Stardust (2007)
SANDY DENNIS Thank You All Very Much (1969)
TOM HANKS The Da Vinci Code (2006)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG Doogal (2006)
WILLIAM HURT Neverwas (2005)
“Yooouu cannot paaass!” Gandalf & Magneto at the UMR, nice.
I’ve seen 22 of the 44 films on the chart, more than I thought. Favorites are – The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit trilogy, The X-Men series, The Golden Compass, Stardust, The Da Vinci Code, Flushed Away, Last Action Hero, The Keep and The Shadow.
I still haven’t dared look at Cats, but I’m tempted, can’t be that bad surely. 🙂
Nice work Bruce. Vote Up!
Great UMR Page