The Best Ian McKellen Movies

Updated December 4, 2019 2.2k votes 164 voters 13.0k views68 items

List RulesVote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.

List of the best Ian McKellen movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Ian McKellen's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Ian McKellen movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Ian McKellen movies will be at the top of the list. Ian McKellen has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Ian McKellen movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Ian McKellen films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Ian McKellen role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Ian McKellen performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

List films include Plenty, E'gad, Zombies! and many additional films as well.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Ian McKellen movies?" and "What are the greatest Ian McKellen roles of all time?"

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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy drama film directed by... more
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#40 of 46 Movies That Won Best Picture at the Oscars and Golden Globes#12 of 92 The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a 2001 epic fantasy film directed by... more
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Small Details From 'The Fellowship Of The Ring' That Would Make Tolkien Proud#16 of 91 The Best Movies That Are Super Long
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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a 2002 epic fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson... more
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#39 of 315 Movies with the Best Soundtracks#7 of 165 Live Action Movies With The Best CGI Effects
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Richard III
Robert Downey Jr., Ian McKellen
Richard III is a 1995 drama film adapted from William Shakespeare's play of the same name,... more
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The Da Vinci Code
Tom Hanks, Ian McKellen
The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 American mystery-thriller film produced by John Calley and Brian... more
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The Real Inspiration For The Da Vinci Code Wasn't Jesus – It Was A Notorious Hoax From The 1950s#42 of 45 The Most Controversial Movies of All Time
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Apt Pupil
Ian McKellen, David Schwimmer
Apt Pupil is a 1998 American thriller film directed by Bryan Singer and starring Ian McKellen... more
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The Hobbit Trilogy
Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace
The Hobbit is a film series consisting of three epic fantasy adventure films directed by Peter... more
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Behind The Scenes Of ‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy#11 of 103 The Very Best Movie Franchises
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Last Action Hero
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tina Turner
Last Action Hero is a 1993 American action-comedy-fantasy film directed and produced by John... more
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'Last Action Hero' Is A Bizarre Fever Dream That's Way Smarter Than You Remember#164 of 252 The Funniest '90s Movies
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X-Men
Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman
X-Men is a 2000 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same... more
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#164 of 180 The Best Dystopian And Near Future Movies#490 of 549 The Greatest Epic Movies Ever Made
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The Golden Compass
Nicole Kidman, Eva Green
The Golden Compass is a 2007 American fantasy-adventure film directed by Chris Weitz. A young... more
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#334 of 1,184 Every Oscar Winning Film Ever#55 of 95 The Best Film Adaptations Of Young Adult Novels
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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Cate Blanchett, Evangeline Lilly
The Hobbit: There and Back Again retitled to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a 2013... more
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#241 of 541 The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Movies#49 of 175 The Best Movie Sequels Ever Made
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Cloud Atlas
Halle Berry, Tom Hanks
Cloud Atlas is a 2012 science fiction film written and directed by Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer... more
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#77 of 115 The Best Movies to Watch on Mushrooms#497 of 675 The Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
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The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Cate Blanchett, Evangeline Lilly
The Hobbit: There and Back Again is a 2014 film writted by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter... more
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#40 of 136 The Best Third Films In A Movie Series#22 of 50 The Best Movies With Elves

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X-Men 2
Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman
X2 is a 2003 American superhero film, based on the X-Men superhero team appearing in Marvel... more
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#415 of 451 The Best Movies For Guys#183 of 264 Movies That Should Be Made Into Broadway Musicals
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Macbeth
Ian McKellen, Judi Dench
Macbeth is a 1978 videotaped version of Trevor Nunn's Royal Shakespeare Company production of... more
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David Copperfield
Ian McKellen, Daniel Radcliffe
David Copperfield is a two-part BBC television drama adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel... more
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X-Men: The Last Stand
Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman
X-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film, based on the X-Men superhero team introduced... more
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#81 of 116 The Worst Superhero Movies Ever Made#255 of 1,506 The Most Rewatchable Movies
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Alfred the Great
Ian McKellen, Michael York
Alfred the Great is a 1969 epic film which portrayed Alfred the Great's struggle to rid Wessex... more
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#150 of 347 The Most Important Leaders In World History#107 of 129 The Best Medieval Movies
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King Lear
Ian McKellen, Sylvester McCoy
King Lear is a 2008 television film based on the William Shakespeare play of the same name,... more
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The Scarlet Pimpernel
Ian McKellen, Jane Seymour
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a 1982 British romantic adventure film set during the French... more
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Stardust
Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro
Stardust is a 2007 British-American romantic fantasy film from Paramount Pictures, directed by... more
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#184 of 246 The Best Rainy Day Movies#122 of 781 The Greatest Chick Flicks Ever Made
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Restoration
Robert Downey Jr., Meg Ryan
Restoration is a 1995 American historical drama film directed by Michael Hoffman. It stars... more
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Neverwas
Ian McKellen, Nick Nolte
Neverwas is a 2005 Canadian-American fantasy drama film written and directed by Joshua Michael... more
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#73 of 80 The Best Movies About Depression#61 of 78 The Best Nick Nolte Movies

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Emile
Ian McKellen, Deborah Kara Unger
Emile is a Canadian film made in 2003 by Carl Bessai but not released widely until 2004. The... more
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Flushed Away
Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman
Flushed Away is a 2006 British/American computer animated action/adventure comedy film... more
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#328 of 533 The Best Animated Films Ever#188 of 204 The Very Best Children's Movies