Filmography135 titles
| Year | Title | Character | Age at release |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Avengers: DoomsdayMovie | Magneto | 87 |
| 2026 | The ChristophersMovie | Julian Sklar | 87 |
| 2025 | SchadenfreudeMovie | Continuity Announcer | 86 |
| 2025 | Ken Dodd: A Legacy of HappinessMovie | — | 86 |
| 2024 | tedSeries | Narrator (voice) | 85 |
| 2024 | The CriticMovie | Jimmy Erskine | 85 |
| 2024 | The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I LovedMovie | — | 85 |
| 2021 | Infinitum: Subject UnknownMovie | Dr. Charles Marland-White | 82 |
| 2021 | Amol Rajan InterviewsSeries | Self - Interviewed Guest | 82 |
| 2020 | Reunited ApartSeries | Self | 81 |
| 2019 | CatsMovie | Gus, the Theatre Cat | 80 |
| 2019 | On BroadwayMovie | Self | 80 |
| 2019 | The Good LiarMovie | Roy Courtnay | 80 |
| 2018 | Animal CrackersMovie | Horatio P. Huntington (voice) | 79 |
| 2018 | All Is TrueMovie | Earl of Southampton | 79 |
| 2018 | McKellen: Playing the PartMovie | Self | 79 |
| 2017 | Beauty and the BeastMovie | Cogsworth | 78 |
| 2017 | The Untold Tales of Armistead MaupinMovie | Self | 78 |
| 2017 | The Paul O'Grady StoryMovie | Self | 78 |
| 2016 | Judi Dench: All the World's Her StageMovie | Self | 77 |
| 2016 | Shakespeare Live! From the RSCMovie | Self - Performer | 77 |
| 2015 | The Late Show with Stephen ColbertSeries | Self | 76 |
| 2015 | Mr. HolmesMovie | Sherlock Holmes | 76 |
| 2015 | The DresserMovie | Norman | 76 |
| 2014 | The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five ArmiesMovie | Gandalf the Grey | 75 |
| 2014 | X-Men: Days of Future PastMovie | Magneto | 75 |
| 2014 | Variety Studio: Actors on ActorsSeries | Self | 75 |
| 2014 | Late Night with Seth MeyersSeries | Self - Guest | 75 |
| 2014 | Trailblazer HonorsSeries | Self - Speaker | 75 |
| 2013 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of SmaugMovie | Gandalf the Grey | 74 |
| 2013 | The WolverineMovie | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (uncredited) | 74 |
| 2013 | ViciousSeries | Freddie Thornhill | 74 |
| 2013 | The Five(ish) Doctors RebootMovie | Self | 74 |
| 2013 | The Wolverine: Path of a RoninMovie | Self | 74 |
| 2013 | Muse of FireMovie | Self | 74 |
| 2012 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyMovie | Gandalf the Grey | 73 |
| 2012 | Doctor Who: The SnowmenMovie | The Great Intelligence (voice) | 73 |
| 2011 | The Betty Driver StoryMovie | Self | 72 |
| 2011 | PerspectivesSeries | — | 72 |
| 2010 | The TalkSeries | Self | 71 |
| 2009 | The PrisonerSeries | 2 / Curtis | 70 |
| 2009 | Watch What Happens Live with Andy CohenSeries | Self - Guest | 70 |
| 2008 | King LearMovie | King Lear | 69 |
| 2007 | StardustMovie | Narrator (voice) | 68 |
| 2007 | The Golden CompassMovie | Iorek Byrnison (voice) | 68 |
| 2007 | The Graham Norton ShowSeries | Self | 68 |
| 2006 | Flushed AwayMovie | The Toad (voice) | 67 |
| 2006 | X-Men: The Last StandMovie | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto | 67 |
| 2006 | The Da Vinci CodeMovie | Sir Leigh Teabing | 67 |
| 2006 | DoogalMovie | Zebedee (voice) | 67 |
| 2006 | The One ShowSeries | Self - Guest | 67 |
| 2005 | ExtrasSeries | Ian McKellen | 66 |
| 2005 | The Magic RoundaboutMovie | Zebedee (voice) | 66 |
| 2005 | AsylumMovie | Dr. Peter Cleave | 66 |
| 2005 | NeverwasMovie | Gabriel Finch | 66 |
| 2005 | Ringers: Lord of the FansMovie | Self | 66 |
| 2005 | EighteenMovie | Jason Anders (voice) | 66 |
| 2004 | The Making of 'The Return of the King'Movie | Self | 65 |
| 2004 | Who Do You Think You Are?Series | Self | 65 |
| 2004 | The Paul O'Grady ShowSeries | — | 65 |
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingMovie | Gandalf | 64 |
| 2003 | Jimmy Kimmel Live!Series | Self | 64 |
| 2003 | X2Movie | Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto | 64 |
| 2003 | Real Time with Bill MaherSeries | Self | 64 |
| 2003 | Beyond the Movie: The Return of the KingMovie | Self | 64 |
| 2003 | Evolution X - The Making of X-MenMovie | — | 64 |
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersMovie | Gandalf | 63 |
| 2002 | Ant & Dec's Saturday Night TakeawaySeries | Self | 63 |
| 2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingMovie | Gandalf | 62 |
| 2001 | Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the RingMovie | Self | 62 |
| 2001 | Passage to Middle-Earth: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings'Movie | Self | 62 |
| 2001 | Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in LoveMovie | Narrator (voice) | 62 |
| 2000 | X-MenMovie | Magneto | 61 |
| 2000 | X-Men: The Mutant WatchMovie | Self - 'Magneto' | 61 |
| 2000 | Cirque du Soleil: Journey of ManMovie | Narrator (voice) | 61 |
| 2000 | Now You See Him: 'The Invisible Man' Revealed!Movie | Self | 61 |
| 1999 | Family GuySeries | Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (voice) | 60 |
| 1999 | After StonewallMovie | Self | 60 |
| 1999 | David CopperfieldSeries | Creakle | 60 |
| 1999 | The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James WhaleMovie | Self | 60 |
| 1998 | Apt PupilMovie | Kurt Dussander | 59 |
| 1998 | Swept from the SeaMovie | Dr. James Kennedy | 59 |
| 1998 | Gods and MonstersMovie | James Whale | 59 |
| 1998 | ParkinsonSeries | Self | 59 |
| 1997 | The ViewSeries | Self - Guest | 58 |
| 1997 | HARDtalkSeries | — | 58 |
| 1997 | BentMovie | Uncle Freddie | 58 |
| 1996 | RasputinMovie | Tsar Nicholas II | 57 |
| 1995 | Cold Comfort FarmMovie | Amos Starkadder | 56 |
| 1995 | Richard IIIMovie | Richard III | 56 |
| 1995 | RestorationMovie | Will Gates | 56 |
| 1995 | Jack & SarahMovie | William | 56 |
| 1994 | Inside the Actors StudioSeries | Self | 55 |
| 1994 | The ShadowMovie | Dr. Reinhardt Lane | 55 |
| 1994 | To Die ForMovie | Quilt Documentary Narrator (voice) | 55 |
| 1994 | I'll Do AnythingMovie | John Earl McAlpine | 55 |
| 1993 | Last Action HeroMovie | Death | 54 |
| 1993 | Six Degrees of SeparationMovie | Geoffrey | 54 |
| 1993 | And the Band Played OnMovie | Bill Kraus | 54 |
| 1993 | Tales of the CitySeries | Archibald Anson Gidde | 54 |
| 1993 | Late Show with David LettermanSeries | Self - Guest | 54 |
| 1993 | The Ballad of Little JoMovie | Percy Corcoran | 54 |
| 1993 | Late Night with Conan O'BrienSeries | Self - Guest | 54 |
| 1990 | Have I Got News for YouSeries | Self | 51 |
| 1989 | The SimpsonsSeries | Ian McKellen (voice) | 50 |
| 1989 | ScandalMovie | John Profumo | 50 |
| 1988 | Windmills of the GodsSeries | Chairman | 49 |
| 1985 | PlentyMovie | Sir Andrew Charleson | 46 |
| 1985 | ZinaMovie | Kronfeld | 46 |
| 1984 | Playing ShakespeareSeries | — | 45 |
| 1983 | Walter and JuneMovie | Walter | 44 |
| 1983 | The KeepMovie | Dr. Theodore Cuza | 44 |
| 1982 | The Scarlet PimpernelMovie | Chauvelin | 43 |
| 1981 | Priest of LoveMovie | D.H. Lawrence | 42 |
| 1979 | MacbethMovie | Macbeth | 40 |
| 1978 | An Audience with...Series | Self | 39 |
| 1975 | Saturday Night LiveSeries | Self - Host | 36 |
| 1974 | PlayhouseSeries | Alexander | 35 |
| 1974 | Graceless Go IMovie | Tony | 35 |
| 1972 | Country MattersSeries | David Masterman | 33 |
| 1971 | Film '72Series | Self | 32 |
| 1970 | HamletMovie | Hamlet | 31 |
| 1969 | Sesame StreetSeries | Self | 30 |
| 1969 | ITV Saturday Night TheatreSeries | Lyov | 30 |
| 1969 | A Touch of LoveMovie | George | 30 |
| 1969 | Alfred the GreatMovie | Roger | 30 |
| 1967 | ITV PlayhouseSeries | Tony | 28 |
| 1967 | OmnibusSeries | Self - Reading Poetry | 28 |
| 1965 | BBC Play of the MonthSeries | Ross / T.E. Lawrence | 26 |
| 1965 | BBC Play of the MonthSeries | George Tesman | 26 |
| 1965 | The Trial and Torture of Sir John RampayneMovie | Wolf | 26 |
| 1964 | The Wednesday PlaySeries | Wolf | 25 |
| 1960 | Coronation StreetSeries | Mel Hutchwright | 21 |
| 1953 | The OscarsSeries | Self | 14 |
| 1944 | Golden Globe AwardsSeries | Self - Presenter | 5 |