Cast Age Comparison
| Actor | Character | Actor Age | Char Age | Conf | Diff | Source/Hints | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Ian McKellen | Gandalf the Grey | 75 | 2019 | C3 | -1944 | Istari arrived in Middle-earth around T.A. 1000 • Physical form approximately 2000 years old during The Hobbit |
 |
Martin Freeman | Bilbo Baggins | 43 | 51 | C4 | -8 | Born T.A. 2890, quest begins T.A. 2941 |
 |
Richard Armitage | Thorin Oakenshield | 43 | 195 | C5 | -152 | Wiki states birth T.A. 2746, death T.A. 2941 aged 195 • Wikipedia confirms same dates |
 |
Orlando Bloom | Legolas | 37 | ~2931 | C2 | -2894 | No canonical birth date in Tolkien's works • Film guide sets birth at T.A. 87, making him 2931 in LOTR |
 |
Evangeline Lilly | Tauriel | 35 | 600 | C3 | -565 | Film-created character stated to be ~600 years old • Wikipedia confirms ~600 years per film materials |
Actor Age
Actor’s real age when the production was filmed or released
Char Age
The character’s age as stated or implied in the story
Diff
Difference between actor age and character age (green = close, red = far apart)
Source/Hints
Where the character age was found or how it was inferred
Confidence Scale
C5
Canonical — age explicitly stated in the production
C4
Canonical — derived from dates or events in the story
C3
Strong secondary source (script, novelization, creator interview)
C2
Inferred range — estimated from context clues
C1
Unknown — no reliable age information found