There of course is no official definition but IMHO A-list means you can get a movie made just by being attached to it. The three you mentioned are respected. They are great actors. They are not A-listers. They are character actors who have been around awhile. Maybe A-list if you are talking the much smaller theater world.
Susan Sarandon
Sally Field
Sigourney Weaver
Diane Keaton
Bill Murray
From IMDB:
Christopher Lee
Actor (280 credits), including the Lord of the Rings and the Star Wars prequel trilogy
Ian McKellen
Actor (106 credits), including The Lord of the Rings and X-Men movies
Alan Rickman
see Lord of the Rings and Die Hard.
So, yeah, I think these guys can make any movie they darn well want to. That’s what qualifies them for A-list in my book.
Maggie Smith
Bill Nighy
Liam Neeson
Oprah Winfrey
Sam Waterston
Christopher Walken
John Hurt
Jane Fonda
Patrick Stewart
Martin Sheen
Charles Dance
Kelsey Grammer
Helen Mirren
Samuel L. Jackson
Hugh Bonneville
Maggie Smith
Jack Nicholson
Michael Douglas
Denzel Washington
Bruce Willis
Robert Redford
Jackie Chan
Anthony Hopkins
There are so many more. A list over 60 is easy.
They don’t make any movie they want. They were put in a lot of movies. Usually as supporting characters. They are character actors. In how many of those acting credits did they have their name above the title? More in Lee’s case but those were all B-movie schlock from 50 years ago.
James Hong has 399 credits as an actor. Is he A-list or a character actor? Can a movie be made just on the power of his name alone?
But it seems like most in this thread are coming up with their own definition of A-list which includes anyone who can get steady work even those who don’t have good name recognition. No rules pick whoever you want.
This is actually a GQ question. The “A-list” is a real thing, based on the Ulmer Scale. Of course, most of us don’t have access to it.
I suspect McKellen and Rickman are A list, but maybe not A+ list, which is also a thing on the Ulmer Scale. Probably not Lee, much as he’s beloved by a niche fangroup.
B+ includes Jodi Foster, Ralph Fiennes, Robert DeNiro and Bruce Willis, or at least it did at one point.
Unless he played an orc, I don’t remember him in LOTR.