The oldest being in Middle-earth is arguably Tom Bombadil, but among the wizards (Istari), Gandalf (Olorin) is considered the wisest and oldest in spirit, having existed as a Maia before the world, arriving in Middle-earth as the last Istari, making him thousands of years old in his physical form by the War of the Ring, even older than Saruman.
The Wizard clad in brown was Radagast and the one clad in grey was Gandalf, seemingly the oldest and the least of the Order. The other two who travelled to the East and South were sometimes said to clad themselves in robes of sea-blue and were known as the Blue Wizards.
By far. Legolas is a baby compared to Gandalf. Gandalf is an Ainu, a race that is older than time and space itself.
Gandalf is a wizard, one of the five Istari or “Wizards” who were sent to Middle-earth by the Valar, the angelic beings who shaped the world. He is also known as Mithrandir, the Grey Pilgrim, and is considered the oldest character in the Lord of the Rings.
Bombadil is definitely the oldest. In the quote there, it mentions that Treebeard is the oldest living thing in middle earth . Maybe Bombadil is not living creature, Tolkien never specifies what exactly Bombadil is.
Gandalf's spirit is estimated to be about 24,000 years old (by his own admission) and Sauron is likely the same age. Galadriel is at most 8,000 years of age. Galadriel was an elf, born in Arda. Gandalf was a Maia, more of less a lesser God who may have existed in Arda long before Galadriel was born.
Legolas is introduced at the Council of Elrond in Rivendell, where he came as a messenger from his father to discuss Gollum's escape from their guard.
It's not the years; it's the mileage. Gandalf isn't a Maia in the same way Sauron is. He was sent to middle earth as an old man, so his body is much more real than Sauron's “raiment”. He can't use his power to the same extent, he can't change his forms at will.
Gil-Galad and Thranduil would be around the same age since they both were born during the First Age. Behind them would be Elrond who was born near the end of the First Age.
The Ent who figures most prominently in the book is Treebeard, who is called the oldest creature in Middle-earth.
In Valinor, Gandalf, a Maia, was named Olórin, one of the people of the Vala Manwë, and the wisest of the Maiar. He was closely associated with two other Valar: Irmo, in whose gardens he lived, and Nienna, the patron of mercy, who gave him tutelage.
He dies at the age of 210, after 122 years as king. The graves of Merry and Pippin (who had died in Gondor 58 years earlier) are set beside his. He is succeeded on the throne by his son, Eldarion. Arwen, heartbroken by the loss of her husband, dies shortly afterwards in Lothlórien.
And I mean Orlando had aged quite a bit by the time they filmed the hobbit and put on some weight/muscle which changed the shape of his face some, and they used quite a bit of cgi on his face to try and give him the same youthful look as in LOTR.
Frodo comes of age as Bilbo leaves the Shire. Frodo inherits Bag End and Bilbo's ring. Gandalf, uncertain about the origin of the ring, warns Frodo to avoid using it and to keep it secret. Frodo keeps it hidden for the next 17 years, and it gives him the same longevity and youthful appearance it had given Bilbo.
Later in his life, Tolkien wrote a note suggesting that the names of the Blue Wizards were Morinehtar and Rómestámo.
There is some debate over whether he had been there before, or how long he had been incarnated as Gandalf before he arrived in the Third Age. But he spent at least 2021 years as Gandalf. Long as that is by mortal reckoning, it was less than 4% of his ~55,000 year total lifespan so far.
The movie the Battle of Five Armies expanded on Tolkien's canon by saying that the white gems Thranduil wanted back from the dwarves were originally intended for her, but that she was captured and taken and tortured to death by Gundabad orcs before the order was completed.
Everyone is going to have a different answer but, for elves, I assume this: The human equivalent is x5 up to 'mid-twenties' bracket. So, a '16yo' is 80 years while a '24yo' is 120 years. After that, the aging process essentially stops.
Unfinished Tales explains that Radagast, like the other Wizards, came from Valinor around the year 1000 of the Third Age of Middle-earth and was one of the angelic Maiar.
It's possible that Gollum's prolonged search for the ring allowed it to maintain a significant power over him, suspending his aging process. In contrast, Bilbo's exposure to the ring's influence waned after he willingly (mostly) relinquished it, allowing his aging to resume more noticeably.
Power was never going to succeed in defeating evil. Gandalf was at exactly 12.35% of his full power as Gandalf the Grey, this went up of 18.237% as Gandalf the White. The Maia varied greatly, as did the Valar. Even at his fullest, Olorin/Gandalf was not the equal of Mairon/Sauron, not even close.
In the "official movie guide" for The Lord of the Rings, a birthdate for Legolas is set to 87 of the Third Age. This would make him 2931 years old at the time of the War of the Ring.
Their sole exchange occurs in The Fellowship of the Ring, at the Council of Elrond, when Légolas pledges himself to Frodo's quest: “And with my bow.” That is it; no other direct words pass between them for the remainder of their journey.
By lingering behind, she chose mortality so she could rejoin him. She died a year after him of heartbreak if I recall correctly. She chose a mortal life to be with Aragorn, as such she could no longer travel to or set foot upon Valinor. Gimli, Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam were the only mortals ever granted passage to Valinor.
Elrond is a descendent of all 3 High-elves clans. He is also a far descendent (1/16) of Melian, a Maia (An angel/god magical being). He would probably be way more powerful than Thranduil in many ways, especially with Vilya on his finger !