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David Harbour

David Harbour

Actor, also producer · Born April 10, 1975 (51) · New York City, New York, USA

Screen Actors Guild Award winner · Primetime Emmy nominee · Golden Globe nominee · 1 other major award body

David Kenneth Harbour (born April 10, 1975) is an American actor. He gained global recognition for his portrayal of Jim Hopper in the Netflix science fiction series Stranger Things (2016–2025), for which he received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. His starring film roles include the title character in Hellboy (2019), Santa Claus in Violent Night (2022), and a former racer in the sports film Gran Turismo (2023). Harbour has played Red Guardian in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the films Black Widow (2021), Thunderbolts* (2025), Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Harbour also voiced Eric Frankenstein in the animated television series Creature Commandos (2024–present). Description above from the Wikipedia article David Harbour, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 10, 1975 (51)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
60 on MovieCove · 76 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 35% in 30 days

What are David Harbour's films like?

Across their 38 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Action14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 20th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
31%
Morality
27%
Self
17%
Survival
10%
Power
8%
Society
6%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds10 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption8 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal5 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 31 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 8 · Dark 17

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 14 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 5

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 8 · Intense 20

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 7 · Shifting 17 · Whiplash 7

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 18 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 17 · Relentless 8

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 7 · Engaged 21 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 8 · Affecting 19 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 25 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

21 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 7 of 21 analyzed roles.

Mentor
7 of 21
Hero
6 of 21
Shadow
4 of 21
Ally
4 of 21
Show the 21 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
25
Thrilling
14
Melancholic
11
Absurd
9
Warm
7
Other
34

How their films linger

Bittersweet14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet23
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous6
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch David Harbour's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 53 of their 60 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David Harbour's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

76 credits, 60 with a MovieCove page; 19 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Avengers: Secret Wars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    as Alexei Shostakov

  • John Rambo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    as Major Trautman

  • Avengers: Doomsday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Alexei Shostakov

  • Violent Night 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Santa Claus

  • Evil Genius(2026)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Stranger Things: Tales from '85(2026)

    Show 18 episodes · Thanks

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all shows

  • DTF St. Louis(2026)

    Show 7 episodes · Executive Producer · as Floyd Smernitch

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • GOAT(2026)

    as Archie Everhardt (voice)

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Marvel Zombies(2025)

    Show 4 episodes · as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian (voice)

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Thunderbolts*(2025)

    as Alexei Shostakov

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • A Working Man(2025)

    as Gunny Lefferty

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Night of the Zoopocalypse(2024)

    as Dan (voice)

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Creature Commandos(2024)

    Show 7 episodes · as Frankenstein (voice)

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Gran Turismo(2023)

    as Jack Salter

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • We Have a Ghost(2023)

    as Ernest

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Violent Night(2022)

    as Santa

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Q-Force(2021)

    Show 10 episodes · as Buck (voice)

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • What If...?(2021)

    Show 1 episode · as Alexei Shostakov (voice) · as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian (voice)

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • Black Widow(2021)

    as Alexei

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • No Sudden Move(2021)

    as Matt Wertz

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Extraction(2020)

    as Gaspar

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Frankenstein's Monster's Monster, Frankenstein(2019)

    Executive Producer · as David Harbour III / David Harbour Jr. / Frankenstein

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Hellboy(2019)

    as Hellboy / Anung Un Rama

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Human Affairs(2018)

    as Ronnie

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Sleepless(2017)

    as Doug Dennison

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Crisis in Six Scenes(2016)

    Show 6 episodes · as Vic

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows

  • Suicide Squad(2016)

    as Dexter Tolliver

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Stranger Things(2016)

    Show 42 episodes · as Jim Hopper

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Animals.(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Hawk (voice)

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • Black Mass(2015)

    as John Morris

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • State of Affairs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 13 episodes · as David Patrick

  • The Equalizer(2014)

    as Masters

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • A Walk Among the Tombstones(2014)

    as Ray

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Manhattan(2014)

    Show 10 episodes · as Reed Akley

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • X/Y(2014)

    as Todd

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Rake(2014)

    Show 13 episodes · as David Potter

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • Parkland(2013)

    as Gordon Shanklin

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Drunk History(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as Vietnam Memorial Head

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Snitch(2013)

    as Jay Price

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Knife Fight(2012)

    as Stephen Green

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Banshee(2013)

    Show 2 episodes · as Robert Dalton

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Elementary(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Mason Baldwin

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • End of Watch(2012)

    as Van Hauser

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Between Us(2012)

    as Joel

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Newsroom(2012)

    Show 10 episodes · as Elliot Hirsch

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 3 episodes · as Cooper

  • Thin Ice(2011)

    as Bob Egan

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Isolation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Dr. Sloan

  • W.E.(2011)

    as Ernest

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Green Hornet(2011)

    as Frank Scanlon

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Pan Am(2011)

    Show as Roger Anderson

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Every Day(2010)

    as Brian

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Royal Pains(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Dan Samuels

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows

  • State of Play(2009)

    as PointCorp Insider

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Lie to Me(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Frank Ambrose

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Revolutionary Road(2008)

    as Shep Campbell

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Quantum of Solace(2008)

    as Gregg Beam

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Awake(2007)

    as Dracula

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Midnight Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Mulligan

  • The Wedding Weekend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as David

  • The Unit(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as Gary Weber

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • The Book of Daniel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Brokeback Mountain(2005)

    as Randall Malone

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Confess(2005)

    as Agent Jim McAllister

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • War of the Worlds(2005)

    as Dock Worker

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Kinsey(2004)

    as Robert Kinsey

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Hack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Christopher Clark

  • Law & Order: Criminal Intent(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Paul Devildis · as Wesley John Kanderson

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • The Invention of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Moses John Jackson

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Terry Jessup

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Law & Order(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Jay Carlin · as Mike

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • The Simpsons(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Fred Kranepool (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • A Head Full of Ghosts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as John

  • Little One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • The Trashers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Jimmy Galante

  • Untitled Jack Thorne Spy Thriller (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Executive Producer · as Matt Wolfe

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 75 titles, 67 of them dated from 1989 to 2026; peak year 2022.

Biggest box office

Quantum of Solace (2008)

$590M worldwide

Highest rated

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Stranger Things (2016)

Film career

MilestoneAward win
19892026

Peak 2022 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 16 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting74 of 75: 71 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score62ndProducing3 of 75: 0 only producing, 3 with another roleOther crew1 of 75: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

75 titles, 3 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1980s1 · acting1990s2 · acting2000s17 · acting2010s30 · 30 acting · 1 crew2020s17 · 16 acting · 2 crew

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 12% of 34 roles
04091419

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

a Screen Actors Guild Award and 1 other major award from 11 major nominations, 2017–2026.

WinNomination
  1. 2026
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
  2. 2020
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  3. 2018
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
  4. 2017
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do David Harbour's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 37; across their 31 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Approval · how many liked their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Reach · how many have seen their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Midcredits score across 60 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up24
  • 50th to 74th17
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th8

Shape of the crowd

29 of their 60 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved9
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser29
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed15

Most divisive · actor

Human Affairs (2018)

92nd percentile spread · 55% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Newsroom (2012)

Midcredits 98th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 72/100 in their films, across 30 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 49. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is David Harbour's work okay for kids?

Across up to 27 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore25 titles45–93 · median 69 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity27 titles14–69 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity26 titles45–88 · median 69 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs25 titles30–65 · median 44 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense25 titles43–84 · median 63 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does David Harbour work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Harbour's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Olga Kurylenko shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles