David Harbour
{{short description|American actor (born 1975)}}
{{Distinguish|Dave Harbour|Dave Barbour}}
{{for|the musician|Paul David Harbour}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = David Harbour
| image = David Harbour by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
| caption = Harbour at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|4|10}}
| birth_place = White Plains, New York, U.S.
| education = Dartmouth College (BA)
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1994–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Lily Allen|2020|}}
| partner =
}}
David Kenneth Harbour (born April 10, 1975) is an American actor. His accolades include nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
He began his career acting in Shakespearean theatre productions. After his professional debut on Broadway in the 1999 revival of The Rainmaker, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in a production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. He made his television debut on Law & Order in 1999 and had supporting roles in films such as Brokeback Mountain (2005), Revolutionary Road (2008) and Black Mass (2015).
Harbour gained global recognition for his portrayal of Jim Hopper in the Netflix science fiction series Stranger Things (2016–present), 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 media franchise, beginning with the film Black Widow (2021) and most recently Thunderbolts* (2025) and in the upcoming movie Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
Early life
Harbour was born in White Plains, New York, to Kenneth and Nancy (née Riley) Harbour, both of whom work in real estate—his mother in residential and his father in commercial.{{cite web |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/playbillcoms-cue-a-merchant-of-venices-david-harbour-com-174413 |title= PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: Merchant of Venice's David Harbour |work=Playbill |access-date=July 27, 2018 |last=Blank |first=Matthew |date=December 14, 2010 |publisher=Brightspot}} He attended Byram Hills High School in Armonk, New York, along with actors Sean Maher and Eyal Podell. He graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1997,{{Cite web |last=Corriveau |first=David |date=2018-05-11 |title=Film Notes: 'Stranger Things' Actor David Harbour Returns to Dartmouth |url=https://www.vnews.com/From-Hanover-to-Hellboy-in-Countless-Steps-17400998 |access-date=March 30, 2020 |website=Valley News}} where he majored in drama and Italian and was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.{{cite news |last1=Wulff |first1=Jennifer |title=Upside-Down World |url=https://dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/articles/upside-down-world |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=Dartmouth Alumni Magazine |issue=Jul - Aug 2017 |ref=DAM072017 |language=en}}
As a young man in New York City, David Harbour frequented and participated in gambling at underground poker clubs, and attests that he personally knew the gangster who John Malkovich's character "Teddy KGB" was based on in the 1998 film Rounders.{{cite video |last=Evans |first=Sean|title=David Harbour Feels Out of Control While Eating Spicy Wings |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOfVbtOUhU0 |access-date=April 15, 2023|work=First We Feast|date=July 15, 2021|language=en}}
Career
=Early years (1990s to 2013)=
File:David Harbour (17015322391).jpg]]
From 1994 to 1997, Harbour performed with The Theater at Monmouth at Cumston Hall in Monmouth, Maine, where he acted in Shakespearian productions such as The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, The Winter's Tale, and Hamlet. Harbour began acting professionally on Broadway in 1999, in the revival of The Rainmaker.{{Cite web |title=David Harbour |url=http://www.playbill.com/person/david-harbour-vault-0000056862 |access-date=March 30, 2020 |website=Playbill}} He made his television debut that year on the television show Law & Order, playing a waiter. He appeared again in 2002 in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing a child murderer. He had the recurring role of MI6 agent Roger Anderson in the ABC series Pan Am. In 2005, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance as Nick in the revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
Harbour is also known for his role as CIA Agent Gregg Beam in Quantum of Solace, as Shep Campbell in Revolutionary Road, and as Russell Crowe's source in State of Play. He also received praise for his role as spree killer Paul Devildis in a 2009 episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.{{cite magazine |last=Fretts |first=Bruce |date=July 13, 2009 |title=Cheers & Jeers |magazine=TV Guide |page=8}} His other film credits include Brokeback Mountain, The Green Hornet, End of Watch, and Between Us. In 2013, he had a small role of a head doctor in the television series Elementary. From 2012 to 2014, he also had the recurring role of Elliot Hirsch in The Newsroom.{{Cite web|url=https://www.popsugar.com/node/42002280|title=The Newsroom|first=Maggie|last=Panos|date=November 2, 2017|website=POPSUGAR Entertainment|access-date=March 30, 2020}}
=Breakthrough and success with ''Stranger Things'' (2014 to present)=
File:David Harbour & Millie Bobby Brown (29895750523).jpg in 2016]]
In 2014, Harbour played the recurring character of Dr. Reed Akley in the first season of the historical drama series Manhattan.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/guests/david-harbour/2067991dca8f8d72e9f9cbf515408223a2e5041b|title=David Harbour on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon|website=NBC|access-date=March 30, 2020}} In 2015, he was cast as Chief Jim Hopper in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/stranger-things-winona-ryder-netflix-featurette-1201823414/ |title='Stranger Things': Winona Ryder Discusses First Major TV Role in Netflix Featurette |first=Lamarco |last=McClendon |date=June 15, 2015 |access-date=May 8, 2023 |work=Variety |archive-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211080727/http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/stranger-things-winona-ryder-netflix-featurette-1201823414/ |url-status=live }} For that role, he has received nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2017 and 2018) and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2018). He won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2017) along with the rest of the cast.
Harbour starred as the title character in the superhero reboot film Hellboy (2019).{{cite web |last=Perry |first=Spencer |url=http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/845915-neil-marshall-to-direct-hellboy-reboot-starring-david-harbour |title=Neil Marshall to Direct Hellboy Reboot Starring David Harbour! |website=Comingsoon.net |date=May 8, 2017 |access-date=May 8, 2017}} He most recently portrayed Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Black Widow (2021),{{cite web |last=Kit|first=Borys|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/david-harbour-joins-scarlett-johansson-black-widow-1198884|title='Stranger Things' Star David Harbour Joins Scarlett Johansson in Marvel's 'Black Widow'. (Exclusive)|website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=May 8, 2017 |access-date=April 3, 2019}}{{Cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/20/black-widow-movie-first-look-scarlett-johansson/ |title=Black Widow hits Comic-Con with first details of Scarlett Johansson film |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |first=Devan |last=Coggan |date=July 20, 2019 |access-date=July 27, 2019}} and reprised the role in Thunderbolts* (2025). He also had starring roles in Christmas action comedy film Violent Night (2022), and in the Neill Blomkamp sports film Gran Turismo (2023) based on the PlayStation video game series of the same name.{{Cite web |title=D23 Expo 2022: All of the Marvel Studios News Coming Out of Hall D23 |url=https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/d23-expo-2022-marvel-studios-news-round-up-recap |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=Marvel Entertainment |language=en}}
Personal life
Harbour had relationships with Alison Sudol and Julia Stiles.{{Cite magazine |last=Sanchez |first=Chealsey |date=18 May 2022 |title=David Harbour and Lily Allen'sFull Relationships' Timeline |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a29461113/david-harbour-lily-allen-relationship-timeline/ |magazine=Harper's Bazaar}}{{Cite web |last=Stow |first=Katie |title=David Harbour From 'Stranger Things' Has A Surprisingly Famous List Of Girlfriends |url=https://www.elle.com.au/celebrity/david-harbour-girlfriends-15677 |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=Elle |date=September 10, 2020 |language=en}} Since 2019, he has been in a relationship with singer Lily Allen. They made their red carpet debut during the 26th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. They married on September 7, 2020, in Las Vegas in a wedding officiated by an Elvis impersonator.{{Cite web |last=Guglielmi |first=Jodi |date=2020-09-09 |title=David Harbour and Lily Allen Are Married! See Photos from Their Las Vegas Wedding |url=https://people.com/tv/david-harbour-and-lily-allen-are-married/ |access-date=September 9, 2020 |website=People |language=EN}} The couple shared a Brownstone house in Brooklyn{{Cite web |date=2023-02-01 |title=Inside David Harbour and Lily Allen's "Weird and Wonderful" Brooklyn Town House |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/lily-allen-david-harbour-brooklyn-home |access-date=2023-03-01 |website=Architectural Digest |language=en-US}} and worked with the architect Ben Bischoff.{{Cite web |title=Lily Allen Makes Pointed Comments About Older Men Preferring 'Young, Dumb Women' After David Harbour Split |url=https://people.com/lily-allen-older-men-young-dumb-women-david-harbour-split-11701288 |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=People.com |language=en}} He is a former believer in the paranormal.{{cite book |first=Leo |last=Tolstoy |author-link=Leo Tolstoy |url=https://nupress.northwestern.edu/9780810138049/on-life/ |chapter=Split Consciousness in People of Our World |title=On Life |publisher=Northwestern University Press |access-date=May 2, 2020 |pages=77–79 |isbn=9780810138049 |date=November 2018}}{{cite news |last1=McKenney |first1=Kelcie |title=We talked to David Harbour — Chief Hopper on Netflix's Stranger Things — about his visit to KC and what to expect from Season Three |url=https://www.thepitchkc.com/we-talked-to-david-harbour-chief-hopper-of-netflixs-stranger-things-about-his-visit-to-kc-and-what-to-expect-from-season-three/ |access-date=August 3, 2021 |work=The Pitch |date=June 21, 2019 |location=Kansas City, Missouri}}
Harbour is a fan of the NHL's New York Rangers.{{Cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C7snw_muohd/?hl=en |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=www.instagram.com}}
In an interview with The Guardian on his role in Black Widow in July 2021, Harbour said he was a socialist: "I don't know that there's anyone who could disagree with socialist ideology"; and later, "The idea of a kindergarten-type society where we share things is my ideal society—as opposed to this world where we're hunting and killing and destroying for our own personal hoarding, our own personal greed."{{cite web |last1=Duggins |first1=Alexi |date=July 3, 2021 |title=David Harbour: 'I've always been waiting to be 40 years old' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jul/03/david-harbour-marvel-black-widow-stranger-things-jim-hopper |access-date=24 July 2021 |website=The Guardian }}
Harbour struggled with alcoholism in his past{{Cite web |last=Daly |first=Rhian |date=June 7, 2018 |title=Stranger Things' David Harbour opens up about his mental health and battles with addiction |url=https://www.nme.com/news/stranger-things-david-harbour-opens-mental-health-battles-addiction-2334732 |website=NME}} and has been sober since he was 24, after hitting "rock bottom" as he faced homelessness, loneliness and thoughts of suicide.{{Cite web|work=theoffcamerashow|date=April 8, 2019|title=David Harbour Hits Rock Bottom and Finds Sobriety |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1vg9f119hQ|via=YouTube}} He began drinking as a teenager and the habit worsened during college. He decided to stop drinking after feeling "very lonely and needing a different direction in my life", and has said, "I enjoy consciousness too much now" to drink again.
At age 26, Harbour was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.{{cite web |title=Stranger Things star David Harbour reveals he has bipolar disorder and describes acting as 'a lifeline' for his mental wellbeing |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/stranger-things-star-david-harbour-reveals-he-has-bipolar-disorder-and-describes-acting-as-a-lifeline-for-his-mental-wellbeing/ar-AAIGcdp |access-date=May 2, 2020 |website=MSN}}{{dead link|date=September 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Whelan |first1=Luke |title=David Harbour: Stranger Things actor on being sent to an 'institution' for mental health |url=https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1636073/david-harbour-health-bipolar-disorder-symptoms-signs-stranger-things |website=Express.co.uk |access-date=15 August 2022 |language=en |date=7 July 2022}}{{cite web |title=Stranger Things actor David Harbour opens up on struggle with mental illness as Netflix season 4 returns |url=https://news.sky.com/story/stranger-things-actor-david-harbour-opens-up-on-struggle-with-mental-illness-as-netflix-season-4-returns-12623187 |website=Sky News |access-date=15 August 2022 |language=en}}
Harbour enjoys watching Let's Plays and speedruns of old videogames.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3P15NpdHOI |title=David Harbour on his "weird and risky" ALONE IN THE DARK reboot with Jodie Comer |date=2023-08-25 |last=Horowitz |first=Josh |type=video |access-date=2025-01-17 |via=YouTube}}
Filmography
{{Pending films key}}
=Film=
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
scope="col"|Year
! scope="col"|Title ! scope="col"|Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Notes |
---|
2004
! scope="row"| Kinsey | Robert Kinsey | |
rowspan="3" | 2005
! scope="row"| Confess | FBI Agent McAllister | |
scope="row"| Brokeback Mountain
| Randall Malone | |
scope="row"| War of the Worlds
| Dock Worker | Deleted scene{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/steven-spielberg-forgot-david-harbour-in-war-of-the-worlds-1234787797/|title=Steven Spielberg Forgot He Worked with David Harbour on War of the Worlds|first=Samantha|last=Bergeson|date=December 2, 2022|website=IndieWire|access-date=December 28, 2023}} |
2006
! scope="row"| The Wedding Weekend | David | |
2007
! scope="row"| Awake |Dracula | |
rowspan="2" | 2008
! scope="row"| Revolutionary Road | Shep Campbell | |
scope="row"| Quantum of Solace
| Gregg Beam | |
2009
! scope="row"| State of Play | PointCorp Insider | |
2010
! scope="row"| Every Day | Brian | |
rowspan="3" | 2011
! scope="row"| The Green Hornet | D.A. Frank Scanlon | |
scope="row"| W.E.
| |
scope="row"| Thin Ice
| Bob Egan | originally released as The Convincer |
rowspan="3" | 2012
! scope="row"| End of Watch | Van Hauser | |
scope="row"| Between Us
| Joel | |
scope="row"| Knife Fight
| Stephen Green | |
rowspan="2" | 2013
! scope="row"| Snitch | Jay Price | |
scope="row"| Parkland
| |
rowspan="3" | 2014
! scope="row"| X/Y | Todd | |
scope="row"| A Walk Among the Tombstones
| Ray | |
scope="row"| The Equalizer
| Frank Masters | |
2015
! scope="row"| Black Mass | |
2016
! scope="row"| Suicide Squad | |
2017
! scope="row"| Sleepless | Doug Dennison | |
2018
! scope="row" | Human Affairs | Ronnie | |
rowspan=2| 2019
! scope="row" |Hellboy | Hellboy | |
scope="row"| Frankenstein's Monster's Monster, Frankenstein
| David Harbour III / Jr. / Frankenstein | Short film |
2020
! scope="row"| Extraction | Gaspar | |
rowspan=2| 2021
! scope="row" |No Sudden Move | Matt Wertz | |
scope="row" |Black Widow
| Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian | |
2022
! scope="row" | Violent Night | Nikamund the Red / Santa Claus | |
rowspan=2| 2023
! scope="row" | We Have a Ghost | Ernest the Ghost | |
scope="row" | Gran Turismo
| Jack Salter | |
2024
! scope="row" | Night of the Zoopocalypse | Dan (voice) | |
rowspan="2"| 2025
! scope="row" | A Working Man | Gunny Lefferty | |
scope="row" | Thunderbolts*
| rowspan=2|Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian | |
2026
! scope=row {{pending film|Avengers: Doomsday}} | Filming |
=Television=
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
scope="col"|Year
! scope="col"|Title ! scope="col"|Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Notes |
---|
rowspan="2" |1999, 2008
! scope="row" rowspan="2" | Law & Order | Mike | Episode: "Patsy" |
Jay Carlin
| Episode: "Submission" |
2002
! scope="row"| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Terry Jessup | Episode: "Dolls" |
2003
! scope="row"| Hack | Christopher Clark | Episode: "Presumed Guilty" |
rowspan="2" |2004, 2009
! scope="row" rowspan="2" | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Wesley John Kenderson | Episode: "Silver Lining" |
Paul Devildis
| Episode: "Family Values" |
2007
! scope="row" | The Unit | Gary Weber | Episode: "Five Brothers" |
rowspan="2" | 2009
! scope="row"| Lie to Me | Frank Ambrose | Episode: "The Better Half" |
scope="row"| Royal Pains
| Dan Samuels | Episode: "It's Like Jamais Vu All Over Again" |
2011–2012
! scope="row"| Pan Am | Roger Anderson | 6 episodes |
rowspan="2" | 2012
! scope="row"| Midnight Sun | Ethan Davies | Unsold NBC TV pilot |
scope="row" | Blue
| Cooper |
2012–2014
! scope="row"| The Newsroom | Elliot Hirsch | 10 episodes |
2013
! scope="row"| Elementary | Dr. Mason Baldwin | Episode: "Lesser Evils" |
rowspan="2" | 2014
! scope="row"| Rake | David Potter | 11 episodes |
scope="row"| Manhattan
| Dr. Reed Akley | 10 episodes |
2014–2015
! scope="row"| State of Affairs | David Patrick | Main role; 13 episodes |
2015–2016
! scope="row"| Banshee | Robert Dalton | 2 episodes |
2016
! scope="row"| Crisis in Six Scenes | Vic | Episode: "#1.2" |
2016–present
! scope="row"| Stranger Things | Main role; 34 episodes |
rowspan="2" | 2018
! scope="row"| Drunk History | Vietnam Memorial Head | Episode: "Underdogs" |
scope="row"| Animals
| Hawk | Voice, episode: "Roachella" |
rowspan="2" | 2019
! scope="row"| El Hormiguero 3.0 | Himself (guest) | Episode: "David Harbour" |
scope="row"| Saturday Night Live
| Himself (host) | Episode: "David Harbour/Camila Cabello" |
2020
! scope="row"| The Simpsons | Fred Kranepool | Voice, episode: "Undercover Burns" |
rowspan="4" | 2021
! scope="row"| Big City Greens | Rick | Voice, episode: "The Van" |
scope="row" | Q-Force
| Agent Rick Buck | Voice |
scope="row"| Star Wars: Visions
| Tajin | Voice, episode: "The Elder"; english dub |
scope=row| Marvel Studios: Assembled
| Himself | Episode: "The Making of Black Widow " |
2024–present
! scope="row"| Creature Commandos |
2024
! scope="row"| What If...? | Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian | Voice; 2 episodes{{Cite web |last=Dick |first=Jeremy |date=December 29, 2023 |title=What If...? Season 3 Gets First Look Trailer From Marvel |url=https://www.cbr.com/what-if-season-3-first-clip/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230001737/https://www.cbr.com/what-if-season-3-first-clip/ |archive-date=December 30, 2023 |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=Comic Book Resources}} |
rowspan="2" | 2025
! scope="row"| The Rookie | Security Guard | Uncredited, episode: "Out of Pocket" |
style="background:#FFFFCC;| Marvel Zombies {{dagger|alt=Not yet released}}
| Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian | Voice; post-production{{Cite web |date=November 15, 2024 |title=MARVEL ZOMBIES Project Profile 10-29-24 |url=https://dam.gettyimages.com/thewaltdisneystudios/allaccess/#!asset/3rqtmsnzn88kgk6bxq46h |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241115113450/https://dam.gettyimages.com/thewaltdisneystudios/allaccess/%23!asset/3rqtmsnzn88kgk6bxq46h |archive-date=November 15, 2024 |access-date=November 15, 2024 |publisher=The Walt Disney Studios |via=Getty Images}} |
=Theatre=
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
scope="col" class="unsortable"|Year
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Title ! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Venue ! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Notes |
---|
2000
! scope="row"| Stranger | Steward / Frank / Pato |
2001
! scope="row"| The Invention of Love | Moses John Jackson | Broadway |
2002
! scope="row"| Twelfth Night | Antonio | |
rowspan="3" | 2003
! scope="row"| Fifth of July | John Landis | rowspan="4" |Off-Broadway |
scope="row"| A Bad Friend
| Fallon |
scope="row"| The Two Noble Kinsmen
| Arcite |
2004
! scope="row"| Between Us | Joel |
rowspan="2" | 2005
! scope="row"rowspan="2" | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | rowspan="2" | Nick | |
Longacre Theatre
| rowspan="4" | Broadway |
rowspan="3" | 2006–2007
! scope="row"| The Coast of Utopia: Part 1 – Voyage | rowspan="3" |Vivian Beaumont Theater |
scope="row"| The Coast of Utopia: Part 2 – Shipwreck |
scope="row"| The Coast of Utopia: Part 3 – Salvage
| Doctor Bazarov |
2008
! scope="row"| Hamlet | Laertes / Ghost of Hamlet's Father | Delacorte Theater | |
2009
! scope="row"| Time Stands Still | James Dodd | |
2010–2011
! scope="row"| The Merchant of Venice | Bassanio | rowspan="2" |Broadway |
2012–2013
! scope="row"| Glengarry Glen Ross | John Williamson |
2016
! scope="row"| Cal in Camo | Tim | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater | Off-Broadway |
2022
! scope="row"| Mad House | Michael | West End |
= Video games =
class="wikitable sortable"
! Year ! Title ! Role ! Note |
2024
| Edward Carnby | Voice and likeness |
Awards and nominations
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{sister project links|d=Q391359|c=Category:David Harbour|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|s=no|species=no}}
- {{IMDb name|1092086}}
- {{IBDB name}}
- {{iobdb name|1991}}
{{Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Drama Supporting Actor}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harbour, David}}
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male Shakespearean actors
Category:American male stage actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:Dartmouth College alumni
Category:Male actors from New York (state)
Category:Male actors from White Plains, New York