David Kenneth Harbour (born April 10, 1975) is an American actor. He gained recognition for his portrayal of Jim Hopper in the Netflix science fiction drama series Stranger Things (2016–present), for which he earned a Critics’ Choice Television Award in 2018. For the role, he also received Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations.
Harbour had supporting roles in films such as Brokeback Mountain (2005), Quantum of Solace (2008), The Green Hornet (2011), End of Watch (2012), The Equalizer (2014), Black Mass (2015), and Suicide Squad (2016). He portrayed the title character in the superhero film Hellboy (2019).
Early life
David Kenneth Harbour was born in White Plains, New York, to parents Kenneth and Nancy (née Riley) Harbour. Both of his parents work in real estate, his mother in residential and his father in commercial. He attended Byram Hills High School in Armonk, New York, along with actors Sean Maher and Eyal Podell. Harbour graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1997.
Career
Harbour at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival
Harbour began acting professionally on Broadway in 1999, in the revival of The Rainmaker. He then made his television debut that same year in an episode of Law & Order, playing a waiter. He appeared again in 2002 in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing a child murderer. Harbour portrayed 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 in a production 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. Harbour’s other film credits include Brokeback Mountain, The Green Hornet, End of Watch, and Between Us. In 2013, he played a small role of a head doctor in the television series Elementary. From 2012 to 2014, he also played the recurring role of Elliot Hirsch in The Newsroom.
In 2014, Harbour portrayed the recurring character of Dr. Reed Akley in the first season of the historical drama series Manhattan. In 2015, Harbour was cast as Chief Jim Hopper in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things. For his role in the series, Harbour 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). Harbour has 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). He is also set to co-star as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Black Widow (2021).
Personal life
Since 2019, Harbour has been in a relationship with singer Lily Allen. They made their red carpet debut during the 26th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. A day after they obtained their marriage license, they got married on September 7, 2020 in Las Vegas, in a wedding that was officiated by an Elvis impersonator.
Harbour has believed in several religions including Catholicism and Buddhism; however, now he does not believe in the “paranormal” and believes people “create a life with… consciousness.” He once believed in ghosts, but now does not.
Harbour struggled with alcoholism in his past, and has been sober since his early 20s. At age 25, Harbour was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Filmography
Film
 |
Film or show that is yet to be released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Kinsey | Robert Kinsey | |
| 2005 | Confess | FBI Agent McAllister | |
| Brokeback Mountain | Randall Malone | ||
| War of the Worlds | Dock Worker | ||
| 2006 | The Wedding Weekend | David | |
| 2008 | Revolutionary Road | Shep Campbell | |
| Quantum of Solace | Gregg Beam | ||
| 2009 | State of Play | PointCorp Insider | |
| 2010 | Every Day | Brian | |
| 2011 | The Green Hornet | D.A. Frank Scanlon | |
| W.E. | Ernest Aldrich Simpson | ||
| 2012 | End of Watch | Van Hauser | |
| Between Us | Joel | ||
| Knife Fight | Stephen Green | ||
| 2013 | Snitch | Jay Price | |
| Parkland | James Gordon Shanklin | ||
| 2014 | X/Y | Todd | |
| A Walk Among the Tombstones | Ray | ||
| The Equalizer | Frank Masters | ||
| 2015 | Black Mass | John Morris | |
| 2016 | Suicide Squad | Dexter Tolliver | |
| 2017 | Sleepless | Doug Dennison | |
| 2018 | Human Affairs | Ronnie | |
| 2019 | Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein | David Harbour III / Jr. / Frankenstein | Short film |
| Hellboy | Hellboy | ||
| 2020 | Extraction | Gaspar | |
| 2021 | Black Widow |
Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian | Post-production |
| TBA | No Sudden Move |
Post-production |
Television
David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Law & Order | Mike | Episode: “Patsy” |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Terry Jessup | Episode: “Dolls” |
| 2003 | Hack | Christopher Clark | Episode: “Presumed Guilty” |
| 2004 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Wesley John Kenderson | Episode: “Silver Lining” |
| 2007 | The Unit | Gary Weber | Episode: “Five Brothers” |
| 2008 | Law & Order | Jay Carlin | Episode: “Submission” |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Paul Devildis | Episode: “Family Values” |
| Lie to Me | Frank Ambrose | Episode: “The Better Half” | |
| Royal Pains | Dan Samuels | Episode: “It’s Like Jamais Vu All Over Again” | |
| 2011–2012 | Pan Am | Roger Anderson | 6 episodes |
| 2012 | Midnight Sun | Ethan Davies | Unsold NBC TV pilot |
| 2012–2014 | The Newsroom | Elliot Hirsch | 10 episodes |
| 2012–2015 | Blue | Cooper | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Elementary | Dr. Mason Baldwin | Episode: “Lesser Evils” |
| 2014 | Rake | David Potter | 11 episodes |
| Manhattan | Dr. Reed Akley | 10 episodes | |
| 2014–2015 | State of Affairs | David Patrick | 13 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Banshee | Robert Dalton | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Crisis in Six Scenes | Vic | Episode: “#1.2” |
| 2016–present | Stranger Things | Jim Hopper | Main role |
| 2018 | Drunk History | Vietnam Memorial Head | Episode: “Underdogs” |
| Animals | Hawk (voice) | Episode: “Roachella” | |
| 2019 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: “David Harbour/Camila Cabello” |
| 2020 | The Simpsons | Fred Kranepool (voice) | Episode: “Undercover Burns” |
| 2021 | Big City Greens | Rick (voice) | Episode: “The Van” |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Rainmaker | Noah Curry | |
| 2001 | The Invention of Love | Moses John Jackson | |
| 2005 | Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Nick | |
| 2006–2007 | The Coast of Utopia: Part 1 – Voyage | Nicholas Stankevich | |
| 2006–2007 | The Coast of Utopia: Part 2 – Shipwreck | George Herwegh | |
| 2007 | The Coast of Utopia: Part 3 – Salvage | Doctor at the Seashore | |
| 2010–2011 | The Merchant of Venice | Bassanio | |
| 2012–2013 | Glengarry Glen Ross | John Williamson | |
| 2016 | Cal In Camo | Tim |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Tony Awards | Best Featured Actor in a Play | Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Stranger Things | Won | |
| 2017 | Fangoria Chainsaw Award | Best TV Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Critics’ Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Won | ||
| 2018 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| 2020 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Actor | Hellboy | Nominated |