David Harbour: 5 Movies & Shows You Know the Stranger Things Actor From (And 4 You May Not)
Given the mammoth success of Stranger Things, it’s pretty difficult to imagine David Harbour as anyone other than Jim Hopper now.
As the Sheriff of Hawkins and adopted father of Eleven, he was one of the most interesting characters in the hit Netflix series, and he was arguably the biggest badass in town.
While his career has taken off since landing that role in Stranger Things, with a number of big-screen outings, Harbour was grinding away long before 2016. Indeed, his more recent work might have put him in the spotlight, but it’s his older credits in bit-part roles that are perhaps more intriguing.
Here, we have five movies and TV shows that you’ll know Harbour from, and another four films that you may not have even known he was ever a part of.
Yes, we know Stranger Things is a big deal, but playing a genuine superhero in the MCU is next level stardom. Harbour first took on the role of Alexei Shostakov (AKA the Red Guardian) in Black Widow, but it is Thunderbolts* where his character was truly given the chance to shine. He’s the comedic heart of the movie, and also has some really nice emotional moments, too.
The film itself is a blast. There’s no denying the MCU went through some tough times post-Endgame, but Thunderbolts* really proved that there’s still life in this massive franchise. It was refreshing to see a story largely unburdened by the rest of the timeline, and especially to have a plot that tackles serious themes like depression and trauma. Catch Harbour and the gang on Disney Plus now.
He’s not only had experience of bringing comic book characters to life on the big screen, Harbour has also tried his hand at video game adaptations, too. He played a key role in Gran Turismo back in 2023, playing Jack Salter, the mentor to main character Jann Mardenborough. I think it’s safe to say Harbour has a bit of a niche for that kind of role.
What’s great about this movie is that it didn’t just lean on the core aspects of the game, it expanded on that with fresh new ideas and built a genuinely exciting narrative out of a simple concept. Gran Turismo is packed with high-octane race sequences, which are brilliantly captured through a first-person lens and drone cameras. This is one you’ll have to pay to rent from Apple TV, but it’s well worth £3.49 if you fancy a bit of light entertainment.
Granted, there’s a very specific time of year you’d want to watch Violent Night, but if you haven’t already, you should definitely add this to your Christmas viewing schedule. If you like the hard-hitting nature of Die Hard and the madcap antics of Home Alone, you’ll love this blend of the two as Harbour takes on the role of Saint Nick in this action-comedy hybrid.
Fair play to Harbour, it’s not easy to play Santa Claus and still do something to stand out from the crowd, but his grizzled yet charming take on the iconic gift-giver really elevates this film. There’s a great combination of intense violence with a nice dose of classic Christmas spirit, genuinely funny moments, and even a splash of tenderness. Get it lined up for rental on YouTube in time for the festive season.
Harbour’s latest small screen outing is in the new show DTF St. Louis, alongside the likes of Jason Bateman, Linda Cardellini, and Richard Jenkins. It’s a wild show, where two men’s lives turn to chaos when they discover a sordid dating app. If you’re into movies like After Hours or Blue Velvet, you’ll probably vibe with this series.
There’s a degree of police procedural elements to this, but while the investigation is certainly compelling, it’s the more juicy, scandalous soap opera-esque side of DTF St. Louis that I find more fascinating. You can dive into the drama on Now TV.
More than a decade ago, Harbour had a strong run on the small screen in The Newsroom. Granted, it wasn’t a particularly huge role, but what’s interesting is that Harbour’s Elliot Hirsch came and went throughout the three-season show, popping up here and there to add to an already stellar ensemble cast that includes Jeff Daniels, Olivia Munn, Dev Patel, and Emily Mortimer.
Whenever you have a show with an Aaron Sorkin script, you know it’s going to be full of razor-sharp dialogue and frantic social dynamics, and The Newsroom certainly delivers on that front. While it’s witty and entertaining, there’s also a certain degree of relevance and cultural weight to this show – as the characters strive relentlessly to uncover the truth about our world, it’s worth remembering just how important that is given the current global climate.
Obviously, Brokeback Mountain is all about the outstanding performances of Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, so we’ll forgive you for forgetting that Harbour is part of this star-studded cast. His part is fairly brief but pretty important, as he is really the first to hint at the prospect of a forbidden romance between two cowboys, which stirs something inside Gyllenhaal’s character.
This Oscar-winning movie is, truly, one of the most heartwrenching, wildly romantic films of the 21st century, with some of the finest acting you’re likely to see across the board. Even Michelle Williams, who is literally sidelined as a supporting character watching her husband fall out of love with her, is excellent. If you want to see a masterclass in acting, you have to check this one out.
James Bond movies often rely on not just the main man, but his adversary, too. Sadly, Quantum of Solace falls short in that department and it’s by far the weakest of the Daniel Craig Bond movies, with Dominic Greene being a very forgettable villain. It’s no wonder, then, that most people would not remember that David Harbour also plays a bad guy in this film, with his character Gregg Beam being a corrupt CIA chief who relishes making life difficult for 007.
Is Quantum of Solace worth watching? Sure. It’s got some cool kills and big explosions, and I’d never turn down the chance to see Craig strutting his stuff as Bond. Just be warned that it’s a bit of a mess narratively, and just lacks the punch of Casino Royale, Skyfall, and No Time To Die. Still, it’s about as engaging as Spectre, so it’s still just about worthy of a £3.49 rental fee on Amazon Prime Video.
Harbour must like working with Jake Gyllenhaal, as he also appeared in David Ayer’s blistering cop thriller, End of Watch in 2012. This movie is fascinating as it uses first-person camera and intense bodycam footage to tell its riveting and very violent story, giving us an almost documentarian insight into the lives of police officers in the LAPD.
Harbour’s supporting role is still important, as he offers more of a balanced and weary approach to police work compared to the overzealous style of Gyllenhaal’s Brian and Michael Pena’s Mike. While Ayer gets a bad rep due to his Suicide Squad movie, there’s no denying he’s got real talent as a director when he’s handling more gritty, visceral drama like this.
Honestly, when I was looking at the cast list for Black Mass, I was stunned by just how much talent is in there. Johnny Depp has the key role, but there’s also the likes of Joel Edgerton, Dakota Johnson, Jesse Plemons, Adam Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch and Juno Temple, as well as a minor role for David Harbour. The film is worth watching for all that star power alone.
However, if that’s not enough to get your attention, I’d recommend this film to anyone who enjoyed the likes of Legend or Live By Night. It’s an engrossing story of corruption, brutal crime, and has a brilliant cat-and-mouse tale at the heart of it. It does feel a little bit long in the tooth at times, but when it hits, it really does hit hard. Check it out on Netflix now.
