Person · Actor and director · Active since 1985
Ethan Hawke
b. 1970, Austin
American actor and director, born in Austin. Won the Donostia Award. Nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Appeared in 71 films on this site, including Dead Poets Society (1989), Lord of War (2005) and Gattaca (1997). Of the actors and directors on this site, Ethan Hawke shares the most films with Vincent D'Onofrio (9 films), Richard Linklater (8) and Steve Zahn (5) (285 in all).
Hawke made his film debut at age fourteen in Explorers (1985) and gained recognition for starring in Dead Poets Society (1989).
Ethan Hawke · authors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hawke garnered commercial success with Sinister (2012), The Purge (2013), The Magnificent Seven (2016), and the Black Phone films (2021–2025), and was praised for Maudie (2016) and First Reformed (2017).
Ethan Hawke · authors · CC BY-SA 4.0
In their own words
I never thought that I would be labeled something like Generation X because of that movie (Reality Bites). I had no idea going into it, and it wasn't a label I could relate to.
The New York Times (2002-04-14) · Wikiquote: Ethan Hawke · authors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Partners by shared films
Who Ethan Hawke made films with
Directors
- 8Richard Linklater directorBefore Sunrise, The Newton Boys, Tape and 5 more
- 3Andrew Niccol directorGattaca, Lord of War, Good Kill
- 3Antoine Fuqua directorTraining Day, Brooklyn's Finest, The Magnificent Seven
One film together
- Explorers 1985Joe Dante
- Dead Poets Society 1989Peter Weir
- Quiz Show 1994Robert Redford
- Reality Bites 1994Ben Stiller
- Great Expectations 1998Alfonso Cuarón
- Before the Devil Knows You're Dead 2007Sidney Lumet
- New York, I Love You 2008Natalie Portman, Mira Nair, Fatih Akin, Brett Ratner
- The Woman in the Fifth 2011Paweł Pawlikowski
- Regression 2015Alejandro Amenábar
- First Reformed 2017Paul Schrader
- Valérian and the City of a Thousand Planets 2017Luc Besson
- The Truth 2019Hirokazu Koreeda
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery 2022Rian Johnson
- The Northman 2022Robert Eggers
Cast
- 2Christopher Walken actorSearch and Destroy, Chelsea Walls
- 2Kris Kristofferson actorChelsea Walls, Fast Food Nation
- 2Laura Linney actressThe Hottest State, Wildcat
- 2Catalina Sandino Moreno actressFast Food Nation, The Hottest State
One film together
Co-stars
- 9Vincent D'Onofrio director and actorThe Newton Boys, The Velocity of Gary, Chelsea Walls and 6 more
- 5Steve Zahn actorReality Bites, Hamlet, Chelsea Walls and 2 more
- 4James Ransone actorSinister, Cymbeline, In a Valley of Violence and 1 more
- 3Uma Thurman actressGattaca, Chelsea Walls, Tape
- 3John Leguizamo actorJoe the King, Assault on Precinct 13, Cymbeline
- 3Julie Delpy actressBefore Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight
21 more partners with two or more films
- 3Kyle MacLachlan actorRich in Love, Hamlet, Tesla
- 3Robert Sean Leonard actorDead Poets Society, Chelsea Walls, Tape
- 2Chris Pratt actorThe Magnificent Seven, The Kid
- 2Martin Scorsese actorQuiz Show, Search and Destroy
- 2Denzel Washington actorTraining Day, The Magnificent Seven
- 2Willem Dafoe actorDaybreakers, The Northman
- 2Patricia Arquette actressFast Food Nation, Boyhood
- 2Rutger Hauer actor24 Hours to Live, Valérian and the City of a Thousand Planets
- 2Lena Headey actressWaterland, The Purge
- 2Albert Finney actorRich in Love, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
- 2John Turturro actorQuiz Show, Search and Destroy
- 2Sam Shepard actorSnow Falling on Cedars, Hamlet
- 2Hank Azaria actorQuiz Show, Great Expectations
- 2Paul Dano actorTaking Lives, Fast Food Nation
- 2James Cromwell actorExplorers, Snow Falling on Cedars
- 2Maya Rudolph actressGattaca, Maggie's Plan
- 2Bobby Cannavale actorFast Food Nation, Blue Moon
- 2Dane DeHaan actorValérian and the City of a Thousand Planets, The Kid
- 2Peter Greene actorTraining Day, Tesla
- 2Jeremy Davies actorThe Black Phone, Black Phone 2
- 2Griffin Dunne actorQuiz Show, Search and Destroy
One film together
- Explorers 1985River Phoenix, Robert Picardo
- Dad 1989Kevin Spacey, Jack Lemmon, Olympia Dukakis, Ted Danson, Kathy Baker
- Dead Poets Society 1989Robin Williams, Lara Flynn Boyle, Kurtwood Smith, Jamie Kennedy
- Mystery Date 1991Don S. Davis, BD Wong, Fisher Stevens
- White Fang 1991Klaus Maria Brandauer, James Remar
- A Midnight Clear 1992Gary Sinise
- Waterland 1992Jeremy Irons, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Pete Postlethwaite, Cara Buono, John Heard
- Alive 1993John Malkovich, Josh Lucas
- Rich in Love 1993Piper Laurie, Alfre Woodard, Jill Clayburgh, Suzy Amis Cameron
- Floundering 1994Viggo Mortensen, Steve Buscemi, John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Jeremy Piven
- Quiz Show 1994Ralph Fiennes, Mira Sorvino, Paul Scofield, Calista Flockhart, Barry Levinson, William Fichtner, Christopher McDonald
- Reality Bites 1994Winona Ryder, Renée Zellweger, Andy Dick, David Spade, Janeane Garofalo, John Mahoney, Keith David, Anne Meara
- White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf 1994Alfred Molina
- Search and Destroy 1995Dennis Hopper, Rosanna Arquette, Robert Knepper
- Gattaca 1997Jude Law, Gore Vidal, Ernest Borgnine, Alan Arkin, Tony Shalhoub, Xander Berkeley
- Great Expectations 1998Robert De Niro, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Bancroft, Chris Cooper, Peter Jacobson, Lance Reddick
- The Newton Boys 1998Matthew McConaughey, Julianna Margulies, Skeet Ulrich
- The Velocity of Gary 1998Salma Hayek, Thomas Jane
- Joe the King 1999Val Kilmer, Kate Mara, Camryn Manheim
- Snow Falling on Cedars 1999Max von Sydow, Richard Jenkins, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
- Hamlet 2000Bill Murray, Casey Affleck, Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber, Jeffrey Wright, Tim Blake Nelson
- The Jimmy Show 2001Carla Gugino
- Training Day 2001Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eva Mendes, Terry Crews, Tom Berenger, Scott Glenn, Macy Gray, Cliff Curtis
- Taking Lives 2004Angelina Jolie, Kiefer Sutherland, Gena Rowlands, Tchéky Karyo
- Assault on Precinct 13 2005Laurence Fishburne, Maria Bello, Gabriel Byrne, Brian Dennehy, Drea de Matteo, Ja Rule, Titus Welliver
- Lord of War 2005Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Jared Leto, Ian Holm, Liya Kebede, Bridget Moynahan
- Fast Food Nation 2006Avril Lavigne, Bruce Willis, Greg Kinnear, Luis Gómez, Wilmer Valderrama, Glen Powell
- Before the Devil Knows You're Dead 2007Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, Michael Shannon, Amy Ryan, Rosemary Harris
- New York, I Love You 2008Bradley Cooper, Orlando Bloom, Shia LaBeouf, Christina Ricci, Blake Lively, Julie Christie, James Caan, Robin Wright, John Hurt, Irrfan Khan
- What Doesn't Kill You 2008Mark Ruffalo, Amanda Peet, Donnie Wahlberg
- Brooklyn's Finest 2009Richard Gere, Wesley Snipes, Don Cheadle, Ellen Barkin, Michael K. Williams, Will Patton, Jesse Williams, Lili Taylor
- Daybreakers 2009Sam Neill, Isabel Lucas
- The Woman in the Fifth 2011Kristin Scott Thomas
- Sinister 2012Fred Thompson
- Total Recall 2012Bryan Cranston, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Colin Farrell, Bill Nighy, John Cho
- Getaway 2013Selena Gomez, Jon Voight
- The Purge 2013Adelaide Kane
- Cymbeline 2014Milla Jovovich, Dakota Johnson, Ed Harris, Anton Yelchin, Bill Pullman, Penn Badgley, Delroy Lindo
- Good Kill 2014Zoë Kravitz, January Jones, Bruce Greenwood, Jake Abel
- Predestination 2014Sarah Snook
- Maggie's Plan 2015Julianne Moore, Greta Gerwig, Wallace Shawn, Bill Hader, Travis Fimmel
- Regression 2015Emma Watson, David Thewlis
- Ten Thousand Saints 2015Hailee Steinfeld, Asa Butterfield, Emile Hirsch, Emily Mortimer, Avan Jogia
- In a Valley of Violence 2016John Travolta, Karen Gillan, Taissa Farmiga
- Maudie 2016Sally Hawkins
- The Magnificent Seven 2016Vinnie Jones, Matt Bomer, Haley Bennett, Cam Gigandet, Lee Byung-hun, Peter Sarsgaard, Luke Grimes
- The Phenom 2016Paul Giamatti, Paul Adelstein
- 24 Hours to Live 2017Liam Cunningham
- First Reformed 2017Amanda Seyfried, Cedric the Entertainer
- Valérian and the City of a Thousand Planets 2017Rihanna, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu
- Juliet, Naked 2018Rose Byrne
- The Kid 2019Adam Baldwin
- The Truth 2019Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Ludivine Sagnier
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery 2022Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Hugh Grant, Angela Lansbury, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Madelyn Cline
- Raymond & Ray 2022Ewan McGregor, Maribel Verdú
- The Northman 2022Nicole Kidman, Björk, Anya Taylor-Joy, Alexander Skarsgård
- Leave the World Behind 2023Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, Mahershala Ali
- Black Phone 2 2025Demián Bichir
- Blue Moon 2025Margaret Qualley, Andrew Scott
- She Dances 2025Rosemarie DeWitt, Sonequa Martin-Green
- The Weight 2026Russell Crowe
Other regulars
Films in this guide
Best known
- Dead Poets Society 1989actor
- Lord of War 2005actor
- Gattaca 1997actor
- Boyhood 2014actor
- Before Sunrise 1995actor
- Training Day 2001actor
1980s
- Explorers (1985)actor
- Dad (1989)actor
- Dead Poets Society (1989)actor
1990s
- Mystery Date (1991)actor
- White Fang (1991)actor
- A Midnight Clear (1992)actor
- Waterland (1992)actor
- Alive (1993)actor, as Nando Parrado
- Rich in Love (1993)actor
- Floundering (1994)actor
- Quiz Show (1994)actor, as Columbia Students
- Reality Bites (1994)actor
- White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf (1994)actor
- Before Sunrise (1995)actor
- Search and Destroy (1995)actor
- Gattaca (1997)actor
- Great Expectations (1998)actor
- The Newton Boys (1998)actor
- The Velocity of Gary (1998)actor
- Joe the King (1999)actor
- Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)actor
2000s
- Hamlet (2000)actor, as Hamlet
- Chelsea Walls (2001)director, actor
- Tape (2001)actor
- The Jimmy Show (2001)actor
- Training Day (2001)actor
- Before Sunset (2004)actor, screenwriter
- Taking Lives (2004)actor
- Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)actor
- Lord of War (2005)actor
- Fast Food Nation (2006)actor
- The Hottest State (2006)director, actor, screenwriter
- Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)actor
- New York, I Love You (2008)actor
- What Doesn't Kill You (2008)actor
- Brooklyn's Finest (2009)actor
- Daybreakers (2009)actor
- Staten Island (2009)actor
2010s
- The Woman in the Fifth (2011)actor
- Sinister (2012)actor
- Total Recall (2012)actor
- Before Midnight (2013)actor, screenwriter
- Getaway (2013)actor
- Making a Scene (2013)screenwriter
- The Purge (2013)actor
- Boyhood (2014)actor
- Cymbeline (2014)actor
- Good Kill (2014)actor
- Predestination (2014)actor
- Maggie's Plan (2015)actor
- Regression (2015)actor
- Ten Thousand Saints (2015)actor
- In a Valley of Violence (2016)actor
- Maudie (2016)actor
- The Magnificent Seven (2016)actor, as Goodnight Robicheaux
- The Phenom (2016)actor
- 24 Hours to Live (2017)actor
- First Reformed (2017)actor
- Valérian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)actor
- Juliet, Naked (2018)actor
- The Kid (2019)actor
- The Truth (2019)actor
2020s
- Tesla (2020)actor, as Nikola Tesla
- The Black Phone (2021)actor, as the Grabber
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)actor, as l'homme qui vaccine
- Raymond & Ray (2022)actor
- The Northman (2022)actor, as King Aurvandill
- Leave the World Behind (2023)actor
- Wildcat (2023)director, screenwriter, producer
- Black Phone 2 (2025)actor, as the Grabber
- Blue Moon (2025)actor
- She Dances (2025)actor, as Brian
- The Weight (2026)actor