---
name: "David Yates"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/david-yates"
fi1m_id: "david-yates"
imdb_id: "nm0946734"
tmdb_id: 11343
wikidata_id: "Q312988"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "8 October 1963"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 10
average_fi1m_score: 70
average_as: "director"
average_over: 10
updated: "2026-10-07T13:58:39.309243+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# David Yates

## Identity

David Yates

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/david-yates
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** david-yates
- **IMDb ID:** nm0946734
- **TMDB ID:** 11343
- **Wikidata ID:** Q312988
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Yates, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q312988, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0946734/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11343

Director. Born 8 October 1963 in St. Helens, Merseyside, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 8 October 1963, St. Helens, Merseyside, England, UK
- **Active:** 1984–present
- **Also known as:** 데이빗 예이츠, دیوید یتس
- **Frequently works with:** [David Heyman](https://film.one/person/david-heyman.md), [J.K. Rowling](https://film.one/person/j-k-rowling.md), [Daniel Radcliffe](https://film.one/person/daniel-radcliffe.md), [David Barron](https://film.one/person/david-barron.md), [Emma Watson](https://film.one/person/emma-watson.md), [Rupert Grint](https://film.one/person/rupert-grint.md), [Steve Kloves](https://film.one/person/steve-kloves.md), [Dan Fogler](https://film.one/person/dan-fogler.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 70, as director, over 10 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 78 (5), 2010s 64 (4), 2020s 50 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 63 to 65 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Genres:** Adventure 7, Fantasy 7, Drama 3, Crime 1, Mystery 1
- **Screen time:** 16 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $6,039m across 7 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Yates, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q312988, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0946734/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11343

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2*](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-2.md) (83), [*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix.md) (68), [*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1*](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-1.md) (67), [*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince.md) (66), [*Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*](https://film.one/film/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them.md) (61), [*Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore*](https://film.one/film/fantastic-beasts-the-secrets-of-dumbledore.md) (50), [*Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald*](https://film.one/film/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald.md) (46)
- **The Roku Channel:** [*The Way We Live Now*](https://film.one/tv/the-way-we-live-now.md) (82)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on David Yates

> We rate David Yates for making complicated stories readable without making the people in them dull. His patience with actors is worth valuing, though the demand to follow every detail can occasionally crowd out feeling.

Bill Nighy's Cameron Foster can sound thoroughly fed up in *State of Play* (2003) without making the conversation a chore. We took particular pleasure in that impatient delivery, because Nighy finds dry humour in a drama with a great deal of information to get through. David Yates gives him time to do it. Across Paul Abbott's six-part thriller, explanation is allowed to be interesting, and the actors are allowed to make it their business. It is a strong reason to trust him with a complicated story.

The television breakthrough led to *Sex Traffic* (2004) and *The Girl in the Café* (2005), before he took on the final four *Harry Potter* films, from 2007 to 2011. His work with young actors in *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix* (2007) suggests that attention to performance survived the change of scale. He then directed the *Fantastic Beasts* films between 2016 and 2022, before *Pain Hustlers* (2023) returned him to social-issue drama.

In *State of Play*, John Simm gives Cal McAffrey enough urgency to carry us through the accumulating detail, while David Morrissey's less readable Stephen Collins benefits from Yates's patience. Kelly Macdonald, as Della Smith, gives the exchanges a welcome directness. Yates is good at keeping these distinct temperaments in view as the investigation develops. There is a cost: we sometimes find ourselves keeping track when we would rather stay with a character. Yates makes the concentration worthwhile, but this is not a programme to half-watch.

Chris Seager's cinematography keeps the ensemble scenes readable, so the people delivering the information remain worth watching. Nicholas Hooper's music supports the suspense without swamping the conversations. The pacing gives a revelation force by letting us follow the reasoning that leads to it. The restraint matters: these conversations would be exhausting if every exchange had to announce a crisis. Start with *State of Play*, and give it the attention its cast has earned.

## Biography

David Yates is an English film and television director. He was born on 8 October 1963 in St Helens, Merseyside.

Yates trained at the National Film and Television School. Early television credits include episodes of *The Bill* and the miniseries *The Way We Live Now* (2001). He directed the six-part political thriller *State of Play* (2003), for which he received the Directors Guild of Great Britain Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement.

He is best known for directing the final four *Harry Potter* films (2007–2011) and the *Fantastic Beasts* prequel trilogy (2016–2022). Yates is a founding member of Directors UK and has maintained a long association with Warner Bros. He established his own production company, Wychwood Media, around 2022.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, screenonline.org.uk.*

## On Fi1m (10)

- *Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore* (2022), Fi1m 50, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/fantastic-beasts-the-secrets-of-dumbledore.md)
- *Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald* (2018), Fi1m 46, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald.md)
- *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them* (2016), Fi1m 61, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2* (2011), Fi1m 83, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-2.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1* (2010), Fi1m 67, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-1.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince* (2009), Fi1m 66, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix* (2007), Fi1m 68, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix.md)
- *Sex Traffic* (2004), Fi1m 84, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/sex-traffic.md)
- *State of Play* (2003), Fi1m 88, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/state-of-play.md)
- *The Way We Live Now* (2001), Fi1m 82, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-way-we-live-now.md)

## Complete filmography (26)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Julián* (2026), Executive Producer
- *Roommate Regret* (2024), Co-Executive Producer
- *Pain Hustlers* (2023), Director, Producer
- *Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore* (2022), Director — Fi1m 50, [page](https://film.one/film/fantastic-beasts-the-secrets-of-dumbledore.md)
- *Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald* (2018), Director — Fi1m 46, [page](https://film.one/film/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald.md)
- *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them* (2016), Director — Fi1m 61, [page](https://film.one/film/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them.md)
- *The Legend of Tarzan* (2016), Director, Executive Producer
- *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2* (2011), Director — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-2.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1* (2010), Director — Fi1m 67, [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-1.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince* (2009), Director — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix* (2007), Director — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix.md)
- *The Girl in the Café* (2005), Director
- *Sex Traffic* (2004), series, Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/sex-traffic.md)
- *The Young Visiters* (2003), Director
- *State of Play* (2003), series, Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/state-of-play.md)
- *Rank* (2002), Director
- *The Way We Live Now* (2001), series, Director — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-way-we-live-now.md)
- *The Sins* (2000), series, Director
- *The Tichborne Claimant* (1999), Director
- *Oranges and Lemons* (1991), Director
- *The Weaver's Wife* (1991), Writer, Director
- *When I Was a Girl* (1988), Writer, Producer, Director
- *The Bill* (1984), series, Director
- *Banquet*, Executive Producer
- *Phantom Son*, Director
- *Ghost Story*, Thanks

## Gallery

- ![David Yates](https://film.one/media/person/60675/gallery-37f19bf1a5b6.jpg) David Yates — Joella Marano, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/David_Yates_2010_Cropped.jpg/1280px-David_Yates_2010_Cropped.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![David Yates, Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell and Ezra Miller speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International](https://film.one/media/person/60675/gallery-0335a2fdba2d.jpg) David Yates, Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell and Ezra Miller speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/Cast_of_Fantastic_Beasts_%26_Where_to_Find_Them.jpg/1280px-Cast_of_Fantastic_Beasts_%26_Where_to_Find_Them.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![David Yates and Eddie Redmayne speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", at the San Diego Conventio](https://film.one/media/person/60675/gallery-7fe9560915b3.jpg) David Yates and Eddie Redmayne speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", at the San Diego Conventio — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/David_Yates_%26_Eddie_Redmayne_%2828534048791%29.jpg/1280px-David_Yates_%26_Eddie_Redmayne_%2828534048791%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![David Yates speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Die](https://film.one/media/person/60675/gallery-9ffeefe52644.jpg) David Yates speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Die — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/David_Yates_%2827996598333%29.jpg/1280px-David_Yates_%2827996598333%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![David Yates](https://film.one/media/person/60675/gallery-2c7b786d51f1.jpg) David Yates — Image via TMDB
- ![David Yates](https://film.one/media/person/60675/gallery-92389d043642.jpg) David Yates — Image via TMDB
- ![David Yates speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Die](https://film.one/media/person/60675/gallery-46939acff894.jpg) David Yates speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Die — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/David_Yates_%2828328552660%29.jpg/1280px-David_Yates_%2828328552660%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![David Yates speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Die](https://film.one/media/person/60675/gallery-eaec6ca1b07e.jpg) David Yates speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Die — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/David_Yates_%2828534163941%29.jpg/1280px-David_Yates_%2828534163941%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won, 2 nominated

- European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2019: European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film (nominated), for *Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald*
- European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2017: European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film (nominated), for *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*
- European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2008: European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film (won), for *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/david-yates