---
name: "Ian Hart"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/ian-hart"
fi1m_id: "ian-hart"
imdb_id: "nm0001324"
tmdb_id: 10985
wikidata_id: "Q336486"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "8 October 1964"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 15
average_fi1m_score: 75
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 15
updated: "2026-10-07T16:32:38.852809+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."
---

# Ian Hart

## Identity

Ian Hart

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/ian-hart
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** ian-hart
- **IMDb ID:** nm0001324
- **TMDB ID:** 10985
- **Wikidata ID:** Q336486
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Hart, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q336486, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001324/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10985

Actor. Born 8 October 1964 in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 8 October 1964, Knotty Ash, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
- **Active:** 1986–present
- **Also known as:** Ian Davies, イアン・ハート , Іан Гарт
- **Frequently works with:** [Neil Jordan](https://film.one/person/neil-jordan.md), [Stephen Rea](https://film.one/person/stephen-rea.md), [Stephen Woolley](https://film.one/person/stephen-woolley.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 75, as actor, over 15 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 76 (4), 2000s 70 (3), 2010s 76 (5), 2020s 78 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 74 to 71 across 10 titles
- **Score spread:** 6 at 80+, 8 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 1 of 11 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 14, History 3, Comedy 2, Crime 2, Fantasy 2, Thriller 2
- **Screen time:** 16 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,468m across 8 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Hart, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q336486, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001324/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10985

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*My Mad Fat Diary*](https://film.one/tv/my-mad-fat-diary.md) (88), [*God's Own Country*](https://film.one/film/gods-own-country.md) (84), [*Mr Bates vs The Post Office*](https://film.one/tv/mr-bates-vs-the-post-office.md) (80), [*The Virgin Queen*](https://film.one/tv/the-virgin-queen.md) (78)
- **HBO Max:** [*Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone.md) (68)

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

## Fi1m on Ian Hart

> Ian Hart is an actor we trust with doubt. In *Land and Freedom*, he makes a committed man’s uncertainty believable, giving us reason to look beyond the volatile outsiders he is so often asked to play.

David Carr has questions, and Ian Hart lets them matter. In Ken Loach’s *Land and Freedom* (1995), we believe in his idealism because Hart allows him to question it. Hart makes belief look like something David has to think about, even when the dialogue is busy explaining the history. That is the quality we prize in him: he gives a committed man enough uncertainty to be credible without making him seem merely weak.

Playing John Lennon in *The Hours and Times* (1991) and *Backbeat* (1994) brought him notice, and he later described difficulty escaping the typecasting that followed. In *Backbeat*, he makes the familiar figure human without resorting to caricature. David Carr and Ginger in *Nothing Personal* (1995) gave him substantial roles beyond Lennon. The familiar description of Hart as an intense outsider is useful up to the point where it stops us noticing anything else, particularly his ability to make a character’s doubts interesting.

Loach gives us the clearest reason to look closer. The love story and the volunteers’ gentle humour give Hart room to belong to a group, rather than simply guide us through the history. We were moved by the disagreements because Hart makes them feel costly to people who have come to enjoy one another’s company. The film sometimes lets the dialogue run too long, and its framing story explains too much. Hart cannot remove those problems, but he keeps David worth attending to when the writing becomes a lesson.

The later credits resist a tidy label: the father in *Liam* (2000), Professor Quirrell in *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone* (2001), then Father Beocca in *The Last Kingdom* (2015–2020). Those parts belong to a career that has continued across British independent films and international television. We would still start with *Land and Freedom*, where Loach gives him the space to think and other actors to respond to. Go for Hart, and allow the film its longer arguments.

## Biography

Ian Hart (born Ian Davies) is an English actor. Born on 8 October 1964 in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, he trained at the Mabel Fletcher College of Music and Drama and was a member of the Everyman Youth Theatre.

Hart is known for his role as David Carr in Ken Loach's *Land and Freedom* (1995). Other screen credits include John Lennon in *Backbeat* (1994), Professor Quirrell in *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* (2001), Father Beocca in the television series *The Last Kingdom* (2015–2020), and Denis Goldberg in *Escape from Pretoria* (2020). He has also appeared in *Michael Collins* (1996), *Finding Neverland* (2004) and *Mary Queen of Scots* (2018).

In 1995 he won the Volpi Cup for Best Supporting Actor at the Venice Film Festival for his performance in *Nothing Personal*.

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

## On Fi1m (15)

- *The Blame* (2026), Fi1m 71, as DCI Kenneth Walker — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-blame.md)
- *Mr Bates vs The Post Office* (2024), Fi1m 80, as Bob Rutherford — [page](https://film.one/tv/mr-bates-vs-the-post-office.md)
- *The Responder* (2022), Fi1m 84, as Carl Sweeney — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-responder.md)
- *Mary Queen of Scots* (2018), Fi1m 56, as Lord Maitland — [page](https://film.one/film/mary-queen-of-scots.md)
- *The Terror* (2018), Fi1m 82, as Thomas Blanky — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-terror.md)
- *God's Own Country* (2017), Fi1m 84, as Martin Saxby — [page](https://film.one/film/gods-own-country.md)
- *The Last Kingdom* (2015), Fi1m 72, as Beocca — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-last-kingdom.md)
- *My Mad Fat Diary* (2013), Fi1m 88, as Dr. Kester Gill — [page](https://film.one/tv/my-mad-fat-diary.md)
- *The Virgin Queen* (2006), Fi1m 78, as William Cecil - Lord Burghley — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-virgin-queen.md)
- *Finding Neverland* (2004), Fi1m 64, as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — [page](https://film.one/film/finding-neverland.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* (2001), Fi1m 68, as Professor Quirrell / Voldemort (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone.md)
- *Enemy of the State* (1998), Fi1m 73, as Bingham — [page](https://film.one/film/enemy-of-the-state.md)
- *The Butcher Boy* (1998), Fi1m 74, as Uncle Arlo — [page](https://film.one/film/the-butcher-boy.md)
- *Michael Collins* (1996), Fi1m 75, as Joe O'Reilly — [page](https://film.one/film/michael-collins.md)
- *Land and Freedom* (1995), Fi1m 83, as David Carr — [page](https://film.one/film/land-and-freedom.md)

## Complete filmography (111)

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

- *The Blame* (2026), series, as DCI Kenneth Walker — Fi1m 71, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-blame.md)
- *Words of War* (2025), as Lt. Col. Egorov
- *Shoshana* (2024), as Robert Chambers
- *Mr Bates vs The Post Office* (2024), series, as Bob Rutherford — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/mr-bates-vs-the-post-office.md)
- *The Trap* (2023), Actor
- *PTSD* (2023), as Uncle Samson
- *Marlowe* (2023), as Joe Green
- *Left Over* (2022), as Mick
- *The Responder* (2022), series, as Carl Sweeney — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-responder.md)
- *Through The Dunes* (2021), as Andy
- *Help* (2021), as Steve
- *The Mosquito Coast* (2021), series, as Bill Lee
- *The 11th Green* (2020), as James Forrestal
- *Escape from Pretoria* (2020), as Denis Goldberg
- *Mary Queen of Scots* (2018), as Lord Maitland — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/mary-queen-of-scots.md)
- *Dusty and Me* (2018), as Big Eddie Springfield
- *Modern Life Is Rubbish* (2018), Actor
- *The Terror* (2018), series, as Thomas Blanky — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-terror.md)
- *Native* (2018), Actor
- *Tin Star* (2017), series, as Michael Ryan
- *God's Own Country* (2017), as Martin Saxby — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/gods-own-country.md)
- *UK18* (2017), as Darren
- *Johnno's Dead* (2016), as Narrator (voice)
- *The Secret Agent* (2016), series, as The Professor
- *Vinyl* (2016), series, as Peter Grant
- *The Last Kingdom* (2015), series, as Beocca — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-last-kingdom.md)
- *Urban Hymn* (2015), as Ian Wilson
- *Hitler on Trial: The Truth Behind the Story* (2015), Actor
- *Dough* (2015), as Victor Gerrard
- *The Driver* (2014), series, as Colin Vine, Craig Vine
- *Klondike* (2014), series, as Soapy Smith
- *Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.* (2013), series, as Dr. Franklin Hall
- *The Bridge* (2013), series, as Stephanie Sigman CIA Agent Buckley, CIA Agent Buckley, Man in car, David Tate
- *Snodgrass* (2013), as John Lennon
- *Rogue* (2013), series, as Buddy Wilson
- *Bates Motel* (2013), series, as Will Decody
- *Shetland* (2013), series, as Euan Rossi — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/tv/shetland.md)
- *My Mad Fat Diary* (2013), series, as Dr. Kester Gill — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/my-mad-fat-diary.md)
- *Elementary* (2012), series, as Professor Baynes
- *Playhouse Presents* (2012), series, as John Lennon
- *Hard Boiled Sweets* (2012), as Joyce
- *Luck* (2012), series, as Lonnie
- *The Man who Crossed Hitler* (2011), as Adolf Hitler
- *When Harvey Met Bob* (2010), as Harvey Goldsmith
- *Watching* (2010), as Carrick
- *Five Daughters* (2010), series, as DCS Stewart Gull
- *Within the Whirlwind* (2009), as Beylin
- *Father & Son* (2009), series, as Tony Conroy
- *A Boy Called Dad* (2009), as Joe
- *Moving On* (2009), series, as Jake
- *Morris: A Life with Bells On* (2009), as Endeavour
- *Ripley Under Ground* (2007), as Bernard Sayles
- *Dirt* (2007), series, as Don Konkey
- *Intervention* (2007), as Harry III Jr
- *The Virgin Queen* (2006), series, as William Cecil - Lord Burghley — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-virgin-queen.md)
- *Carry On Ken* (2006), Actor
- *Breakfast on Pluto* (2005), as PC Wallis
- *Rag Tale* (2005), as Morph
- *A Cock and Bull Story* (2005), as Joe
- *Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking* (2004), as Dr. Watson
- *Finding Neverland* (2004), as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/finding-neverland.md)
- *Strings* (2004), as Ghrak
- *Blind Flight* (2004), as Brian Keenan
- *Eroica* (2003), as Ludwig van Beethoven
- *Cheeky* (2003), as Alan
- *Den of Lions* (2003), as Rob Shepard
- *The Hound of the Baskervilles* (2002), as Dr. Watson
- *Dad's Dead* (2002), as Narrator (voice)
- *Killing Me Softly* (2002), as Senior Police Officer
- *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* (2001), as Professor Quirrell / Voldemort (voice) — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone.md)
- *Strictly Sinatra* (2001), as Toni Cocozza
- *Liam* (2001), as Dad
- *The Closer You Get* (2000), as Kieran O'Donnell
- *Spring Forward* (2000), as Fran
- *Bait* (2000), as Dad
- *Born Romantic* (2000), as Second Cab Driver
- *Aberdeen* (2000), as Clive
- *Best* (2000), as Nobby Stiles
- *Longitude* (2000), as William Harrison (Adult)
- *Longitude* (2000), series, as William Harrison
- *The End of the Affair* (1999), as Mr. Parkis
- *B. Monkey* (1999), as Steve Davis
- *Wonderland* (1999), as Dan
- *This Year's Love* (1999), as Liam
- *Enemy of the State* (1998), as Bingham — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/enemy-of-the-state.md)
- *Monument Ave.* (1998), as Mouse
- *Frogs for Snakes* (1998), as Quint
- *The Butcher Boy* (1998), as Uncle Arlo — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-butcher-boy.md)
- *Mojo* (1997), as Mickey
- *Robinson Crusoe* (1997), as Daniel Defoe
- *Gold In The Streets* (1997), as Des
- *Michael Collins* (1996), as Joe O'Reilly — Fi1m 75, [page](https://film.one/film/michael-collins.md)
- *Nothing Personal* (1996), as Ginger
- *Hollow Reed* (1996), as Tom Dixon
- *Loved Up* (1995), as Tom
- *Clockwork Mice* (1995), as Steve
- *The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain* (1995), as Johnny Shellshocked
- *Land and Freedom* (1995), as David Carr — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/land-and-freedom.md)
- *Backbeat* (1994), as John Lennon
- *The Hours and Times* (1991), as John Lennon
- *A View of Harry Clark* (1989), as Christie
- *The Zip* (1988), as The son
- *The Play on One* (1988), series, as Christie
- *The Marksman* (1987), series, as Comic #3
- *The Monocled Mutineer* (1986), series, Actor
- *No Surrender* (1985), as Uncertain Menace
- *The Brothers McGregor* (1985), series, as Youth
- *Travelling Man* (1984), series, as Kyffin Rees
- *One Summer* (1983), series, as Rabbit
- *Untitled Luther Sequel*, Actor
- *The Custom of the Country*, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Ian Hart](https://film.one/media/person/86339/gallery-698e1ad7f352.jpg) Ian Hart — Image via TMDB
- ![Ian Hart](https://film.one/media/person/86339/gallery-867e1844946c.jpg) Ian Hart — Image via TMDB

---
© 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/ian-hart