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David Yates

David Yates

Director and producer, also actor · Born October 8, 1963 (63) · St. Helens, Merseyside, England, UK

3 BAFTA Awards · Primetime Emmy nominee

David Yates (born 8 October 1963) is an English filmmaker who has directed feature films, short films, and television productions. He is best known for directing the final four films in the Harry Potter series and the three films of its prequel series, Fantastic Beasts. His work on the Harry Potter series brought him critical and commercial success, along with accolades such as the British Academy Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing. Yates directed various short films and became a television director early in his career. His credits include the six-part political thriller State of Play (2003), for which he won the Directors Guild of Great Britain Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, the adult two-part documentary drama Sex Traffic (2004) and the Emmy Award-winning television film The Girl in the Café (2005). Yates is a founding member of Directors UK and has had a close partnership with Warner Bros. as a director and producer. Around 2022, he began working through his own production company, Wychwood Media. Description above from the Wikipedia article David Yates, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 8, 1963 (63)
From
St. Helens, Merseyside, England, UK
Works as
Director and producer, also actor
Titles
13 on MovieCove · 26 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 33% in 30 days

What are David Yates' films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.

Genres

Adventure7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 94th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
30%
Power
22%
Bonds
19%
Self
18%
Society
9%
Survival
2%
Justice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 7

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 5 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Melancholic
4
Bittersweet
4
Hopeful
4
Romantic
4
Other
10

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet8
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch David Yates' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David Yates' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

26 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Julián(2026)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Roommate Regret(2024)

    Co-Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Pain Hustlers(2023)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore(2022)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald(2018)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them(2016)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Legend of Tarzan(2016)

    Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1(2010)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince(2009)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix(2007)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Girl in the Café(2005)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Sex Traffic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Young Visiters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • State of Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

  • Rank (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • The Way We Live Now (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

  • The Sins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • The Tichborne Claimant(1998)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Oranges and Lemons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director

  • The Weaver's Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director · Writer

  • When I Was a Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • The Bill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

  • Banquet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Executive Producer

  • Ghost Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Thanks

  • Phantom Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 26 titles, 23 of them dated from 1984 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

$1.3B worldwide

Highest rated

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

Midcredits 98th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing22 of 26: 18 only directing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score86thWriting2 of 26: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing6 of 26: 3 only producing, 3 with another roleOther crew1 of 26: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

26 titles, 4 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1980s2 · crew1990s3 · crew2000s9 · crew2010s5 · crew2020s4 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

3 BAFTA Awards from 7 major nominations, 2002–2017.

WinNomination
  1. 2017
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Outstanding British Film of the Year
  2. 2011
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Feature Film
  3. 2006
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
  4. 2005
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Drama Serial
  5. 2004
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Drama Serial
  6. 2003
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Short Film
  7. 2002
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Drama Serial

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do David Yates' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 86th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 82nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 13 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · producer

Julián (2026)

96th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

Midcredits 98th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 71/100 and the pacing 42/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is David Yates' work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films and sex & nudity and profanity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles47–65 · median 54 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles16–36 · median 20 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles14–40 · median 23 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs9 titles8–35 · median 24 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles39–71 · median 55 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does David Yates work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Yates' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Mark Day shares the most, 10.

Writers

  • J.K. Rowling6 titles · 4 as writer    See all 6 shared titles with J.K. Rowling
  • Steve Kloves6 titles · 4 as writer    See all 6 shared titles with Steve Kloves

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers