Biography
Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, writer and director. He made his feature film debut in 1985 with the science fiction movie Explorers, before making a supporting appearance in the 1989 drama Dead Poets Society which is considered his breakthrough role. He then appeared in such films as White Fang (1991), A Midnight Clear (1992), and Alive (1993) before taking a role in the 1994 Generation X drama Reality Bites, for which he gained critical acclaim. In 1995, he star...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Blue Moon
2025
as Lorenz Hart
On the evening of March 31, 1943, legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as his former collaborator Ric...

Black Phone 2
2025
as The Grabber
As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, his sister begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone and seeing disturbing v...

She Dances
2025
as Brian
Harried dad Jason and teenage daughter Claire confront their fractured relationship against the unlikely backdrop of the Young Miss Southeast Regional...

Wildcat
2024
Director, Writer, Producer
Can scandalous art still serve God? Does suffering precede all greatness? Can illness be a blessing? In 1950, writer Flannery O'Connor visits her moth...

Leave the World Behind
2023
as Clay Sandford
A family's getaway to a luxurious rental home takes an ominous turn when a cyberattack knocks out their devices—and two strangers appear at their door...

Willie Nelson 90: Long Story Short
2023
as Self
A star-studded concert celebrating Willie Nelson's 90th birthday, recorded live at The Hollywood Bowl and featuring once-in-a-lifetime performances an...

Strange Way of Life
2023
as Jake
After 25 years, an ex hired gun visits his old colleague, who is now a small town sheriff. Their past relationship is explored, as is how they reflect...

Art-House America: Austin Film Society
2023
as Self (Archive Footage)
Founded by Richard Linklater in 1985 as a screening series dedicated to bringing experimental and art cinema to the city of Austin, Texas, the Austin ...

Turn Every Page - The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb
2022
as Self
Delight in the fascinating, intersecting stories of the iconic Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Caro and his editor of 50 years, the literary gian...

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
2022
as Efficient Man
World-famous detective Benoit Blanc heads to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery surrounding a tech billionaire and his eclectic crew of frien...

Luna Moth (Performance Film)
2022
as Self
A Performance Film for “Luna Moth” filmed during Maya's shows at Largo at the Coronet & Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever in Los Angeles.

Raymond & Ray
2022
as Ray
Half brothers Raymond and Ray reunite when their estranged father dies—and discover that his final wish was for them to dig his grave. Together, they ...

Answering the Call: Behind the Scenes of The Black Phone
2022
as Self
Take a behind-the-scenes look into the most pivotal elements of THE BLACK PHONE production, including adapting the story and achieving the vision of d...

The Black Phone
2022
as The Grabber
Finney Blake, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use...

Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Moon Knight
2022
as Self - Arthur Harrow
Join the likes of Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke as they reveal how Marvel Studios' Moon Knight was painstakingly brought to life. Through insightful int...

The Northman
2022
as King Aurvandil War-Raven
Prince Amleth is on the verge of becoming a man when his father is brutally murdered by his uncle, who kidnaps the boy's mother. Two decades later, Am...

Zeros and Ones
2021
as JJ / Justin
Called to Rome to stop an imminent terrorist bombing, a soldier desperately seeks news of his imprisoned brother — a rebel with knowledge that could t...

The Guilty
2021
as Sgt. Bill Miller (voice)
A demoted police officer assigned to a call dispatch desk is conflicted when he receives an emergency phone call from a kidnapped woman.

Waiting for Godot
2021
as Vladimir
An experimental exploration of the storied play. Becket’s vision of perpetual uncertainty, anxiety, and loneliness is refracted through our current mo...

Tesla
2020
as Nikola Tesla
The story of the Promethean struggles of Nikola Tesla, as he attempts to transcend entrenched technology—including his own previous work—by pioneering...

Cut Throat City
2020
as Jackson Symms
Four boyhood friends return to New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina, to find their home decimated and prospects for work swept away. ...

Before the End
2020
as Self - Jesse
Before the End responds to the ethos and fanbase of the Before series while considering the impact of the pandemic on filmmaking, films, fans and char...

Adopt a Highway
2019
as Russell Millings
Russ Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries ...

Adopt a Highway
2019
Producer
Russ Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries ...

The Truth
2019
as Hank
Fabienne is a star; a star of French cinema. She reigns amongst men who love and admire her. When she publishes her memoirs, her daughter Lumir return...

Stockholm
2019
as Lars Nystrom
Based on the extraordinary true story of the European city’s 1973 bank heist and hostage crisis that was documented in the 1974 New Yorker article “Th...

The Kid
2019
as Sheriff Pat Garrett
New Mexico Territory, 1880. Rio Cutler and his older sister Sara must abandon their home after an unfortunate event happens. In their desperate flee t...

Let's Dance
2018
as Segment: "Table Manners"
Justin Peck, the New York City Ballet's resident choreographer, created a series of dances for 2018's best actors. The scenarios put everyday charact...

Blaze
2018
as Radio DJ
Re-imagining the life and times of Blaze Foley, the unsung songwriting Texas legend.

Blaze
2018
Director, Writer, Producer
Re-imagining the life and times of Blaze Foley, the unsung songwriting Texas legend.

Juliet, Naked
2018
as Tucker Crowe
Annie is stuck in a long-term relationship with Duncan – an obsessive fan of obscure rocker Tucker Crowe. When the acoustic demo of Tucker's hit recor...

The King
2018
as Self
A cultural portrait of the American dream at a critical time in the nation’s history. Set against the 2016 American election, The King takes a musical...

First Reformed
2018
as Pastor Ernst Toller
A pastor of a small church in upstate New York starts to spiral out of control after a soul-shaking encounter with an unstable environmental activist ...

24 Hours to Live
2017
as Travis Conrad
An assassin seeks redemption after being given a second chance at life.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
2017
as Jolly the Pimp
In the 28th century, Valerian and Laureline are special operatives charged with keeping order throughout the human territories. On assignment from the...

The Space in Between
2017
as Self
A new piece in which Linklater and actor-cowriters Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke discuss the trilogy, moderated by critic Kent Jones.

After Before
2017
as Self
A documentary that takes a look at the production of BEFORE MIDNIGHT. As the film starts, Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke are sitting a...

In a Valley of Violence
2016
as Paul
The story of a drifter named Paul who arrives in a small town seeking revenge on the thugs who murdered his friend. Sisters Mary Anne and Ellen, who r...

The Magnificent Seven
2016
as Goodnight Robicheaux
Looking to mine for gold, greedy industrialist Bartholomew Bogue seizes control of the Old West town of Rose Creek. With their lives in jeopardy, Emma...

Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny
2016
as Self
Highlighting one of the most innovative American directors, this film reveals the path traveled by the auteur from his small-town Texas roots to his w...

The Phenom
2016
as Hopper Sr.
A rookie pitcher undergoes psychotherapy to overcome the yips.

Maudie
2016
as Everett Lewis
Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis falls in love with a fishmonger while working for him as a live-in housekeeper.

Maggie's Plan
2016
as John Harding
Maggie's plan to have a baby on her own with a sperm donor is derailed when she falls in love with John, an older married professor, destroying his vo...

Invasion!
2016
as Voice of the Cosmos (voice)
Invasion! is the story of menacing aliens who come to take over Earth and destroy anyone that tries to stop them. It is up to two adorable little whi...

Starring Austin Pendleton
2016
as Self
A quirky and inspirational documentary film on the philosophical approach to the life and work of character actor, Austin Pendleton.

Chattanooga Strong
2015
as Narrator
Following the July 2015 shooting in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Peyton Manning sets up a fund to benefit the families of the service members and police of...

Regression
2015
as Bruce Kenner
Minnesota, 1990. Detective Bruce Kenner investigates the case of young Angela, who accuses her father, John Gray, of an unspeakable crime. When John u...

Born to Be Blue
2015
as Chet Baker
Jazz legend Chet Baker finds love and redemption when he stars in a movie about his own troubled life to mount a comeback.

10,000 Saints
2015
as Les Horn
A sweeping multigenerational story set against the backdrop of the raw, roaring New York City of the late 1980s; adoption, teen pregnancy, drugs, hard...

Good Kill
2015
as Commandant Tom Egan
In the shadowy world of drone warfare, combat unfolds like a video game–only with real lives at stake. After six tours of duty, Air Force pilot Tom Eg...

Seymour: An Introduction
2015
as Self
Ethan Hawke directs this intimate documentary portrait of classical pianist, composer, author, teacher and sage Seymour Bernstein.

Seymour: An Introduction
2015
Director
Ethan Hawke directs this intimate documentary portrait of classical pianist, composer, author, teacher and sage Seymour Bernstein.

All You Zombies: Bringing 'Predestination' to Life
2015
as Self
Documentary about the making of the Spierig Brothers' 2014 film PREDESTINATION that is based on Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 science-fiction short story ...

Twelve Years
2015
as Self
This documentary, chronicles the twelve-year production of Boyhood (2014) and features on-set footage and interviews with cast and crew.

21 Years: Richard Linklater
2014
as Self - Actor
A journey through the professional life of innovative film director Richard Linklater: 21 years creating films, carving his signature in pop culture; ...

Cymbeline
2014
as Iachimo
War erupts between dirty cops and outlaw bikers as a drug kingpin tries to protect his empire.

Predestination
2014
as The Bartender
Predestination chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys designed to prevent future killers from com...

Boyhood
2014
as Dad
The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 thr...

Making a Scene
2013
Writer
For this year's Movies Issue, The New York Times Magazine commissioned lines from an eclectic and talented group of screenwriters — writers responsibl...

Welcome Nowhere
2013
as Narrator
Narrated by Ethan Hawke, Welcome Nowhere tells the true story of a community of Roma people (commonly known as Gypsies) who live in old train boxcars ...

Getaway
2013
as Brent Magna
Former race car driver Brent Magna is pitted against the clock. Desperately trying to save the life of his kidnapped wife, Brent commandeers a custom ...

The Purge
2013
as James Sandin
Given the country's overcrowded prisons, the U.S. government begins to allow 12-hour periods of time in which all illegal activity is legal. During on...

Before Midnight
2013
as Jesse
It has been nine years since we last met Jesse and Celine, the French-American couple who once met on a train in Vienna. They now live in Paris with t...

Before Midnight
2013
Writer
It has been nine years since we last met Jesse and Celine, the French-American couple who once met on a train in Vienna. They now live in Paris with t...

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
2012
as Pat (voice)
Academy Award®–winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side) explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, foll...

Total Recall
2012
as Carl Hauser (director’s cut)
Factory worker Doug Quaid takes a virtual mind-trip vacation with the Rekall company, opting for implanted memories of being a spy. When the procedure...

Sinister
2012
as Ellison Oswalt
True-crime writer Ellison Oswald is in a slump; he hasn't had a best seller in more than 10 years and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. So...

Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
2012
as (archive footage)
A film where anything can happen - the hero and the heroine changes their faces, age, look, names, and so on. The only same thing: The love between ma...

The Woman in the Fifth
2011
as Tom Ricks
An American writer moves to Paris to be closer to his daughter and finds himself falling immediately on hard times.
The Making of Daybreakers
2010
as Self
Behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the 2008 science ficiton/horror film, Daybreakers featuring interviews with members of the cast and cre...

Brooklyn's Finest
2010
as Det. Sal Procida
Enforcing the law within the notoriously rough Brownsville section of the city and especially within the Van Dyke housing projects is the NYPD's sixty...

Daybreakers
2010
as Edward Dalton
In the year 2019, a plague has transformed almost every human into a vampire. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots t...

Staten Island
2009
as Sully
Sully is desperate to give his unborn son the chance he never had. Jasper wants to escape the mobsters that have infiltrated his life and business. Pa...

What Doesn't Kill You
2008
as Paulie
Two childhood friends from South Boston turn to crime as a way to get by, ultimately causing a strain in their personal lives and their friendship.

New York, I Love You
2008
as Writer
New York, I Love You delves into the intimate lives of New Yorkers as they grapple with, delight in and search for love. Journey from the Diamond Dist...

Chelsea on the Rocks
2008
as Self
Chelsea on the Rocks celebrates the personalities and artistic voices that have emerged from New York’s legendary Chelsea Hotel. Once considered an un...

Directed by Sidney Lumet: How the Devil Was Made
2008
as Self
An involved behind-the-scenes documentary that focuses on the High Definition cameras used for the movie as well as intimate interviews with the cast ...

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
2007
as Hank Hanson
When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelry store, the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that send them and ...

The Hottest State
2007
as Vince
A young actor from Texas tries to make it in New York while struggling in his relationship with a beautiful singer/songwriter.

The Hottest State
2007
Director, Writer
A young actor from Texas tries to make it in New York while struggling in his relationship with a beautiful singer/songwriter.

The Manufacturing of 'Fast Food Nation'
2007
as Self
A full-length documentary chronicling filmmaker Richard Linklater and author Eric Schlosser throughout their journey making the movie 'Fast Food Natio...

Fast Food Nation
2006
as Pete
A dramatised examination of the health issues and social consequences of America's love affair with fast food.

Dead Poets: A Look Back
2006
Documentary about the making of Dead Poets Society (1989) including interviews from various cast members.

Lord of War
2005
as Jack Valentine
Yuri Orlov is a globetrotting arms dealer and, through some of the deadliest war zones, he struggles to stay one step ahead of a relentless Interpol a...

One Last Thing...
2005
as Earl Jameison (uncredited)
Sixteen-year-old Dylan is dying of cancer. When a charitable organization offers to grant Dylan his final wish, the teen has a surprising request: to ...

Assault on Precinct 13
2005
as Sergeant Jake Roenick
On New Year's Eve, inside a police station that's about to be closed for good, officer Jake Roenick must cobble together a force made up cops and crim...

The Phoenix Portal
2005
as Ben Crandall (archive footage)
In this trans-temporal science fiction, a young River Phoenix from the film The Explorers (1985) opens a wormhole to contact his older self in My Own ...

Before Sunset
2004
as Jesse
Nine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading i...

Before Sunset
2004
Screenplay
Nine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading i...

Taking Lives
2004
as James Costa
Recruited to assist Montreal police in their desperate search for a serial killer who assumes the identities of his victims, FBI profiler Illeana Scot...

pollyDAYS
2003
as Self
Boy meets girl on a trainride from Cologne to Berlin. They start a brief conversation about music. Five days and 5000 kilometers later they meet again...

All the Love You Cannes!
2002
as Self
Known for what must be the cheapest and cheesiest of the indie film world, Troma films takes on Cannes with gallons of fake blood, the Tronettes, and ...

The Jimmy Show
2002
as Ray
A failed New Jersey inventor embarks on a career as a standup comic, turns to drink, and labors to keep his family together.

Tape
2001
as Vin
Jon, a first-time filmmaker, finds himself in Lansing, Michigan to present his film at a local film festival. Vince, his high school friend who is now...

Waking Life
2001
as Jesse
Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participa...

Training Day
2001
as Jake
On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.

Chelsea Walls
2001
as Sam (voice) (uncredited)
This movie tells five stories set in a single day at the famed Chelsea Hotel in New York City, involving an ensemble cast of some 30-35 characters.

Chelsea Walls
2001
Director
This movie tells five stories set in a single day at the famed Chelsea Hotel in New York City, involving an ensemble cast of some 30-35 characters.

Hamlet
2000
as Hamlet
Modern day adaptation of Shakespeare's immortal story about Hamlet's plight to avenge his father's murder in New York City.

Snow Falling on Cedars
1999
as Ishmael Chambers
In the 1950s, a Japanese-American fisherman is suspected of killing his neighbour at sea. For Ishmael, a local reporter, the trial strikes a deep emot...

The Velocity of Gary
1999
as Nat
When bisexual porn star Valentino meets new-in-town hustler Gary, there is an immediate attraction between the two. Valentino helps get Gary a job at ...

Joe the King
1999
as Len Coles
A destitute 14-year-old struggles to keep his life together despite harsh abuse at his mother's hands, harsher abuse at his father's, and a growing se...

The Newton Boys
1998
as Jess Newton
The four Newton brothers are a poor farmer family in the 1920s. One day, the eldest, Willis, realizes that there's no future in the fields and offers ...

Great Expectations
1998
as Finnegan Bell
Loosely based on the Charles Dickens' classic novel, "Great Expectations" is a sensual tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and t...

Gattaca
1997
as Vincent Freeman
Vincent is an all-too-human man who dares to defy a system obsessed with genetic perfection. He is an "In-Valid" who assumes the identity of a member ...

Search and Destroy
1995
as Roger
A self-help guru's televised teachings inspire a down-and-out businessman to pursue his dream of making a movie.

Before Sunrise
1995
as Jesse
A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably...

At Sundance
1995
as Self
A group portrait of filmmakers attend the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Featuring Matthew Harrison, Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, Todd Haynes, Greg A...

Floundering
1994
as Jimmy
John Boyz lives close to where they film "Baywatch", but you'd never know it. His life is full of bizarre friends, sweaty sex, pistol wielding gangste...

Quiz Show
1994
as Columbia Student (uncredited)
Herbert Stempel's transformation into an unexpected television personality unfolds as he secures victory on the cherished American game show, 'Twenty-...

White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf
1994
as Jack Conroy (uncredited)
A boy and his dog, White Fang, must try to save the noble Haida tribe from evil white men in turn-of-the-century Alaska.

Reality Bites
1994
as Troy Dyer
A small circle of friends suffering from post-collegiate blues must confront the hard truth about life, love and the pursuit of gainful employment. As...

Straight to One
1993
Producer, Director, Writer
Newlyweds and artists have recently moved to New York and reflect on their relationship and whether or not they want to have a baby.

Alive
1993
as Nando Parrado
The amazing true story of a Uruguayan rugby team's plane that crashed in the middle of the Andes mountains, and their immense will to survive and pull...

Rich in Love
1992
as Wayne Frobiness
Warren Odom, a rich Southern gentleman, is left in a state of shock when his wife, Helen, leaves him unexpectedly. With Helen gone, Warren's kindheart...

Waterland
1992
as Matthew Price
The story of a mentally anguished high school history teacher going through a complete reassessment of his life. His method for reassessing his life i...

A Midnight Clear
1992
as Will Knott
In 1944 France, an American Intelligence Squad locates a German Platoon wishing to surrender rather than die in Germany's final war offensive. The two...

Mystery Date
1991
as Tom McHugh
Tom McHugh quickly learns that his perfect big brother Craig isn't all he's cracked up to be while on a night on the town with the girl next door, dur...

White Fang
1991
as Jack Conroy
Jack London's classic adventure story about the friendship developed between a Yukon gold hunter and the mixed dog-wolf he rescues from the hands of a...

Dad
1989
as Billy
A busy executive learns during a meeting that his mother may be dying and rushes home to her side. He ends up being his father's caretaker and becomes...

Dead Poets Society
1989
as Todd Anderson
At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize th...

Lion's Den
1988
as Chris
The film is about five men who meet up at their old hang-out spot after finishing their first semester of college.

Explorers
1985
as Ben Crandall
Middle schooler Ben spends his free time watching sci-fi films, playing video games and reading comic books. Surprisingly, his affinity for all things...
Tonight at Noon
N/A
as Lefty
Lee and Mae are a couple trying to work out their differences. As Mae struggles with memories of a former flame, Lee, who is a writer, works through h...
Batso
N/A
as Warren 'Batso' Harding
In 1970, ‘The Wall of Early Morning Light’ was an unthinkable climb. For larger-than-life climbing legends Warren ‘Batso’ Harding and Dean Caldwell, i...
The Last of the Tribe
N/A
as William Phelan
William Phelan — a washed-out Chicago cop turned corporate gun-for-hire — who finds himself in a wildly unfamiliar landscape, his assignment the murde...

Niềm Tin Lung Lay
N/A
as Ethan Hawke
A pastor of a small church in upstate New York starts to spiral out of control after a soul-shaking encounter with an unstable environmental activist ...

Revolver
N/A
Takes place on June 27, 1966, when The Beatles’ flight to Japan is forced to make an unexpected stop in Anchorage, AK. The band takes cover in a hotel...
The Weight
N/A
as Samuel
The film follows Samuel Murphy who, after the death of his wife, is imprisoned in a labor camp run by Clancy, an unscrupulous overseer, Murphy only wa...
Camino Real
N/A
Director, Screenplay
A group of people in a small, isolated desert town through a series of strange events, begin to come to terms with growing older.
The Gunfighter
N/A
Writer, Producer
A new reimagining of the classic Peck western in early development. Plot TBA.