Daniel Radcliffe is an English actor who became an international star after playing Harry Potter in the hugely successful film adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novels. Born in London in 1989, Radcliffe made his film debut as Mark Pendel in The Tailor of Panama before taking on the role that would define his early career. Between 2001 and 2011, he portrayed Harry Potter in all eight films of the franchise, growing from a child performer into one of Britain’s best-known young actors. After Harry Potter, Radcliffe deliberately pursued a wide range of projects, including horror, comedy, drama, fantasy, animation and independent cinema. His later work includes acclaimed performances in Kill Your Darlings, Swiss Army Man, Imperium, Jungle, The Lost City and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. This chronological guide to Daniel Radcliffe movies by year covers his released feature films as well as clearly identified film-length and non-standard screen appearances.
2001 — The Tailor of Panama
The Tailor of Panama marked Daniel Radcliffe’s feature-film debut, with the young actor playing Mark Pendel, the son of Harry Pendel and Louisa Pendel. Directed by John Boorman, the political spy thriller stars Geoffrey Rush, Pierce Brosnan and Jamie Lee Curtis and is adapted from John le Carré’s novel. Radcliffe’s role was relatively small, but the film is an important early entry in Daniel Radcliffe movies by year because it preceded his worldwide breakthrough by only a few months.
2001 — Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Radcliffe became a global star as Harry Potter in Chris Columbus’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States. The fantasy adventure follows Harry as he discovers that he is a wizard and begins his education at Hogwarts alongside Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, played by Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. The film launched one of cinema’s most successful franchises and established Radcliffe as the central performer of the series.
2002 — Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Radcliffe returned as Harry for Chris Columbus’s second film in the franchise. The story sends Harry back to Hogwarts, where mysterious attacks and the discovery of the Chamber of Secrets threaten the school and its students. The sequel expanded the magical world introduced in the first film while allowing Radcliffe to take on a more demanding role as Harry faced a darker mystery.
2004 — Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban brought Radcliffe back as Harry under director Alfonso Cuarón. The darker fantasy film introduces Sirius Black, played by Gary Oldman, while Harry learns more about his family’s past and confronts the dangerous Dementors surrounding Hogwarts. Cuarón’s visual style gave the series a more mature atmosphere, making the third film a significant turning point for Radcliffe and his young co-stars.
2005 — Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Directed by Mike Newell, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire placed Radcliffe’s Harry at the centre of the dangerous Triwizard Tournament. Harry is unexpectedly selected as one of the competitors despite being underage, leading to a series of increasingly perilous challenges. The film is particularly important to the series because it marks the return of Lord Voldemort and the beginning of the franchise’s more serious final arc.
2007 — Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
David Yates made his debut as the director of the Potter film series with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, in which Radcliffe again played Harry. The story focuses on Harry’s struggle to convince the wizarding world that Voldemort has returned while Hogwarts falls under the strict control of Dolores Umbridge, played by Imelda Staunton. The film also shows Harry taking a more active leadership role through Dumbledore’s Army, reflecting his transition from student to resistance figure.
2007 — December Boys
Radcliffe stepped outside the Harry Potter franchise with December Boys, an Australian coming-of-age drama directed by Rod Hardy. He plays Maps, one of four orphaned boys who travel to the Australian coast and become involved in a complicated story about friendship, family and the possibility of adoption. The film gave Radcliffe an opportunity to play a more grounded teenage character and demonstrated his interest in taking on roles beyond the Potter series.
2009 — Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Radcliffe returned as Harry in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, directed by David Yates. The fantasy drama follows Harry’s growing understanding of Voldemort’s past while his friendships and relationships become increasingly complicated. The film also features Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Tom Felton, and it moves the story closer to its climactic conclusion.
2010 — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 begins the two-part adaptation of the final Harry Potter novel. Radcliffe’s Harry leaves Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione and sets out to destroy the Horcruxes that can help defeat Voldemort. Directed by David Yates, the film has a darker road-movie atmosphere than its predecessors and focuses heavily on the trio’s isolation, friendship and growing maturity.
2011 — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
The final Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, brought Radcliffe’s decade-long portrayal of Harry Potter to its conclusion. The action centres on the Battle of Hogwarts and Harry’s final confrontation with Voldemort, with the returning cast including Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman. The film became one of the biggest releases of 2011 and remains one of Radcliffe’s most significant screen performances.
2012 — The Woman in Black
Radcliffe moved decisively into horror with The Woman in Black, directed by James Watkins and adapted from Susan Hill’s novel. He plays Arthur Kipps, a recently widowed solicitor who travels to an isolated village and encounters a vengeful supernatural presence. Co-starring Ciarán Hinds and Janet McTeer, the gothic horror film was notable as Radcliffe’s first major post-Potter leading role and showed audiences a markedly different side of his acting.
2013 — Kill Your Darlings
In the biographical drama Kill Your Darlings, Radcliffe portrayed American poet Allen Ginsberg during his university years. Directed by John Krokidas, the film explores Ginsberg’s relationship with fellow Beat Generation figures Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, played by Jack Huston and Ben Foster. The performance was an important step in Radcliffe’s post-Potter career because it placed him in a serious independent drama inspired by real literary figures.
2013 — Horns
Horns cast Radcliffe as Ignatius “Ig” Perrish, a young man accused of murdering his girlfriend who mysteriously develops supernatural horns. Directed by Alexandre Aja and based on Joe Hill’s novel, the film combines dark fantasy, horror, mystery and elements of black comedy. Radcliffe’s unusual central performance helped reinforce his willingness to experiment with unconventional material after the Harry Potter franchise.
2013 — What If
The romantic comedy What If, also released as The F Word in some territories, starred Radcliffe as Wallace, a young man who develops feelings for his new friend Chantry, played by Zoe Kazan. Directed by Michael Dowse, the film explores the complications that arise when two people try to maintain a friendship despite romantic attraction. It gave Radcliffe another opportunity to move away from fantasy and horror into a contemporary romantic comedy.
2015 — Trainwreck
Radcliffe made a brief cameo in Amy Schumer’s comedy Trainwreck, directed by Judd Apatow. He appears as a dog walker in a short comic sequence rather than as one of the film’s principal characters. This is therefore best treated as a cameo appearance within Daniel Radcliffe movies by year, rather than a standard leading or supporting feature-film role.
2015 — Victor Frankenstein
In Victor Frankenstein, Radcliffe played Igor, the assistant to James McAvoy’s eccentric scientist Victor Frankenstein. Directed by Paul McGuigan, the period horror film offers a reworked version of Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein story, focusing heavily on the relationship between its two central characters. Radcliffe’s performance was part of his continuing effort to build a varied post-Potter filmography across different genres.
2016 — Swiss Army Man
Swiss Army Man is one of the most unconventional films in Radcliffe’s career, with the actor playing Manny, a mysterious corpse who becomes an unlikely companion to a stranded man played by Paul Dano. Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the surreal comedy-drama combines absurd humour, fantasy and an unexpectedly emotional story about loneliness and human connection. Radcliffe’s unusual physical and comedic performance became one of the film’s defining features.
2016 — Imperium
In the crime thriller Imperium, Radcliffe portrayed Nate Foster, an idealistic young FBI agent who goes undercover inside a white supremacist organisation. Directed by Daniel Ragussis and co-starring Toni Collette and Tracy Letts, the film deals with extremism, infiltration and the psychological pressure of undercover work. It was another significant departure from Harry Potter and demonstrated Radcliffe’s ability to carry a tense contemporary thriller.
2016 — Now You See Me 2
Radcliffe joined the cast of Now You See Me 2 as Walter Mabry, a wealthy technology businessman who becomes entangled with the illusionist group known as the Four Horsemen. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the crime comedy-thriller also stars Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Lizzy Caplan and Morgan Freeman. Radcliffe’s role allowed him to play a more flamboyant antagonist in a commercially oriented ensemble film.
2017 — Jungle
Radcliffe starred as Israeli adventurer Yossi Ghinsberg in Jungle, a survival thriller directed by Greg McLean. Based on Ghinsberg’s real-life experience, the film follows a group of travellers whose expedition into the Bolivian rainforest turns into a desperate struggle for survival. Radcliffe’s physically demanding performance made the film a notable chapter in his post-Potter career.
2017 — Lost in London
Lost in London was an unusual live-shot film project written and directed by Woody Harrelson, who also stars alongside Radcliffe and Owen Wilson. Radcliffe appears as a fictionalized version of himself in a story inspired by Harrelson’s real-life night in London. The project was distinctive because it was filmed and broadcast live to cinemas, making it a non-standard film appearance rather than a conventional studio feature.
2017 — National Theatre Live: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
Radcliffe also appeared as Rosencrantz in the filmed National Theatre production of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, alongside Joshua McGuire and David Haig. Directed for the stage by David Leveaux, the production was captured and distributed to cinemas through National Theatre Live. Because it is a recorded stage production rather than a conventional feature film, it is included here as a screened theatrical performance, not a standard movie role.
2018 — Beast of Burden
In the action thriller Beast of Burden, Radcliffe plays Sean Haggerty, a pilot who spends a single night transporting drugs while communicating with various people over his headset. Directed by Jesper Ganslandt, the film uses the confined setting of the aircraft to create a tense, pressure-filled thriller. The role gave Radcliffe another opportunity to carry a film largely through a single, highly restricted performance environment.
2019 — Playmobil: The Movie
Radcliffe provided the voice of Rex Dasher, a charismatic secret agent, in the animated adventure Playmobil: The Movie. Directed by Lino DiSalvo, the film follows Marla, voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy, as she enters the fantastical Playmobil universe while searching for her missing brother. Radcliffe’s performance is a voice role, with Rex serving as a playful parody of the classic suave movie spy.
2019 — Guns Akimbo
Guns Akimbo stars Radcliffe as Miles, a frustrated computer programmer who is forced into a brutal online gladiatorial game. Written and directed by Jason Lei Howden, the action comedy combines extreme violence, dark humour and dystopian technology, with Samara Weaving co-starring as Nix. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2019 before receiving wider releases in 2020, so 2019 is generally used for its original film-release year.
2020 — Escape from Pretoria
Radcliffe played political prisoner Tim Jenkin in Escape from Pretoria, a prison-break thriller based on true events. Directed by Francis Annan, the film follows Jenkin and fellow prisoners as they devise an elaborate plan to escape from a South African prison during the apartheid era. The role gave Radcliffe another opportunity to portray a real person while working within a tense historical thriller.
2020 — Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend
Radcliffe appeared as Prince Frederick in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, an interactive comedy film connected to the television series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. The project reunites Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski and Carol Kane, with Radcliffe playing a romantic interest for Kimmy. Because it was produced as an interactive television special rather than a conventional theatrical feature, it is best identified as a film-length television appearance.
2022 — The Lost City
In the adventure comedy The Lost City, Radcliffe played Abigail Fairfax, a wealthy and eccentric villain who kidnaps romance novelist Loretta Sage, portrayed by Sandra Bullock. Directed by Aaron Nee and Adam Nee, the film also stars Channing Tatum and follows a classic jungle-adventure setup filled with treasure hunting, action and comedy. Radcliffe’s playful villain performance gave him another chance to demonstrate his comic range in a major studio production.
2022 — Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Radcliffe took on one of his most unexpected roles in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, playing parody musician “Weird Al” Yankovic. Directed by Eric Appel, the intentionally exaggerated biographical comedy also features Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna and explores an intentionally fictionalized version of Yankovic’s life and career. The performance earned Radcliffe significant attention for embracing musical comedy and a deliberately absurd interpretation of a real celebrity.
2023 — David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived is a documentary about David Holmes, Radcliffe’s longtime stunt double on the Harry Potter films. Directed by Dan Hartley, the documentary examines Holmes’s career, the serious accident that changed his life and his friendship with Radcliffe, who appears as himself and also served as an executive producer. It is a documentary appearance rather than a conventional acting feature, but it is relevant to Radcliffe’s screen filmography because of his central connection to the project.
2025 — Merrily We Roll Along
Merrily We Roll Along captures the acclaimed Broadway revival directed by Maria Friedman, with Radcliffe starring as Charley Kringas alongside Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez. Based on Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical, the story follows the changing friendship of a composer, a writer and a lyricist across three decades. The filmed production received a theatrical release beginning in December 2025, making it Radcliffe’s latest released film-length screen project in this chronology, while also representing a return to a musical form closely connected to his stage career.
Conclusion
Daniel Radcliffe’s movie career extends far beyond his iconic performance as Harry Potter. His early years were dominated by the eight-film fantasy franchise, but he subsequently built a deliberately varied filmography that includes horror in The Woman in Black, literary drama in Kill Your Darlings, surreal comedy in Swiss Army Man, crime drama in Imperium, survival thriller Jungle, animation in Playmobil: The Movie and mainstream adventure comedy in The Lost City. His willingness to take unconventional roles, cameos, voice performances and experimental projects has helped him establish an identity separate from his most famous character. From his first screen appearance in The Tailor of Panama to Merrily We Roll Along, Daniel Radcliffe movies by year show a performer who has consistently challenged himself across genres and formats.
