DIRECTOR · BORN 1963
David Yates
- Born
- 8 October 1963
12 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
All facts (12)
- #001
His favourite Harry Potter film is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), which he did not direct.
- #002
His favourite directors are David Lean, Ken Loach and Martin Scorsese.
- #003
He is one of the four directors who have directed Harry Potter films, alongside Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron and Mike Newell.
- #004
He trained as a director at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield.
- #005
He is the uncle of the England international footballer Theo Walcott.
- #006
Jaws (1975) was the film that inspired him to become a filmmaker.
- #007
With four films in total, Yates holds the record for directing the most Harry Potter films.
- #008
He worked as a facilitator at the cre8 studios at Regent Circus in Swindon.
- #009
He frequently works with the composer Nicholas Hooper.
- #010
In November 2011, he announced that he had held talks with Jane Tranter, head of the Los Angeles-based BBC Worldwide Productions, about bringing the cult series "Doctor Who" to cinemas.
- #011
He was one of several filmmakers considered to direct Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014); Michael Bay had initially backed out of returning to the director's chair.
- #012
He is one of the two Harry Potter directors to have directed more than one film in the series; the other is Chris Columbus.
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