# David Heyman

David Jonathan Heyman (born 26 July 1961) is a British film producer and the founder of Heyday Films. Heyman is best known as the producer of all eight installments of the Harry Potter film series, which are based on a series of popular fantasy novels of the same name by author J. K. Rowling. He then produced all three installments of its spin-off prequel series, Fantastic Beasts. His work makes him the second-most commercially successful producer of all time.

## Early life

Heyman was born in London. He is the son of John Heyman, producer of the films The Go-Between and Jesus, and Norma Heyman (née Pownall), an actress, and Oscar-nominated producer of the films Dangerous Liaisons and Mrs Henderson Presents. His paternal grandparents were German Jews who left Nazi Germany and emigrated to England prior to World War II, while his mother's family was English. At age seven, he was a page boy in the wedding of his godmother, Diana Dors, to actor Alan Lake. Heyman went to Westminster School and, following graduation, he decided to study abroad. He studied art history at Harvard University, where he was an All-American sabreman for the fencing team.

## Career

Heyman started in the film industry as a production assistant on David Lean's A Passage to India, and in 1986, Heyman became a creative executive at Warner Bros., and he was assistant to Mark Canton. In 1987, he became vice president of United Artists, which joined a series of changes as original production VPs had quit, and subsequently embarked on an independent producing career with his first film, Juice, in 1992, followed by the cult "stoner" film The Stoned Age (1994) and others.
In 1997 Heyman returned to London and founded his own production company, Heyday Films. He has since produced a number of films including the Harry Potter film adaptations. Other notable productions during this time include the 2007 blockbuster I Am Legend and the 2008 films The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Is Anybody There?, and Yes Man.
After finishing work on the Harry Potter films, Heyman reunited with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban director Alfonso Cuarón to produce the 2013 science fiction thriller Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The film grossed more than $700 million worldwide and was nominated for ten Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning seven including Best Director for Cuarón. He also produced the 2013 comedy We're the Millers and the 2014 family film Paddington, for which he was nominated for the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film.
Heyman produced the Warner Bros. film adaptation of J. K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which was released in November 2016, as well as its 2018 sequel.
In 2020, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with Quentin Tarantino, and both of them were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. In addition, Heyman was also nominated for the same award for Marriage Story with Noah Baumbach.
In 2023, he produced Barbie, which became the highest-grossing Warner Bros. film, surpassing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which he also produced. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture for Barbie.

## Personal life

Heyman currently lives in Pimlico, London, and is married to interior designer Rose Uniacke (née Batstone). They have one son, Harper Heyman. He is stepfather to four children from her previous marriage.

## Filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

### Film

| Year | Film | Credit |
| 1992 | Juice | |
| 1994 | The Stoned Age | |
| 1996 | The Daytrippers | Executive producer |
| 1999 | Ravenous | |
| 2001 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | |
| 2002 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | |
| 2004 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | |
| 2005 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | |
| 2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | |
| 2007 | I Am Legend | |
| 2008 | The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas | |
| 2008 | Is Anybody There? | |
| 2008 | Yes Man | |
| 2009 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | |
| 2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | |
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | |
| 2013 | We're the Millers | Executive producer |
| 2013 | Gravity | |
| 2014 | Testament of Youth | |
| 2014 | Paddington | |
| 2016 | The Light Between Oceans | |
| 2016 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | |
| 2017 | Paddington 2 | |
| 2018 | Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald | |
| 2019 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | |
| 2019 | Marriage Story | |
| 2020 | The Secret Garden | |
| 2022 | Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore | |
| 2022 | White Noise | |
| 2023 | Barbie | |
| 2023 | Wonka | |
| 2025 | The Rivals of Amziah King | |
| 2025 | Jay Kelly | |
| TBA | Klara and the Sun | |

#### As an actor

| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1970 | Bloomfield | Eldad | |
| 1998 | Cookin' | Pinot NOir | Short film |
| 1999 | Ravenous | Mr. Janus | |
| 2000 | Whipped | Suit | |
| 2006 | Heartless | Ted | Short film |
| 2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Healer in Portrait | Uncredited |
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | Dining Wizard in Painting | Uncredited |

#### Thanks

| Year | Film | Role |
| 2004 | My Summer of Love | Special thanks |

### Television

| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
| 1994 | Blind Justice | | Television film |
| 2005 | Threshold | Executive producer | |
| 2010 | Awkward Situations for Men | Executive producer | Television film |
| 2011 | Page Eight | | Television film |
| 2013 | The Thirteenth Tale | | Television film |
| 2014 | Turks & Caicos | Executive producer | Television film |
| 2014 | Salting the Battlefield | Executive producer | Television film |
| 2018 | The Long Song | Executive producer | |
| 2019 | The InBetween | Executive producer | |
| 2019 | The Capture | Executive producer | |
| 2020 | The Adventures of Paddington | Executive producer | |
| 2021 | Clickbait | Executive producer | |
| 2024 | Apples Never Fall | Executive producer | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result |
| 2013 | Academy Award | Best Picture | Gravity | Nominated |
| 2019 | Academy Award | Best Picture | Marriage Story | Nominated |
| 2019 | Academy Award | Best Picture | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2023 | Academy Award | Best Picture | Barbie | Nominated |
| 2001 | BAFTA Awards | Outstanding British Film | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Nominated |
| 2004 | BAFTA Awards | Outstanding British Film | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Nominated |
| 2010 | BAFTA Awards | Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award | Harry Potter | Won |
| 2013 | BAFTA Awards | Best Film | Gravity | Nominated |
| 2013 | BAFTA Awards | Outstanding British Film | Gravity | Won |
| 2014 | BAFTA Awards | Outstanding British Film | Paddington | Nominated |
| 2016 | BAFTA Awards | Outstanding British Film | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Nominated |
| 2019 | BAFTA Awards | Best Film | Marriage Story | Nominated |
| 2019 | BAFTA Awards | Best Film | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2001 | BAFTA Children's Award | Feature Film | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Nominated |
| 2002 | BAFTA Children's Award | Feature Film | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Nominated |
| 2004 | BAFTA Children's Award | Feature Film | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Won |
| 2006 | BAFTA Children's Award | Feature Film | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | Nominated |
| 2007 | BAFTA Children's Award | Feature Film | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Nominated |
| 2011 | BAFTA Children's Award | Feature Film | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | Nominated |
| 2011 | BAFTA Children's Award | Feature Film | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | Won |
| 2014 | BAFTA Children's Award | Feature Film | Paddington | Won |
| 2011 | BAFTA Television Award | Best Single Drama | Page Eight | Nominated |
| 2022 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) | Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts | Nominated |
| 2001 | Producers Guild of America Award | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Nominated |
| 2013 | Producers Guild of America Award | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Gravity | Won |
| 2015 | Producers Guild of America Award | Lifetime Achievement Award | Lifetime Achievement Award | Received |
| 2019 | Producers Guild of America Award | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Marriage Story | Nominated |
| 2019 | Producers Guild of America Award | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2023 | Producers Guild of America Award | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Barbie | Nominated |
| 2011 | Art Directors Guild Award | Outstanding Contribution to Cinematic Imagery Award | Harry Potter series | Won |
| 2019 | Critics' Choice Movie Award | Best Picture | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Won |
| 2019 | Critics' Choice Movie Award | Best Picture | Marriage Story | Nominated |
| 2014 | Empire Award | Best British Film | Paddington | Nominated |
| 2014 | Empire Award | Best Comedy | Paddington | Won |