Joshua Daniel Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor. He began his career on ABC's drama series Cracker (1997–1998), after which he became known as a teen idol through starring parts in films such as Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, The Faculty (both 1998), The Virgin Suicides (1999), Pearl Harbor, O, Black Hawk Down (all 2001), and 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002).
Hartnett continued to work steadily throughout the 2000s, with a mix of leading and supporting roles in Hollywood Homicide (2003), Wicker Park (2004), Sin City (2005), The Black Dahlia, Lucky Number Slevin (both 2006), 30 Days of Night (2007), August (2008), and I Come with the Rain (2009). He experienced a career resurgence with his roles as Ernest Lawrence in Oppenheimer (2023), a serial killer in Trap (2024), and a family husband in Verity (2026).
On television, Hartnett portrayed Ethan Chandler on the Showtime fantasy series Penny Dreadful (2014–2016). He also appeared in an episode of Black Mirror (2023) and guest-starred in The Bear (2024–2026).
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Early life and education
Joshua Daniel Hartnett was born on July 21, 1978, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the eldest child of Daniel Thomas Hartnett and Wendy Anne (née Kronstedt). He was raised by his father, a building manager and former guitarist for Al Green, and his stepmother, Molly, an artist. He has three younger siblings. Hartnett was raised Catholic, attending Nativity of Our Lord Catholic School. At Minneapolis South High School, he played football, but a knee injury forced him off the team when he was 16. He tried youth theater, acting in productions of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Guys and Dolls, and attracted attention from a talent scout. Originally interested in becoming a painter, he decided to pursue film acting while working in a video rental shop, where he became acquainted with films such as Trainspotting, 12 Monkeys, and The Usual Suspects.
After graduating from high school in 1996, Hartnett moved to Purchase, New York to attend the Conservatory of Theatre Arts & Film at the State University of New York at Purchase. He was expelled after writing a letter to the dean arguing that the college's evaluation system stifled students' creativity. At 19, he moved to Los Angeles at the recommendation of his manager, Nancy Kremer, who had previously helped him book television commercials.
Career
Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles, he caught an improbable break, landing a part in the short-lived ABC drama Cracker. His first feature film was Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, in which he played the son of character Laurie Strode. Released on August 5, 1998, it performed well at the box office.
Hartnett developed a successful film career, appearing in The Faculty (1998), The Virgin Suicides (1999), and Black Hawk Down (2001). In 2001, he starred in the war drama Pearl Harbor. He was originally scheduled to play Tino in Deuces Wild but dropped out of the film. He also starred in O, an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello set in an American high school, playing Hugo, the film's version of Iago. In 2002, he starred in the romantic comedy 40 Days and 40 Nights.
In the early 2000s, Hartnett was approached several times to play the role of Clark Kent / Superman for a project originally helmed by Brett Ratner but always turned it down, not wanting to commit to a predicted ten-year role. Hartnett said, "It just wasn't the kind of movie I wanted to do. I turned down other superhero roles as well." For Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises, Hartnett declined the role of Bruce Wayne, which went to Christian Bale.
Hartnett was chosen as one of Teen People's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21" in 1999, Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars under 25", and one of People's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2002. He was also voted Bliss magazine's "3rd Sexiest Male". During this period, he was marketed as a teen idol and a potential megastar; his unease with this public image led to his disillusionment with pursuing roles in high‑profile films.
Hartnett's next films included Hollywood Homicide (2003), Wicker Park (2004), Mozart and the Whale (2005), Sin City (2005), and Lucky Number Slevin (2006). He followed these roles with the 2006 drama-mystery The Black Dahlia, in which he played a detective investigating the real-life murder of waitress Elizabeth Short. Hartnett had been cast five years earlier and remained committed to the film because he liked the subject matter.
His 2007 roles included Resurrecting the Champ and the graphic novel-based 30 Days of Night, in which he played a small-town sheriff. Hartnett described the second film as "supernatural, but kind of a western". He was going to play trumpet player Chet Baker in The Prince of Cool but left the project after disagreeing with the producer's ideas.
Personal life
Hartnett began a relationship with English actress Tamsin Egerton in 2012. They have four children. The couple married in November 2021. They live in Hampshire, England.
Speaking about fame, Hartnett said: "I know what it's like to be in that whole world. I was up there for a couple of years, and it was uncomfortable. I think trying to stay at the top is a shortcut to unhappiness." He took a 15-month break from acting, saying: "I spent a bit of time really thinking about whether this was the right thing for me."
In September 2025, Hartnett was hospitalized after a car crash in Canada. The vehicle he was in collided with a police patrol car in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Activism
Hartnett has been involved in various causes. In 2007, he took time out from filming to support the Global Cool's green lifestyle campaign.
In 2011, Hartnett became one of several celebrities attached to USAID and the Ad Council's FWD campaign, an awareness initiative tied to that year's East Africa drought. He joined Uma Thurman, Chanel Iman, and Geena Davis in TV and Internet ads to "forward the facts" about the crisis.
In 2012, Hartnett joined Barack Obama's campaign in Minnesota, appearing at events such as the Minnesota Greater Together Youth Summit before formally endorsing the President on the campaign's official YouTube channel. He and Minneapolis mayor R. T. Rybak also appeared at the University of Minnesota's McNamara Alumni Center for an Obama question and answer session in April.
