Tom Harper

Tom Harper is a British film and television director active since 1998, known for Peaky Blinders, the BBC's War & Peace, Wild Rose and The Aeronauts.

Tom Harper is a British film and television director known for his work across acclaimed dramas and feature films. Active since 1998, he directed early episodes of the hit series Peaky Blinders and the epic BBC adaptation of War & Peace, as well as feature films including Wild Rose and The Aeronauts. Admired for his versatility across period drama, thriller and character-driven storytelling, he is one of the more prolific British directors of his generation. This page covers the Tom Harper biography, his career, notable works and background.

Tom Harper is English and grew up in a Quaker family, an upbringing he has credited with shaping his attitudes, including towards pacifism — a sensibility reflected in some of his work. He has generally kept his personal life private, letting his directing career speak for itself.

He attended Acland Burghley School and studied at the University of Manchester. He began working in film and television in the late 1990s, and his early short film Cubs earned him a BAFTA nomination and a British Independent Film Award, marking him as a promising new talent.

The Tom Harper career began with short films and television, including episodes of the acclaimed E4 series Misfits (2009–2010). His early features include The Scouting Book for Boys (2009), The Borrowers (2011) and The Woman in Black: Angel of Death (2015).

He directed episodes of Peaky Blinders (2013) and helmed the BBC's lavish six-part adaptation of War & Peace (2016), which was nominated for six BAFTAs and won for Best Production Design — cementing his reputation for large-scale, prestige drama.

His feature Wild Rose (2018) was widely praised, and The Aeronauts (2019), a period adventure, became one of Amazon Prime's most-watched films. He has continued directing high-profile projects including Heart of Stone (2023) and the series A Gentleman in Moscow (2024), and is attached to the Peaky Blinders continuation film The Immortal Man.

Details about the Tom Harper personal life are kept largely private. He grew up in a Quaker family and has spoken about how that background influenced his outlook. He is a frequent creative collaborator of writer Jack Thorne, with whom he has worked on several projects, including The Aeronauts.

The Tom Harper net worth is reported by third-party outlets in the range of a few million US dollars, drawn from a directing career spanning television dramas, feature films and streaming productions — figures that are public estimates rather than confirmed numbers. His steady run of high-profile projects has kept him among the busier British directors working today.