Jonah Hauer-King has built an interesting film career by moving between independent dramas, historical stories, family movies, romantic projects, and large studio productions. While many viewers first discovered him through The Little Mermaid, his filmography began several years earlier with smaller but varied roles.
Born in London in 1995, Hauer-King began acting while he was still at school and later studied Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Cambridge. His first feature film was The Last Photograph, and he followed it with projects such as Ashes in the Snow, Old Boys, Postcards from London, A Dog’s Way Home, and The Song of Names.
The actor reached a much wider international audience when he was cast as Prince Eric in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Since then, he has continued working across different genres, including drama, comedy, romance, historical stories, and thrillers. His film credits also include William Tell, A Beautiful Imperfection, Rich Flu, The Threesome, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and A House of Dynamite.
This guide looks at Jonah Hauer-King movies, the characters he has played, and how his film work has developed over the years.
Jonah Hauer-King’s Movie Career
Hauer-King’s feature-film career started with The Last Photograph in 2017, where he played Luke Hammond. The movie was directed by Danny Huston and premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. At the time, Hauer-King was still establishing himself as a young actor while balancing his studies at Cambridge with acting work.
His early filmography quickly became varied. In 2018, he appeared in three different movies: Postcards from London, Old Boys, and Ashes in the Snow. These films gave him opportunities to play very different types of characters.
He then moved into larger productions. In 2019, he appeared as Lucas in A Dog’s Way Home and as Dovidl in The Song of Names. A few years later came The Little Mermaid, which became a major milestone in his career.
The range of these projects is one of the more interesting aspects of Jonah Hauer-King’s film work. Instead of remaining associated with one particular genre, he has continued taking on different kinds of characters.
The Little Mermaid
For many international viewers, The Little Mermaid is the film that introduced Jonah Hauer-King to a much larger audience.
Released in 2023, Disney’s live-action adaptation stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, with Hauer-King playing Prince Eric. The character is one of the central human figures in the story and becomes closely connected with Ariel after their first meeting.
Eric is not simply a traditional romantic character. In this version of the story, he has his own interests, curiosity, and desire to explore the world beyond the kingdom. This gave Hauer-King room to create a character who has a personal story rather than existing only as Ariel’s love interest.
The role also required Hauer-King to perform musically. He performs “Wild Uncharted Waters,” a new song written for the live-action film, and also appears in the film’s musical sequences. His involvement in the soundtrack added another dimension to the role.
The Little Mermaid represented a major change in scale for Hauer-King. His earlier film work had largely involved independent or mid-sized productions, while this project placed him in a major Disney production with a worldwide audience.
A Dog’s Way Home
Before playing Prince Eric, Hauer-King took the lead role of Lucas in A Dog’s Way Home.
Released in 2019, the movie follows Bella, a dog who becomes separated from Lucas and begins an extraordinary journey home. Lucas is deeply attached to Bella, and their relationship provides much of the emotional foundation of the film.
The role allowed Hauer-King to work in a family-oriented adventure that was very different from the historical dramas and independent films he had previously appeared in.
Lucas is caring and protective, but the character also has to deal with difficult circumstances surrounding Bella. Hauer-King’s performance therefore depends heavily on the relationship between Lucas and the dog rather than on action or elaborate dialogue.
A Dog’s Way Home also marked an important stage in his growing film career. IMDb identifies it as one of his major early feature roles, following his first appearances in The Last Photograph, Ashes in the Snow, Old Boys, and Postcards from London.
The Song of Names
Another notable project in Jonah Hauer-King movies is The Song of Names.
The 2019 drama, directed by François Girard, follows the complicated relationship between Martin and Dovidl, a talented young violinist. Hauer-King plays Dovidl during the younger period of the character’s life.
The movie combines personal drama with historical elements and focuses on memory, loss, music, and unanswered questions. It is considerably more serious in tone than The Little Mermaid or A Dog’s Way Home.
Hauer-King’s role as Dovidl is particularly interesting because the character’s story develops across different stages of life. The film also gave him the opportunity to work alongside established performers including Tim Roth and Clive Owen.
The role showed that Hauer-King could handle emotionally complicated material before moving into larger mainstream productions.
Ashes in the Snow
Ashes in the Snow was another important early movie for Hauer-King.
Based on Ruta Sepetys’ novel Between Shades of Gray, the film is set during the Second World War and follows young people caught up in the Soviet deportations from Lithuania.
Hauer-King plays Andrius Aras, a young Lithuanian man whose life changes dramatically because of the political circumstances surrounding him. He stars alongside Bel Powley, who plays Lina.
The film required a very different approach from his later role as Prince Eric. Rather than playing a confident royal figure in a fantasy adventure, Hauer-King portrays someone facing fear, uncertainty, and extreme historical circumstances.
Ashes in the Snow is therefore an important part of understanding the earlier stages of his career. It demonstrates his involvement in serious, character-driven stories before he became widely recognized for mainstream productions.
Old Boys
Old Boys was released in 2018 and offered Hauer-King a lighter type of role.
The film is a British comedy set around a boarding school. Hauer-King plays Winchester, one of the young characters at the center of the story.
The tone of Old Boys is noticeably different from Ashes in the Snow. Instead of focusing on historical trauma or dramatic events, the movie uses comedy, romance, and school-life situations.
Working across these contrasting genres helped Hauer-King develop a broader screen profile. Old Boys also placed him alongside Alex Lawther, another young British actor who had already gained attention for several screen roles.
For viewers exploring Jonah Hauer-King movies beyond his most famous projects, Old Boys is one of the earlier films worth knowing.
Postcards from London
Postcards from London is another distinctive entry in his filmography.
Hauer-King plays David, a young man who moves to London and becomes involved with a group of male escorts who are also connected to the art world.
The movie has a strong visual identity and focuses on London, art, identity, relationships, and self-discovery. It gave Hauer-King a character quite different from the historical and family roles he had taken on elsewhere.
The project also demonstrated another side of his creative work. Hauer-King contributed to the film’s soundtrack, including writing for the song “Lover (Muse).”
This combination of acting and music makes Postcards from London an interesting part of his early career.
The Last Photograph
The Last Photograph holds a special place in Hauer-King’s filmography because it was his first feature film.
He played Luke Hammond in the Danny Huston-directed drama. The film received its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
For an actor’s career, a first feature can provide an important foundation, even when it does not become their best-known project. In Hauer-King’s case, The Last Photograph was followed relatively quickly by several other films and television roles.
Looking back at the film also provides useful context for understanding how his career developed. He did not begin with a major franchise. Instead, he worked through smaller productions before eventually reaching a worldwide audience with The Little Mermaid.
This Is the Night
In 2021, Hauer-King appeared in This Is the Night as Christian Dedea.
The film is set in Staten Island during the 1980s and follows a family and community experiencing an important night connected to the premiere of Rocky III.
Christian is part of the film’s ensemble, and the role gave Hauer-King another opportunity to work in a contemporary story rather than a period drama or fantasy production.
This Is the Night is less prominent internationally than The Little Mermaid, but it remains part of the progression of his movie career. His filmography shows a pattern of moving between larger productions and smaller character-driven projects rather than following a single path.
More Recent Movies
After The Little Mermaid, Hauer-King continued appearing in a variety of films.
In William Tell, he plays Rudenz. The film is based on the legendary Swiss folk hero and features an ensemble cast. It gave Hauer-King another opportunity to work in a historical setting.
He also appeared as Giacomo Casanova in A Beautiful Imperfection, a period drama centered on the life of the famous Venetian figure and his relationship with Lucia.
Another project, Rich Flu, features Hauer-King as Sebastian Snail Jr. The movie takes a more contemporary and speculative approach, expanding the range of genres represented in his filmography.
His later credits also include The Threesome, where he plays Connor Blake, I Know What You Did Last Summer as Milo Griffin, and A House of Dynamite as Lieutenant Commander Robert Reeves. These credits show that his career has continued beyond the role of Prince Eric.
Movies in Order
Here is a quick overview of Hauer-King’s major feature-film credits:
| Year | Movie | Role |
| 2017 | The Last Photograph | Luke Hammond |
| 2018 | Postcards from London | David |
| 2018 | Old Boys | Winchester |
| 2018 | Ashes in the Snow | Andrius Aras |
| 2019 | A Dog’s Way Home | Lucas |
| 2019 | The Song of Names | Dovidl |
| 2021 | This Is the Night | Christian Dedea |
| 2023 | The Little Mermaid | Prince Eric |
| 2024 | William Tell | Rudenz |
| 2024 | A Beautiful Imperfection | Giacomo Casanova |
| 2024 | Rich Flu | Sebastian Snail Jr. |
| 2025 | The Threesome | Connor Blake |
| 2025 | I Know What You Did Last Summer | Milo Griffin |
| 2025 | A House of Dynamite | Lieutenant Commander Robert Reeves |
Filmography sources list these projects and roles, although release-year listings can differ between databases for films that had festival premieres or different national release dates.
Different Types of Roles
One of the clearest features of Jonah Hauer-King’s career is the variety of characters he has played.
As Luke Hammond in The Last Photograph, he was part of an early dramatic feature. As Andrius in Ashes in the Snow, he entered a serious historical story. Old Boys allowed him to work in comedy, while A Dog’s Way Home brought him into a family adventure.
The Song of Names added another serious dramatic performance, while The Little Mermaid placed him in a large-scale fantasy musical.
This variety makes it difficult to describe his movie career using only one genre. His roles have included romantic characters, historical figures, young adults dealing with difficult circumstances, and characters in family-oriented adventures.
From Independent Films to Disney
The transition from independent productions to The Little Mermaid is an important part of Hauer-King’s career story.
His early film work gave him experience in projects with relatively different styles and audiences. He also continued working in television and theatre during this period. IMDb notes that he balanced acting with his university studies and had already worked on stage and screen before graduating from Cambridge.
By the time he appeared in The Little Mermaid, he had already accumulated years of acting experience.
The Disney film did not represent the beginning of his career, but it significantly increased his international visibility. His performance as Eric also required him to combine acting with singing, something that was not as central to many of his previous film roles.
His Approach to Serious Roles
Hauer-King has also taken on stories that require considerable historical preparation.
Although The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a television series rather than a movie, his preparation for the role provides useful insight into how he approaches demanding material. For the role of young Lali Sokolov, he visited Auschwitz, studied survivor accounts, researched Lali’s testimony, and spoke with author Heather Morris. He also underwent a significant physical transformation for the role.
That preparation is relevant when looking at his earlier film roles in historical dramas such as Ashes in the Snow and The Song of Names. His filmography contains several projects where the historical or emotional context is central to the character.
What Makes His Filmography Interesting?
Jonah Hauer-King movies cover a surprisingly broad period and range of genres for an actor who began his feature career in 2017.
His early credits show an interest in smaller stories and independent productions. Over time, he moved into bigger projects without completely leaving behind character-focused work.
The Little Mermaid remains his most recognizable movie role for many audiences, but it is only one part of his filmography. A viewer exploring his earlier work can find historical dramas, comedies, family adventures, music-focused films, and contemporary stories.
His film career also demonstrates how an actor can gradually build experience before taking on a globally recognizable franchise character.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Jonah Hauer-King’s first movie?
Jonah Hauer-King’s first feature film was The Last Photograph, released in 2017. He played Luke Hammond in the Danny Huston-directed drama.
What is Jonah Hauer-King best known for in movies?
He is widely recognized for playing Prince Eric in Disney’s 2023 live-action The Little Mermaid. His other notable movie roles include Lucas in A Dog’s Way Home and Dovidl in The Song of Names.
Who does Jonah Hauer-King play in A Dog’s Way Home?
He plays Lucas, a young man whose close relationship with his dog Bella is central to the story.
Who does Jonah Hauer-King play in The Song of Names?
Hauer-King plays the younger version of Dovidl, a talented violinist whose disappearance and later story form an important part of the film’s narrative.
Has Jonah Hauer-King appeared in movies besides The Little Mermaid?
Yes. His filmography includes The Last Photograph, Postcards from London, Old Boys, Ashes in the Snow, A Dog’s Way Home, The Song of Names, This Is the Night, William Tell, A Beautiful Imperfection, Rich Flu, The Threesome, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and A House of Dynamite.
Conclusion
Jonah Hauer-King’s movie career has developed through a mixture of independent films, historical dramas, family adventures, comedies, and major studio productions. His first feature, The Last Photograph, introduced him to cinema audiences, while projects such as Ashes in the Snow, Old Boys, Postcards from London, A Dog’s Way Home, and The Song of Names helped establish his range.
The Little Mermaid brought him to a much larger international audience through the role of Prince Eric, but his filmography extends well beyond that character.
Looking across Jonah Hauer-King movies also reveals a steady progression rather than an overnight transformation. His early projects gave him experience across different genres, and his later roles have continued to expand that range. With both large-scale productions and smaller character-driven films in his career, his filmography offers plenty for viewers to explore beyond his most recognizable role.
