1997–2000: Beginnings Felton began acting in adverts for companies such as
Commercial Union and
Barclaycard. He played witness Thomas Ingham opposite
Clive Owen in
Second Sight in 1999 and portrayed
Louis T. Leonowens in the film
Anna and the King (1999), starring opposite
Jodie Foster.
2001–2011: Harry Potter series and recognition In 1999, auditions were held for ''
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', the film adaptation of
J. K. Rowling's novel ''
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Felton had not read the books at the time of the auditions, and originally read of the roles of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley before ultimately being cast as Draco Malfoy. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' was released in 2001 to critical and commercial success. The film was praised for its casting, including Felton's; one critic called his performance "the personification of upper-class insolence." Following the film's release, Felton admitted in his memoirs that some people had difficulty making a distinction between him and his character. Initially, Felton was hurt by a fan's comment after the premiere at Odeon Leicester Square, however Nigel Anstey encouraged him to see it as a compliment for his performance by making the character disliked. He reprised his role the following year in
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), which saw Felton winning a
Disney Channel's Kids Award. Felton started his Official Tom Felton Fan Club in 2004 and took part in autograph signing events. His fan club was reported to have attracted so many fans that Felton had to put a temporary stop to people signing up. When a fan asked Felton what kids should do if someone like his character is bullying them, he said: "Tell someone. You do not want to keep it to yourself." promoting
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) Felton appeared in
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and
Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire, both released to increasing global recognition. Felton made a guest appearance on
Home Farm Twins in 2005, where he played Adam Baker in the short-lived series. On 11 November 2005, he and
Rupert Grint presented Liz Carnell with the
Daily Mirror's Pride of Britain Award for her work in bullying awareness.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was filmed in 2006 and released in 2007, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of the year. When asked whether he was looking forward to playing a good guy in the future he answered: "No. Well, I don't know. I suppose for now I'm happy with sticking to what he is. But after the Potter legacy is over I look forward to playing a good guy, or someone different anyway; someone not so spiteful." In July 2007, Felton visited
Children's Hospital in
Denver, Colorado, in a pre-screening, charitable event of
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. On 18 March 2011, Felton appeared in a comedy sketch on
Red Nose Day 2011 alongside
James Corden,
Rupert Grint,
George Michael,
Justin Bieber,
Paul McCartney,
Ringo Starr,
Keira Knightley,
Professor Robert Winston, and former
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. On 12 November 2008, Felton appeared alongside
Jack Osbourne on
Adrenaline Junkie as he participated in various challenges in South Africa, including a bungee jump on
Bloukrans Bridge, took a ride in a helicopter, followed by a parachute freefall and came face-to-face with
great white sharks. Felton portrayed Simon in the 2009 horror/thriller movie
The Disappeared.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released in July of that year as a major commercial success;
The Hollywood Reporter described Felton's role as "perennially glowering" while the plot of the film "weighs on him, causing his smug veneer to all but melt away." In 2010, Felton released his original song "Hawaii" on Six String Productions – an independent record label run by Felton, David Proffitt and Philip Haydn-Slater promoting creative independence and ownership of material. Felton portrayed the main character, Ray Marsden, in
White Other (2010). was released. His character is a troubled youth in the "ends" of England and stars alongside
Harry Potter co-star
Imelda Staunton. Felton had a cameo role in
Get Him to the Greek (2010) in June. He portrayed the character Dodge Landon in the 2011
science-fiction film
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Felton reprised his role as Malfoy for the final time in
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. His performances in
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 won him two consecutive
MTV Movie Awards for Best Villain in 2010 and 2011.
Screen Rant stated that Felton "brought the complex, layered" character to the films, calling Malfoy the series' "true cult hero". While filming the Harry Potter series, Felton and fellow actress
Emma Watson (who played
Hermione Granger in the films) both confessed to having crushes on each other during filming, albeit at different times. In the foreword to Felton's memoir,
Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard, Watson called herself and Felton "soulmates".
2012–2021: Post-Harry Potter projects '' at the
2013 Toronto Film Festival Felton posted three music videos on YouTube under the account "Feltbeats", in which he performs fragments of original songs. Nine songs have been re-recorded and are now available on
iTunes: "Time Well Spent", "Time Isn't Healing", "One of These Days", "Under Stars", "Right Place, Right Time", "In My Arms", "All I Need", and "I Will Be There" join the instrumental "Silhouettes in Sunsets". He also recorded an album titled
In Good Hands. It includes the six songs "If You Could Be Anywhere", "We Belong", "When Angels Come", "Convinced", "Father of Mine", and "If That's Alright with You". In 2012, Felton appeared in the
supernatural horror film
The Apparition alongside an
ensemble cast and
indie drama
From the Rough opposite
Taraji P. Henson. Felton portrayed James Ashford, an arrogant member of nobility, in
Belle (2013), which was released at the
Toronto International Film Festival to critical praise. He starred opposite
Elizabeth Olsen as
Camille Raquin in
Thérèse (2013). The film received mixed reviews;
Roger Ebert referred to his performance as "suitably foppish and dopey" for the role. Felton starred in
Labyrinth as
Viscount Trencavel, which aired on
Channel 4 in March 2013. Felton portrayed a
US Navy airman in survival drama
Against the Sun (2014), which faced mixed reception. In 2015, Felton recurred in
Murder in the First on
TNT as Erich Blunt:, as a Silicon Valley worker and murder suspect. Felton held supporting roles in films
Risen (2016), a box office success, as well as
Message from the King and
A United Kingdom, both of which premiered at the
2016 Toronto International Film Festival. He also lent his voice to the English version of
Sheep and Wolves (2016), a fantasy-comedy film. From 2016 to 2017, He appeared as
Doctor Alchemy in the third season of
The CW's
The Flash. Felton's character was a CSI lab partner to the titular character and love interest of
Killer Frost. Felton portrayed a dog handler for the
US Army in
Gabriela Cowperthwaite's
Megan Leavey (2017), a biographical indie drama based on the life of
Corporal Megan Leavey. That year, Felton also appeared in drama film
Feed and action-thriller
Stratton. On 26 April 2018, it was announced that Felton was cast in the
science fiction series
Origin. He stars in the role of Logan Maine opposite actress
Natalia Tena. It premiered on
YouTube Premium in November 2018. The series opened to mixed reviews;
The Hollywood Reporter stated that Felton portrayed "explosive whiner ... unrecognizable from his days as bad boi fa lyfe Malfoy." Felton portrayed
Laertes in
Ophelia,
Claire McCarthy's film adaptation of
Hamlet centering around the character of Laertes. The film premiered at the
2018 Sundance Film Festival; one critic remarked his performance as "lithe" and "done nicely". Felton appeared in the comedy-drama
Braking for Whales in 2019 and the
Netflix family-horror ''
A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting in 2020. He played a British soldier in the Dutch World War II film The Forgotten Battle'', which had a red carpet premiere in 2020 followed by a Netflix release in 2021. In June 2020, he was planned to star in war thriller
Burial, which is set in the last days of
World War II. In October, it was announced that Felton will star in
Canyon Del Muerto, a biopic about archaeologist
Ann Axtell Morris. He portrays her husband,
Earl H. Morris, a US archaeologist known for his contributions to archaeology in the
Southwest US. Two months later, Felton was confirmed in
Lead Heads alongside
Rupert Everett,
Derek Jacobi,
Luke Newberry and
Mark Williams. The film is described as a "drama about greed and the repercussions it has on the soul." In January 2021, Felton was confirmed for the lead role in
Sara Sugarman's
Save The Cinema which began filming in the month in
Wales. He joined
Jonathan Pryce and
Samantha Morton. The movie tells the true story of Liz Evans, a hairdresser and leader of a youth theatre in
Carmarthen, Wales, who began a campaign in 1993 to save the Lyric theatre from closure.
2022–present: West End theatre debut and Beyond the Wand In early 2022, Felton starred in the
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts retrospective television special as himself, alongside his
Harry Potter co-stars including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. In May 2022, Felton made his
West End theatre debut in London, in the play
2:22 A Ghost Story. In October 2022, Felton published a memoir,
Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard, which covers his acting career within the
Harry Potter franchise. The book debuted at number one on
The New York Times Best Seller list and number one on the
Publishers Weekly Bestseller List selling 33,703 units. Felton appeared in the 2023 thriller
Some Other Woman. He starred as Leon in the sci-fi/action film
Altered (2024) alongside
Igor Jijikine,
Richard Brake, and more. Felton played
Josiah Oldfield in the Indian television series
Gandhi, directed by
Hansal Mehta. In June 2025, it was announced that Felton would reprise his role as Draco Malfoy from the
Harry Potter films, doing so in the Broadway run of the stage play
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in autumn 2025. Shortly after the news broke, Felton was a presenter at the
78th Tony Awards, held in 2025. His first appearance on the opening night of
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in November 2025 earned him a standing ovation mid-show. ==Personal life==