Renny Harlin (born Renny Lauri Mauritz Harjola on March 15, 1959) is a Finnish film director and producer, known for his prolific work in the action and horror genres. The peak of his success spanned from the late 1980s to the late 1990s, during which period he directed numerous hits, including A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, and Deep Blue Sea. The commercial performance of his films has waned since the mid 2000s, but Harlin remains 86th on the list of highest-grossing directors of all time (based on U.S. domestic gross revenue). He has primarily worked in the Hollywood studio system, in addition to time spent in his native Finland and a brief stint in China.

Filmography

• 2026Deep Water — Ship Radio Dispatcher (voice), Director
• 2026The Beast — Director
• 2026The Strangers — Director
• 2026The Strangers: Chapter 3 — Director
• 2025The Strangers: Chapter 2 — Director
• 2024The Strangers: Chapter 1 — Director
• 2023Refuge — Director, Producer
• 2023The Bricklayer — Director
• 2021Reunion 3: Singles Cruise — Director, Screenplay
• 2021The Misfits — Director
• 2019Bodies at Rest — Director
• 2018Legend of the Ancient Sword — Director
• 2016Skiptrace — Director
• 2014The Legend of Hercules — Officer Linus (uncredited), Director, Writer, Producer
• Graceland — Director
• 2013The Dyatlov Pass Incident — Director, Producer
• 20115 Days of War — Producer, Director
• 2011The Resident — Executive Producer
• Covert Affairs — Director
• 200912 Rounds — Director
• White Collar — Director
• Burn Notice — Director
• 2007Cleaner — Director
• 2006The Covenant — Director
• 2004Exorcist: The Beginning — Director
• 2004Mindhunters — Executive Producer, Director
• 2001Driven — Replacement Driver, Director, Producer
• 1999Blast from the Past — Producer
• 1999Deep Blue Sea — Director
• 1998Johtaja Uuno Turhapuro pisnismies — Renny Harlin
• 1996Mistrial — Executive Producer
• 1996The Long Kiss Goodnight — Director, Producer
• 1995Cutthroat Island — Producer, Director
• 1994Speechless — Producer
• 1994The Foot Shooting Party — Executive Producer
• 1993Cliffhanger — Director, Producer
• Gladiaattorit — Director
• 1991Rambling Rose — Producer
• 1990Die Hard 2 — Director
• 1990Raptori Moe!
• 1990The Adventures of Ford Fairlane — Director
• 1988A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master — Student (uncredited), Director
• 1987Prison — Director
• 1986Born American — Man's Voice from Ship's Loudspeakers (uncredited) (voice), Director, Screenplay, Stunt Double
• 1981Kohtauspaikka 33 — Self (voice), Director, Producer
• 1981The Breakthrough — Police officer (uncredited)
• 1980Custody — Writer, Director
• Black Tides — Director
• Carrier — Producer
• Inspector Palmu — Director, Writer
• Trial by Combat — Director

Appearances as themselves (9)

• 2021The Dinosaur — Self (archive footage)
• 2013Hard Time: The Making of Prison — Himself
• 2012Fear Himself: The Life and Crimes of Freddy Krueger — Self
• 2010Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy — Self
• 2003Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³' — Self
• 1995A Night to Die For — Self
• 1993Stallone on the Edge: The Making of Cliffhanger — Self
• 1991Slash & Burn: The Freddy Krueger Story — Self
• 1989The Making of 'Nightmare on Elm Street IV' — Self