James Alan Hetfield is an American musician and songwriter best known for being the co-founder, lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist and main songwriter for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionally performs lead guitar duties and solos, both live and in the studio. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering an advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler. Metallica has won nine Grammy Awards and released ten studio albums, three live albums, four extended plays and 24 singles. In 2009, Hetfield was ranked at no. 8 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists and no. 24 by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time. In Guitar World's poll, Hetfield was placed as the 19th greatest guitarist of all time, as well as being placed second (along with Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett) in The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists poll of the same magazine. Rolling Stone placed Hetfield as the 87th greatest guitarist of all time. This page is based on a Wikipedia article written by contributors. Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
185 movies · 21 shows
Di'Anno: Iron Maiden's Lost Singer
2025·7.0
Ozzy: No Escape from Now
2025·8.4
Back to the Beginning: Ozzy's Final Bow
2025·0.0
Metallica: Studio Shit + U.K. Shenanigans
2025·0.0
Metallica: Polar Beach Party
2025·0.0
Metallica: Poor Swedish Me '96
2025·0.0
Metallica: On the Air (Music Videos + TV Appearances)
2025·0.0
Metallica Saved My Life
2025·0.0
Metallica: Helping Hands Concert & Auction
2024·5.5
The Thicket
2024·6.4
Metallica: M72 World Tour Live from Texas - Night 2
2023·9.0
Metallica: M72 World Tour Live from Texas - Night 1
2023·8.5
Metallica: M72 World Tour Live in Amsterdam - Night 2
2023·0.0
Metallica: 72 Seasons - Global Premiere
2023·7.3
Metallica Presents: The Helping Hands Concert
2022·4.8
Metallica - Global Citizen Festival 2022
2022·8.0
Metallica at Lollapalooza 2022
2022·0.0
Metallica Live Hellfest 2022
2022·0.0
Metallica Download Festival Germany
2022·0.0
Metallica: Campo Argentino de Polo
2022·0.0
Ennio
2022·8.3
Metallica: 40th Anniversary - Live at Chase Center (Night 2)
2021·7.0
Metallica: 40th Anniversary - Live at Chase Center (Night 1)
2021·8.0
Metallica: Wherever We May Roam
2021·6.0
Metallica - The Black Album - Music Videos + Halfin’s Home Movies
2021·6.0
Metallica - Live At Festivalpark, Werchter, Belgium - July 4th, 1993
2021·6.0
Metallica - Live At Frankenhalle, Nuremberg, Germany - November 29th, 1992
2021·6.0
Metallica - Live at Gentofte Stadion, Copenhagen, Denmark - August 10th, 1991
2021·0.0
Metallica - Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica Outtakes
2021·8.0
Metallica - Live at Gentofte Stadion, Copenhagen, Denmark August 10, 1991 + Bonus Shit
2021·8.0
Metallica: Live in Lincoln, Nebraska - September 6, 2018
2021·0.0
MoPOP Founders Award 2020 Honoring Alice in Chains
2020·9.0
Metallica Helping Hands Concert & Auction: Live & Acoustic From HQ
2020·0.0
Metallica - The All Within My Hands Helping Hands Concert & Auction
2020·8.3
Phil Lynott: Songs for While I'm Away
2020·7.3
Flying V
2020·7.5
Metallica: Live in Mexico City, Mexico - March 3, 2017
2020·0.0
Metallica: Live at Yankee Stadium - Bronx, New York - September 14, 2011
2020·0.0
Metallica: Live in Munich, Germany - June 13, 2004
2020·0.0
Metallica: Live in Dallas, Texas - August 3, 2000
2020·0.0
Metallica: Live in Berlin, Germany - June 6, 2006
2020·0.0
Metallica: Live in Lisbon, Portugal - June 28, 2007
2020·0.0
Metallica: Live in Bogotá, Colombia - May 2, 1999
2020·0.0
Metallica: Live in Madrid, Spain - May 31, 2008
2020·0.0
Metallica: Live in Melbourne, Australia - March 1, 2013
2020·7.0
Metallica: WorldWired Tour - Live in Manchester, England - June 18, 2019
2020·10.0
Metallica: Live in Salt Lake City, Utah - January 2, 1997
2020·0.0
Metallica: Live in Lima, Peru - March 20, 2014
2020·0.0
Metallica: Live in Chicago, Illinois - August 12, 1983
2020·10.0
Metallica: Live in Nickelsdorf, Austria - June 10, 2012
2020·0.0
Metallica: Live in Muskegon, Michigan (November 1, 1991)
2020·0.0
Metallica: Live in Munich, Germany - May 31, 2015
2020·0.0
Metallica: Live at Slane Castle
2020·10.0
Hypnotizing Power: The Story of Master of Puppets
2020·0.0
Metallica and San Francisco Symphony: S&M2
2019·8.7
Metallica : Live in Moscow 2019
2019·8.0
Metallica - Live in Berlin 2019
2019·8.5
Murder in the Front Row: The San Francisco Bay Area Thrash Metal Story
2019·7.3
Live Metallica: Stade de France, Paris - mai 12, 2019
2019·0.0
Live Metallica: Barcelona, Spain - May 5, 2019
2019·10.0
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
2019·7.0
Sad Hill Unearthed
2018·7.0
Linkin Park and Friends Celebrate Life in Honor of Chester Bennington
2017·9.7
Metallica: Live in Paris, France - Sept 8, 2017
2017·10.0
Metallica - Live from Edmonton, Canada - August 16, 2017
2017·0.0
Metallica - Live at Outside Lands (San Francisco, CA - August 12, 2017)
2017·8.0
Who the Fuck Is That Guy?: The Fabulous Journey of Michael Alago
2017·5.5
Metallica - Live at Rock on the Range, Columbus 2017
2017·0.0
Metallica: Lollapalooza Brazil 2017
2017·8.0
Addicted to Porn: Chasing the Cardboard Butterfly
2017·5.1
Cum On Feel The Noize
2017·7.0
Metallica: Making of Hardwired... to Self-Destruct
2016·10.0
Metallica - Hardwired... To Self-Destruct Videos
2016·10.0
Metallica: Live from The House of Vans
2016·10.0
Orchestrating An Upset: The 1996 World Cup of Hockey
2016·0.0
Metallica: [2016] Rasputin Music, Berkeley
2016·10.0
Metallica: The Night Before
2016·10.0
Mission to Lars
2015·5.7
Metallica: Rock in Rio 2015
2015·7.5
Randy Johnson: The Big Picture
2015·0.0
Metallica: [2015] X Games
2015·10.0
Metallica: Live in Munich, Germany - May 31, 2015
2015·0.0
Metallica: Masters of Metal
2014·7.2
Metallica Live at Blizzcon
2014·8.5
Made in Japan: The Rise of Deep Purple Mk II
2014·7.4
'Tallica Parking Lot
2014·6.4
Metallica: Rock AM Ring 2014
2014·0.0
Metallica: This Monster Lives
2014·5.8
Metallica: Beyond Thunder and Lightning
2014·10.0
Hit the Lights: The Making of Metallica "Through the Never"
2014·10.0
Metallica: Freeze 'Em All - Live in Antarctica
2013·7.5
Metallica: Through the Never
2013·6.8
Surfing Your Dreams
2013·10.0
Metallica: Quebec Magnetic
2012·8.1
Metallica: Live at Orion Music And More 2012 (1st Night)
2012·10.0
Metallica: Live in Orion Music Festival
2012·8.2
Metallica: The Black Album
2012·7.9
Metallica: Rock AM Ring 2012
2012·10.0
Metallica: Live at Rock im Park 2012
2012·0.0
Metallica: Rock in Rio
2012·8.5
Anton Corbijn Inside Out
2012·5.5
Metallica: The 30th Anniversary Event
2011·6.1
Metallica: Rock In Rio 2011
2011·7.1
Absent
2011·2.7
Metallica: Fan Can 6
2010·6.9
The Big Four: Live in Sofia
2010·8.3
Metallica: The Big 4 Live in Sofia
2010·0.0
Metallica: Live at Sonisphere
2010·8.5
Metallica: Master of Puppets (Deluxe Box Set)
2010·6.0
Lemmy
2010·7.5
Metallica: Pride, Passion and Glory - Three Nights in Mexico City
2009·7.9
Metallica: Hall of Fame 2009
2009·8.5
Metallica: Fan Can Six Copenhagen
2009·0.0
Metallica: Live in Copenhagen, Denmark - July 22, 2009
2009·10.0
Metallica: Français pour une nuit
2009·8.0
METALLICA the Complete Story
2008·0.0
Metallica: Making Magnetic
2008·9.0
Metallica: [2008] Rock en France Festival
2008·10.0
Metallica - Rock AM Ring
2008·10.0
Aural Amphetamine: Metallica and the Dawn of Thrash
2008·7.0
Metallica Touring Europe
2008·10.0
Metallica: Up Close and Personal
2007·0.0
Metallica - Live Earth
2007·10.0
Metallica - Sick of the Studio Tour - LIVE in Wien 2007
2007·2.0
The Darwin Awards
2007·5.5
Rock Milestones: Metallica: Master of Puppets
2007·0.0
Metallica: The Videos 1989-2004
2006·7.7
Metallica Korea
2006·0.0
Metallica: Rock AM Ring 2006
2006·10.0
Metallica: Fan Can 5
2006·10.0
Heavy Metal: Louder Than Life
2006·6.8
The Work of Director Anton Corbijn
2005·7.8
Hard Rock Treasures
2005·9.0
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
2004·7.1
Saturday Night Live: 25 Years of Music Vol. 5
2003·0.0
Metallica: St. Anger Rehearsals
2003·9.5
Metallica: MTV Icon
2003·7.5
Classic Albums: Metallica - Metallica
2001·6.3
Metallica: [2000] Baltimore, Maryland
2000·0.0
Metallica: Live in Baltimore
2000·0.0
Woodstock '99
2000·5.4
Metallica and San Francisco Symphony: S&M
1999·8.7
Metallica With Michael Kamen Conducting The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra – S&M
1999·7.0
Metallica: Making of S&M
1999·0.0
Metallica: Woodstock '99
1999·0.0
Metallica: [1999] Plovdiv, Bulgaria
1999·0.0
Metallica: Cunning Stunts
1998·7.8
Metallica: Live Covers
1998·10.0
Metallica: Poor East Asian Me - Live at Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Seoul, South Korea
1998·0.0
Metallica: Fan Can 1
1996·0.0
Metallica: [1995] Loud But Secret
1995·0.0
Metallica: Woodstock '94
1994·0.0
Metallica: Live in Mountain View, CA - July 22, 1994
1994·0.0
Metallican Vid
1993·0.0
Metallica: [1993] Basel, Switzerland
1993·0.0
Metallica: [1993] Santiago, Chile
1993·0.0
Metallica: Mexico City, Mexico
1993·0.0
Metallica: [1992] Den Bosch, Netherlands
1992·0.0
For Those About to Rock - Monsters In Moscow
1992·8.2
Metallica: A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica
1992·7.8
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
1992·8.4
Metallica: Live at San Diego
1992·9.0
Metallica: Live Shit - Binge & Purge, San Diego 1992
1992·8.6
Metallica - ...And Justice For All
1992·10.0
Metallica: Live Moscow - Monsters of Rock
1991·7.7
Metallica: [1990] Zwolle, Netherlands
1990·0.0
Metallica - Live in Irvine, California - September 23, 1989
1989·0.0
Metallica: Live at Shoreline Amphitheatre
1989·0.0
Metallica: Live Shit - Binge & Purge, Seattle 1989
1989·8.5
Metallica: Newark, Delaware
1989·0.0
Metallica: [1989] Middletown, NY
1989·0.0
2 of One
1989·0.0
Metallica - Live at Hammersmith Odeon
1988·0.0
Metallica: Cliff 'Em All
1987·7.7
Metallica: [1986] Toronto, Canada
1986·0.0
Metallica: Nagoya, Japan
1986·0.0
Metallica - Roskilde Festival
1986·0.0
Metallica: [1986] Uniondale, NY
1986·0.0
Metallica: Detroit, Michigan
1986·0.0
Metallica: Metal Hammer Festival
1985·0.0
Metallica: Day on the Green
1985·0.0
Metallica: Ride The Lightning
1985·10.0
Metallica - Kill 'Em All in Chicago 1983
1983·8.5
Metallica: [1983] Kiss the Stone
1983·0.0
Deep Purple: Made In Japan
1972·10.0