Michael McElhatton

Michael McElhatton (born 12 September 1963) is an Irish actor and writer. He is best known for playing the role of Roose Bolton in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' from the second to the sixth season (2012–2016). Other credits include '' I Went Down'' (1997), '' Paths to Freedom'' (2000), '' Saltwater'' (2000), '' Blow Dry'' (2001), '' The Actors'' (2003), '' Spin the Bottle'' (2003), '' Perrier's Bounty'' (2009), '' Albert Nobbs'' (2011), '' Death of a Superhero'' (2011), ''Pentecost'' (2012), '' The Fall'' (2013), '' The Hallow'' (2015), '' The Zookeeper's Wife'' (2017), '' Chernobyl'' (2019), ''Das Boot'' (2020), '' The Alienist: Angel of Darkness'' (2020), ''The Wheel of Time'' (2021), '' Jack Ryan'' (2022) and '' The Long Shadow'' (2023).

Early life

McElhatton was born on 12 September 1963 in Terenure, a suburb in the south of Dublin. He began studying acting at Terenure College, a school known for its drama tradition, and afterward spent eight years in London where he graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1987. McElhatton returned to Ireland in the early nineties, where he began his acting career mainly in theatre and television.

Career

He appeared in a short film titled ''The Loser'' in 1990. In 1996, he was directed by John Carney in the film ''November Afternoon'', in which he plays the main character. In the late nineties and early 2000s, McElhatton appeared in '' I Went Down'' (1997), ''Saltwater'' (2000), '' Blow Dry'' (2001), and '' The Actors'' (2003). Between 2000 and 2002, McElhatton gained fame from appearing in the situation comedies '' Paths to Freedom'' and ''Fergus's Wedding''. In addition to acting, he also took on the role of screenwriter, writing the screenplay for all of the episodes. The character of Rats in '' Paths to Freedom'' (2000), which he wrote and starred in, became popular with the public and allowed it to be adapted into an entire feature film '' Spin the Bottle'' (2003). As his career went on, McElhatton continued playing minor characters in films by directors such as Lenny Abrahamson, John Boorman, and Kari Skogland. McElhatton also appeared in '' Perrier's Bounty'' (2009), and '' Death of a Superhero'' (2011).

He returned to his role as writer in 2010, writing six episodes of the sitcom '' Your Bad Self''. Over the next decade, McElhatton began appearing in much larger roles. In 2011, he had a role in the film '' Albert Nobbs '', directed by Rodrigo García, and '' Death of a Superhero'' (2011). The following year the short ''Pentecost'', which received a nomination for Best Short Film at the 2012 Academy Awards. That same year he took part in the James Marsh directed film '' Shadow Dancer''.

In 2012, McElhatton joined the cast of the HBO television series ''Game of Thrones'', beginning in the second season, playing the character of warlord Roose Bolton. From the fifth season on he was promoted to series regular.

In 2013, he appeared in '' The Fall'', alongside Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan. In 2015, he played one of the protagonists in the horror film '' The Hallow'', which was presented at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. He appeared in the screen adaptation of the true story of World War II drama '' The Zookeeper's Wife'' in 2017.

In 2019, he starred as Andrei Stepashin in '' Chernobyl'' (2019). In 2020, he was Deputy Inspector Thomas O'Leary in ''Das Boot'' (2020), and starred in the series '' The Alienist: Angel of Darkness'' (2020).

In 2021, McElhatton appeared as Tam al'Thor in the adaptation of ''The Wheel of Time'' (2021) on Amazon Prime Video. His casting was announced on 6 November 2019 through Twitter.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Writing credits

* '' Paths to Freedom''
* ''Fergus's Wedding''
* '' Spin the Bottle''
* '' Your Bad Self''

Selected stage career

* ''The Night Alive'', as Doc, Donmar Warehouse, London, and the Atlantic Theater, New York City
* '' The Seafarer'', as Nicky Giblin, National Theatre, London
* ''Shining City'', Royal Court Theatre, London
* ''The Wexford Trilogy'', Tricycle Theatre
* ''An Ideal Husband'', Gate Theatre
* ''The White Devil'', Project at The Mint
* ''Car Show'', Corn Exchange
* ''Twenty Grand'', Abbey Theatre
* ''Greatest Hits'', Project Arts Centre
* ''The Way of the World'', Project Arts Centre
* ''A Decision Pure and Simple'', Riverside Studios
* ''An Enemy of the People'', for Young Vic
* ''As You Like It'', Rose Theatre
* ''Midnight Court'', Project Theatre
* ''Wind in the Willows'', Sheffield Crucible
* '' Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs'', BAC
* ''Water Music'', Cockpit Theatre

Awards and nominations

* 2003 IFTA Award nomination, Best Actor – Film for "Spin the Bottle"
* 2003 IFTA Award nomination, Best Script for "Spin the Bottle" – Ian Fitzgibbon/Michael McElhatton/Grand Pictures
* 2007 IFTA Award nomination, Best Actor – Television for "Hide & Seek"
* 2013 IFTA Award nomination, Best Supporting Actor – Film for "Death of a Superhero"
* 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:McElhatton, Michael
1963 births
Living people
20th-century Irish male actors
21st-century Irish male actors
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Irish expatriates in England
Irish male film actors
Irish male Shakespearean actors
Irish male stage actors
Irish male television actors
Irish male video game actors
Irish male voice actors
Irish writers
Male actors from County Dublin
People educated at Terenure College