Michael McElhatton (born 12 September 1963) is an Irish actor and writer. He is best known for playing the role of

Roose Bolton Lord Roose Bolton is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones''. Introduced in 1996's ''A Game of Thrones'', Roose, a ...

in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

series ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...

''. He joined the series as a guest star in the second season, and continued to play this role until the sixth season, promoted to a regular cast member from the fifth season onwards.

Life and career

McElhatton was born on 12 September 1963 in

Terenure Terenure (), originally called ''Roundtown'', is an affluent, middle class suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It is located in the city's D6W postcode area. Location and transport Terenure lies primarily in the administrative area of Dublin City ...

, a suburb in the south of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. He began studying acting at

Terenure College Terenure College is a Carmelite-run secondary school located in the suburb of Terenure, Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1860 and had an associated primary school until 2017. It is one of the "big six" Leinster Schools Rugby-playin ...

, a school known for its drama tradition, and afterward spent eight years in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

where he graduated from the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...

in 1987. McElhatton returned to Ireland in the early nineties, where he began his acting career mainly in theatre and television. 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 numerous series and TV films in Ireland, working with various film directors, including

Paddy Breathnach Paddy Breathnach (born 1964) is an Irish film director and producer. He directed ''Man About Dog'', ''Blow Dry'' and ''Shrooms (film), Shrooms''. He was also involved in the production of ''The Mighty Celt'' and ''Ape (2012 film), Ape''. Filmog ...

and

Conor McPherson Conor McPherson (born 6 August 1971) is an Irish playwright, screenwriter and director of stage and film. In recognition of his contribution to world theatre, McPherson was awarded a doctorate of Literature, Honoris Causa, in June 2013 by the Un ...

for roles in ''

I Went Down ''I Went Down'' is a 1997 Irish crime comedy film by director Paddy Breathnach. Plot After serving an eight-month prison sentence for breaking and entering, working class Dublin lad Git Hynes, meets ex-girlfriend Sabrina Bradley, who now pref ...

'' (1997), ''Saltwater'' (2000), ''

Blow Dry ''Blow Dry'' is a 2001 British romantic comedy film directed by Paddy Breathnach and based on the screenplay ''Never Better'' by Simon Beaufoy. The film stars Alan Rickman, Natasha Richardson, Rachel Griffiths, Rachael Leigh Cook, Josh Hartnet ...

'' (2001), and ''

The Actors ''The Actors'' is a 2003 film written and directed by Conor McPherson and starring Dylan Moran and Michael Caine. In supporting roles are Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson and Lena Headey. ''The Actors'' is a contemporary comedy set in Dublin ...

'' (2003). Between 2000 and 2002, McElhatton gained fame from appearing in the situation comedies ''

Paths to Freedom ''Paths to Freedom'' was a popular comedy on the Irish television network RTÉ Two. The shows stars two characters, Jeremy (Brendan Coyle) and Rats (Michael McElhatton), who have both recently been released from a Dublin prison. The show takes ...

'' and ''Fergus's Wedding''. In addition to acting, he also took on the role of

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, writing the screenplay for all of the episodes. The character of Rats in ''Paths to Freedom'', which he wrote and starred in, became popular with the public and allowed it to be adapted into an entire feature film in 2003 (''

Spin the Bottle Spin the bottle is a kissing party game commonly played by teenagers. The game was very popular among teenagers during the second half of the 20th century because it fostered "sexual" interactions between boys and girls. It has even been describe ...

''). As his career went on, McElhatton continued playing minor characters in films by directors such as

Lenny Abrahamson Leonard Ian Abrahamson (born 30 November 1966) is an Irish film and television director. He is known for directing such praised independent films as ''Adam & Paul'' (2004), ''Garage'' (2007), '' What Richard Did'' (2012), and ''Frank'' (2014), a ...

John Boorman Sir John Boorman (; born 18 January 1933) is a British film director, best known for feature films such as ''Point Blank'' (1967), ''Hell in the Pacific'' (1968), ''Deliverance'' (1972), ''Zardoz'' (1974), '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'' (1977), ...

and

Kari Skogland Kari Skogland is a Canadian filmmaker. In 2016, she co-founded independent production company Mad Rabbit. Her most recent project is the '' Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' television series for Marvel Studios. Career Skogland started as an edito ...

. McElhatton also appeared in ''

Perrier's Bounty ''Perrier's Bounty'' is a 2009 Irish black comedy crime film set in modern-day Dublin. Described as an "urban western" by its director Ian Fitzgibbon, it stars Brendan Gleeson as the villainous title character, as well as Cillian Murphy and Jim B ...

'' (2009) and ''

Death of a Superhero ''Death of a Superhero'' is a 2011 Irish drama film based on the New Zealand novel of the same name by Anthony McCarten. Originally planned to be directed by McCarten in New Zealand, the film was shot on location in Ireland throughout 2010 and wa ...

'' (2011). He returned to his role as writer in 2010, writing six episodes of the sitcom ''

Your Bad Self ''Your Bad Self'' is an Irish sketch comedy show which was originally broadcast on RTÉ Two on 26 December 2008 at 21:40 before being developed into a series which was shown in 2010. History ''Your Bad Self'' stars Domhnall Gleeson as well as M ...

''. Over the next decade, McElhatton began appearing in much larger roles. In 2011, he had a role in the film ''

Albert Nobbs ''Albert Nobbs'' is a 2011 drama film directed by Rodrigo García and starring Glenn Close. The screenplay, by Close, John Banville and Gabriella Prekop, is based on the 1927 novella ''Albert Nobbs'' by George Moore. The film received mixed r ...

''directed by Rodrigo García, and the following year the short ''

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

'', which received a nomination for Best Short Film at the 2012

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. That same year he took part in the film '' Shadow Dancer'' directed by James Marsh, while also on television in the cast of the miniseries '' Titanic: Blood and Steel''. In 2012, McElhatton joined the cast of the

television series ''

'', beginning in the second season, playing the character of

. From the fifth season on he was promoted to series regular. In 2015, he played one of the protagonists in the horror film ''

The Hallow ''The Hallow'' (originally titled ''The Woods'') is a 2015 horror film directed by Corin Hardy, written by Hardy and Felipe Marino, and starring Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, and Michael Smiley. It is a British-Irish co-pro ...

'', which was presented at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. He appeared in the screen adaptation of the true story of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

drama ''

The Zookeeper's Wife The Zookeeper's Wife is a non-fiction book written by the poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman. Drawing on the diary of Antonina Żabińska, unpublished in English (though published in Polish in 1968), it recounts the true story of how Antonina an ...

'' in 2017. In 2021, McElhatton appeared as Tam al'Thor in the adaptation of ''

The Wheel of Time ''The Wheel of Time'' is a series of high fantasy novels by American author Robert Jordan, with Brandon Sanderson as a co-author for the final three novels. Originally planned as a six-book series, ''The Wheel of Time'' spans 14 volumes, in a ...

'' on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

. His casting was announced on 06 November 2019 through

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Writing credits

* ''

'' * ''Fergus's Wedding'' * ''

'' * ''

Selected stage career

* ''The Night Alive'', as Doc,

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Micha ...

, London, and the Atlantic Theater, New York City * '' The Seafarer'', as Nicky Giblin,

National Theatre, London The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

* ''Shining City'', Royal Court Theatre, London * ''The Wexford Trilogy'',

Tricycle Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as ...

* ''An Ideal Husband'',

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a Theater (structure), theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Ge ...

* ''The White Devil'', Project at The Mint * ''Car Show'',

Corn Exchange A corn exchange is a building where merchants trade grains. The word "corn" in British English denotes all cereal grains, such as wheat and barley; in the United States these buildings were called grain exchange. Such trade was common in towns ...

* ''Twenty Grand'',

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

* ''Greatest Hits'',

Project Arts Centre Project Arts Centre is a multidisciplinary arts centre based in Temple Bar, Dublin, which hosts visual arts, theatre, dance, music, and performance. History Project Arts Centre was founded by Jim FitzGerald and Colm O'Briain in 1967 after a thr ...

* ''The Way of the World'',

* ''A Decision Pure and Simple'',

Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having closed for redevelopment in ...

* ''An Enemy of the People'', for

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 201 ...

* ''As You Like It'', Rose Theatre * ''Midnight Court'', Project Theatre * ''Wind in the Willows'',

Sheffield Crucible The Crucible Theatre (often referred to simply as "The Crucible") is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England which opened in 1971. Although it hosts regular theatrical performances, it is best known for hosting professional snooker's ...

* ''Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs'',

BAC BAC or Bac may refer to: Places * Bac, Rožaje, Bac, a village in Montenegro * Baile Átha Cliath, Irish language name for Dublin city. * Bîc River, aka ''Bâc River'', a Moldovan river * Baç Bridge, bridge in Turkey * Barnes County Municipal A ...

* ''Water Music'',

Cockpit Theatre The Cockpit was a theatre in London, operating from 1616 to around 1665. It was the first theatre to be located near Drury Lane. After damage in 1617, it was named The Phoenix. History The original building was an actual cockpit; that is, a st ...

Awards and nominations

* 2003

IFTA Award The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) is an all-Ireland organisation focused on film and television. It has about 1000 members, and is based in Dublin, with branches in London and Los Angeles. The IFTA now holds separate ceremonies for the ...

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 RADA 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