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Michael McElhatton

Michael McElhatton

Actor · Born September 12, 1963 (63) · Terenure, Dublin, Ireland

Screen Actors Guild Award nominee

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. 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.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 12, 1963 (63)
From
Terenure, Dublin, Ireland
Works as
Actor
Titles
48 on MovieCove · 75 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 26% in 30 days

What are Michael McElhatton's films like?

Across their 30 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 77th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 63rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Animation3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile
: browse their Animation movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
23%
Bonds
23%
Survival
22%
Self
14%
Society
9%
Power
6%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 25 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 4 · Dark 12

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 17 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 11 · Intense 9

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 10 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 4

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 5

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 12

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 18 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

11 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 5 of 11 analyzed roles.

Mentor
5 of 11
Ally
2 of 11
Threshold guardian
2 of 11
Herald
1 of 11
Shadow
1 of 11
Show the 11 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
20
Melancholic
12
Dread
9
Joyful
6
Warm
7
Other
27

How their films linger

Bittersweet12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet16
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Michael McElhatton's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 36 of their 48 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (16).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael McElhatton's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

75 credits, 48 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • House of Guinness(2025)

    Show 8 episodes · as John Potter

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • Invasion: The Normans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 2 episodes · as Narrator

  • The Ghastly Ghoul(2022)

    as Orson

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Long Shadow(2023)

    Show 7 episodes · as CC Ronald Gregory

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Dangerous Liaisons(2022)

    Show 8 episodes · as Jean de Merteuil

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all shows

  • The Dry(2022)

    Show 8 episodes · as Finbar

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows

  • The Wheel of Time(2021)

    Show 3 episodes · as Tam al'Thor

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • Monster(2019)

    as Lieutenant

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Last Duel(2021)

    as Bernard de Latour

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Zack Snyder's Justice League(2021)

    as Black Clad Alpha

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Winter Lake(2020)

    as Ward

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Togo(2019)

    as Jafet Lindeberg

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Last Right(2019)

    as Frank Delaney

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Chernobyl(2019)

    Show 5 episodes · as Prosecutor Andrei Stepashin

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Agatha and the Truth of Murder(2018)

    as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Boy Saint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Poem Narrator

  • Jack Ryan(2018)

    Show 6 episodes · as Bill Tuttle

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Captain Morten and the Spider Queen(2018)

    as Felix (voice)

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Overcoat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Petrovich (voice)

  • The Alienist(2018)

    Show 6 episodes · as Dr. Markoe

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Peek Zoo(2018)

    Show as Mr. Peek

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Justice League(2017)

    as Black Clad Alpha

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Foreigner(2017)

    as Jim Kavanagh

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • King Arthur: Legend of the Sword(2017)

    as Jack's Eye

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Genius(2017)

    Show 10 episodes · as Jonas Salk · as Philipp Lenard

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • The Zookeeper's Wife(2017)

    as Jerzyk

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Handsome Devil(2016)

    as Walter Curly

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Autopsy of Jane Doe(2016)

    as Sheriff Sheldon

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Siege of Jadotville(2016)

    as General McEntee

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Mammal(2016)

    as Matt Quinn

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Norm of the North(2016)

    as Laurence (voice)

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • The Hallow(2015)

    as Colm Donnelly

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Legend of Longwood(2014)

    as Black Knight

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • New Worlds(2014)

    Show 3 episodes · as John Hawkins

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows

  • The Fall(2013)

    Show 4 episodes · as Rob Breedlove

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • The Ice Cream Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 3 episodes · as Brian

  • Titanic: Blood and Steel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 7 episodes · as Albert Hatton

  • Shadow Dancer(2012)

    as Liam Hughes

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Albert Nobbs(2011)

    as Mr. Moore

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Death of a Superhero(2011)

    as James Clarke

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Game of Thrones(2011)

    Show 25 episodes · as Roose Bolton

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • The Santa Incident(2010)

    as Ross

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Pentecost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Pat Lynch

  • Parked (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Frank

  • Perrier's Bounty(2009)

    as Ivan

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Man Inside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Actor

  • Fifty Dead Men Walking(2008)

    as Robbie

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Spacemen Three (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Actor

  • My Boy Jack(2007)

    as Leo Amery MP

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Tiger's Tail(2006)

    as Dr. Alex Loden

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Mickybo and Me(2004)

    as Mechanic

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • God's Early Work (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Actor

  • Adam & Paul(2004)

    as Martin (voice)

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Killinaskully (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 1 episode · as Ghost of Christmas Present

  • Ape (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Dandy (Voice)

  • Spin the Bottle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Writer · as Rats

  • The Strange Case of The Irish Crown Jewels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as narrator

  • Intermission(2003)

    as Sam

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Actors(2003)

    as Jock

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Waterloo Dentures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Actor

  • Blow Dry(2001)

    as Robert

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Rebel Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 4 episodes · as Cathal Brugha

  • Paths to Freedom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 6 episodes · Actor

  • Saltwater(2000)

    as John Traynor

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Guy's Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Voice

  • Vicious Circle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Garrett

  • Crush Proof (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Detective Sergeant Hogan

  • Just in Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Actor

  • Ballyseedy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Comdt. Ed Breslin

  • All Souls' Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Actor

  • I Went Down(1997)

    as Johnner Doyle

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • November Afternoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as John

  • The Bard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • The Death Notice of Eamonn McCarty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Eamonn McCarty

  • Underworld (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Jimmy

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 74 titles, 71 of them dated from 1996 to 2025; peak year 2016.

Biggest box office

The Foreigner (2017)

$145M worldwide

Highest rated

Genius (2017)

Midcredits 91st

Film career

MilestoneNomination
19962025

Peak 2016 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 6 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting74 of 74: 73 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score72ndWriting1 of 74: 0 only writing, 1 with another role

By decade

1990s8 · acting2000s19 · 19 acting · 1 crew2010s33 · acting2020s11 · acting

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 0% of 29 roles
97071217

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

Nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2014, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Michael McElhatton's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 35; across their 25 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Approval · how many liked their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Reach · how many have seen their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Midcredits score across 48 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up19
  • 50th to 74th14
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

26 of their 48 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser26
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · actor

Norm of the North (2016)

95th percentile spread · 56% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Chernobyl (2019)

Midcredits 99th · 95% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 24 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Michael McElhatton's work okay for kids?

Across up to 13 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore10 titles31–81 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity13 titles8–64 · median 51 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity11 titles37–72 · median 55 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles27–62 · median 35 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense10 titles28–74 · median 46 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Michael McElhatton work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael McElhatton's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Fionn O'Shea shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles