After spending many years as a producer and director of television commercials, he revived his acting career with a supporting role in All the King's Men (2006).

[3][4] His subsequent notable roles include the superhero Rorschach in Watchmen (2009),[5] horror icon Freddy Krueger in the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010),[6] and Grewishka, a cyborg criminal in Alita: Battle Angel (2019).

[12] Haley has appeared in numerous films, including John Schlesinger's The Day of the Locust, Damnation Alley, and Losin' It, as well as guest roles on TV.

He stated that his preparation for the role was greatly influenced by the relationship shared between his mother and his brother True, who battled a heroin addiction before he died of an overdose.

[18] He also stars in Zack Snyder's 2009 adaptation of the Alan Moore graphic novel Watchmen as Rorschach, a masked vigilante working to find the identity of a costumed hero killer, a role which earned him praise from many reviewers.

[19] The film also reunited him with Little Children co-star Patrick Wilson who played Nite Owl II, Rorschach's former partner.

Also in 2010, Haley appeared in Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese,[20] as a patient of a hospital for the criminally insane.

Haley was a series regular on Human Target as Guerrero, an ally of the main character, Christopher Chance.