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).

[1] 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.

[1] 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.

[2] In 2012, McElhatton joined the cast of the HBO television series Game of Thrones,[4] beginning in the second season, playing the character of warlord Roose Bolton.