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Ian McElhinney

Highest Rated: 95% Hamlet (1996)

Lowest Rated: 24% Leap Year (2010)

Birthday: Aug 19, 1948

Birthplace: Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

Ian McElhinney was a prominent British film and TV actor who became well known to American audiences for playing Barristan Selmy on fantasy drama "Game of Thrones" (HBO 2011- ). Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1948, McElhinney did not begin acting professionally until he was well into his 30s with small roles in British films like "Angel" (1982), "Anne Devlin" (1984), and "A Prayer for the Dying" (1987). By the early '90s, McElhinney started adding television roles to his growing list of screen credits, and started nabbing recurring roles on shows like "Hearts and Minds" (Channel 4, 1995), "Wokenwell" (ITV, 1997), and "Maisie Raine" (BBC1, 1998-99), a short-lived British cop show. McElhinney's prolific TV career continued into the 2000s, with hefty roles on shows like the medical drama "The Clinic" (RTÉ One, 2003-09), as well as Irish drama "Single-Handed" (RTÉ One, 2007-10). By the 2010s, McElhinney had racked up dozens of credits on various British films and TV shows, but was a relatively unknown actor in the United States, despite appearing in American films such as "Leap Year" (2010) and the historical TV drama "The Tudors" (Showtime 2007-2010). However, McElhinney would become more prominent to American audiences when he landed the role of the respected warrior Barristan Selmy on HBO's hit fantasy series, "Game of Thrones." Although the sprawling cast of "Game of Thrones" numbered in the hundreds, McElhinney was one of the few cast members to appear in most episodes of the series until his character's unexpected death in the midst of the show's fifth season.

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Highest rated movies

95% 89% Hamlet
Watchlist
92% 53% The Playboys
Watchlist
92% 74% Bad Day for the Cut
Watchlist
88% 64% Zoo Watchlist
88% 79% Omagh
Watchlist
86% 64% A Patch of Fog Watchlist 67% 89% The Last Rifleman Watchlist 67% 64% The Journey Watchlist
60% 87% Small Faces
Watchlist
53% 73% A Love Divided
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
67% 89% The Last Rifleman Tom Malcolmson (Character) - 2023
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dave Allen at Peace Unknown (Character) - 2018
88% 64% Zoo Mr. Shawcross (Character) - 2017
92% 74% Bad Day for the Cut Eamon (Character) - 2017
67% 64% The Journey Rory McBride (Character) $152.5K 2016
29% 30% Sacrifice D.I. McKie (Character) - 2016
86% 64% A Patch of Fog Unknown (Character) - 2015
No Score Yet 0% An Old-Fashioned Christmas Sean (Character) - 2010
24% 47% Leap Year Priest (Character) $25.9M 2010
No Score Yet No Score Yet Make It New John John (Character) - 2010
No Score Yet 53% Triage Ivan (Character) - 2009
No Score Yet No Score Yet Swansong: Story of Occi Byrne Skip (Character) - 2009
No Score Yet 67% The Front Line Mikey (Character) - 2006
88% 79% Omagh Stanley McCombe (Character) - 2004
No Score Yet No Score Yet No Tears Padraig McFadden (Character) - 2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Mapmaker Inspector Devlin (Character) - 2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet Durango Vestor McCarthy (Character) - 1999
53% 73% A Love Divided Reverend Hamilton (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet 89% Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant Captain Hammond (Character) - 1998
No Score Yet No Score Yet Touch and Go Clive Bevan (Character) - 1998
No Score Yet 33% This Is the Sea Da Stokes (Character) - 1997
95% 89% Hamlet Barnardo (Character) $4.4M 1996
60% 87% Small Faces Uncle Andrew (Character) $160.7K 1995
No Score Yet 38% Blind Justice Father Malone (Character) - 1994
92% 53% The Playboys Joe Cassidy (Character) $4.9M 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet You, Me & Marley Reggie Devine (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Grasscutter Brian Devlin (Character) - 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet Reefer and the Model Unknown (Character) - 1989
No Score Yet 79% Lamb Maguire (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet The End of the World Man Architecht (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Anne Devlin Maj Sirr (Character) - 1984

TV

Credit
86% 82% The Outlaws John Sr (Character) 2021-2022 2024
No Score Yet No Score Yet High Country Unknown (Character) 2024
No Score Yet No Score Yet Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Guest 2023
91% 82% Unforgotten Tony Hume (Character) 2023
99% 95% Derry Girls Granda Joe (Character) 2018-2019 2022
76% 91% The Split Ronnie (Character) 2020 2022
71% 71% Bloodlands Adam Corry (Character) 2021
67% 50% The Deceived Hugh (Character) 2020
80% 68% Krypton Val-El (Character) 2018-2019
No Score Yet No Score Yet Silent Witness Pat Walsh (Character) 2019
91% 89% Mrs Wilson Father Timothy (Character) 2018
No Score Yet No Score Yet Kat & Alfie: Redwater Lance Byrne (Character) 2017
40% 83% Rebellion Edward Butler (Character) 2016
89% 85% Game of Thrones Barristan Selmy (Guest Star) 2011 2013-2015
94% 91% Ripper Street Unknown (Guest Star) 2013-2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet Holby City Brian Chapman (Character) 2003
No Score Yet No Score Yet No Tears Padraig McFadden (Character) 2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet Maisie Raine Unknown (Character) 1998-1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet Between the Lines Unknown (Guest Star) 1993