Ian McElhinnie is a well-known Irish actor, whom many know for the role of Baristan Selmi from the movie “Game of Thrones”. The actor was born in 1948 in Northern Ireland. He played the first role at the age of twelve. It works to this day. During his acting career, he starred in more than a hundred films.
He is currently married to playwright and actress Mary Jones. Together, they founded a company specializing in producer services. Over the years of living together, Ian McElhinnie and Mary Jones already have children: they raised three sons.
Most famous role
On July 12, 2010, Ian McElhinnie was cast for one of the most famous science fiction films of this century, Game of Thrones. In it, he was supposed to play the role of the noble knight of Baristan Selmi. Ian McElhinnie at the time of the casting read all of Martin's books, and that was quite appropriate. Especially when you consider that Baristan is one of the oldest characters in history, who spent more than thirty years at court, regularly serving the kings of Westeros. True, according to the scenario, the storyline of Baristan Selmi is interrupted in the fifth season. Although according to the book, this hero is still alive. This is done, most likely due to the absence of Prince Targaryen in the film.
Even before filming, Ian McElhinnie realized that they decided to get rid of his character. And this surprised and upset the actor a lot, because in the book with him there were still quite a lot of interesting scenes. But in any case, the scriptwriters Weiss and Benioff on a phone call confirmed Ian’s concerns. Later in an interview, Ian McElhinnie (Game of Thrones, 1-5 seasons) admitted that he was very disappointed, but at the same time believes that the laws of cinema are different from the laws of literary works and the script should contain some points that will be difficult to predict how viewer, and the film crew itself.
What other roles did Ian McElhinnie play
Films in which the actor starred are not so numerous. These are the series “Little Dorrit” (the role of Mr. Clenam), “The Tudors” (the role of Pope Clement Four), “The Collapse” (the role of Morgan Monroe) and “The Ripper Street” (the role of Theodore Swift), as well as the films “Hamlet” (starred in the roles of Barnardo), Departure Prayer (the role of Lodger), How to Marry in Three Days (the role of the priest), Michael Collins (the role of the detective from Belfast), Boxer (the role of Reggie Bell), Taggert , Durango.
Ian McElhinnie also starred in several episodes of films such as New Tricks, Uprising, Alone, and The Holocaust.
Reviews of film critics
Of course, the most reviews of Ian’s acting were received after he starred in Game of Thrones. Many fans and fans of this series believe that the scriptwriters have in vain removed the storyline of Syr Baristan the Valiant, as without him Daenerys Targaryen has too few good advisers, with the exception of Tyrion Lannister. In general, the game of Ian McElhinnie is evaluated positively. During his acting life, he starred only in dramas, melodramas and thrillers, but not in any comedy. This suggests that he is well given only serious roles. But maybe in the future we will see Ian in some humorous film.