Working initially in both television and theatre, film and television producer James McElroy began his career in the Australian entertainment industry in Melbourne during the mid-late 1960s. In 1971 he and his twin brother Hal set up the film production company Salt Pan Films (later McElroy and McElroy). The company's debut was the 1973 feature The Cars that Ate Paris, directed by Peter Weir (q.v.). The film became the first Australian film to gain international recognition at the Cannes Film Festival.
The McElroy brothers' next two films were also directed by Weir, these being the critically-acclaimed Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) and The Last Wave (1977). James later produced Peter Weir's first American picture The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) for MGM.
McElroy's credits as producer also involve a range of feature films, television programs and telemovies, including: A Dangerous Summer (1982), Melvin, Son of Melvin (1984), Remember Me (1985, TV), Late Night with Jon and Dano (1986), Sharks Paradise (1986, TV) and Til There Was You (1990).
The McElroy Brothers dissolved McElroy and McElroy in March 1992, with James focusing his attention to feature film production (while Hal turned to television). James McElroy has since produced Traps (1994), Mr Reliable (1996) and the romantic comedy Dear Claudia (1999).
