Beginning in the 1990s, Roache began a career in film while remaining active in television and stage. In 1994, he received acclaim for his leading role in Antonia Bird's Priest. He went on to star opposite Helena Bonham Carter in the 1997 film The Wings of the Dove and to play the role of Dr. Thomas Wayne, father of Batman, in Batman Begins (2005). On television, he played Executive Assistant District Attorney Michael Cutter in the American TV series Law & Order (2008–2010) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2011–2012).