Paul David McCrane (born January 19, 1961) is an American film, television and theatre actor, as well as an occasional television director. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Montgomery MacNeil in the 1980 film Fame, Emil Antonowsky in RoboCop and Robert Romano on the NBC medical drama television series ER.
Early Life
McCrane was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Eileen C. (née Manyak), a nurse, and James J. McCrane, Jr., an actor and writer. He has a brother, Jim, and three sisters, Maureen, Barbara, and Deirdre. His family moved to Richboro, Pennsylvania, where he lived until he moved to New York City after graduating from Holy Ghost Preparatory School.
Career
An early role, when he was just 17 years of age, is in a short scene in Rocky II, playing a wheelchair bound, multi-fracture patient who asks for Rocky's autograph on his head cast ("Hey Rocky...sign my head!").
With an abundance of red hair, McCrane portrayed the earnest Montgomery MacNeil in Fame. He was the lead vocalist on three songs in the feature film: "Dogs in the Yard," "Miles From Here," and "Is it Okay if I Call You Mine?" (which he also composed). He also had a solo in "I Sing the Body Electric."
Later, after losing most of his hair, he played murderous Emil Antonowsky in RoboCop, followed by astronaut Pete Conrad in From the Earth to the Moon, Guard Trout in The Shawshank Redemption, cancer-absorbing mutant Leonard Betts in The X-Files. After a recurring role as the snarky Dr. Robert "Rocket" Romano on ER, he became a regular cast member (1997-2003) and returned for one episode during its 15th and final season (2008). McCrane guest-starred in 24 Seasons 5 and 6 as Graem Bauer. He has also appeared onUgly Betty and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
In 2011, McCrane took on the recurring role of Assistant District Attorney Josh Peyton in the NBC television program Harry's Law, a project of producer David E. Kelley. McCrane won the 2011 Emmy Award for Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in the role.
Nashville
Season 1
- We Live in Two Different Worlds - director
- Be Careful Of Stones That You Throw - director
- When You're Tired of Breaking Other Hearts - director
- I Don't Want to Talk About It Now - director