Paul McCrane (born January 19, 1961) is an American film, television and theatre actor, as well as a television director and singer. He is known for his portrayal of Montgomery MacNeil in the filmFame (1980), Frank Berry in the filmThe Hotel New Hampshire (1984), Emil Antonowsky inRoboCop (1987), andRobert Romano on theNBC medical drama television seriesER.

McCrane was born on January 19, 1961,^[1] inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, the son of Eileen C. (née Manyak) and James J. McCrane, Jr.^[2] His family moved toRichboro, Pennsylvania, where he lived until he moved toNew York City after graduating fromHoly Ghost Preparatory School in 1978. He studied theatre atHB Studio^[3] in New York City.

An early role, when he was just 17 years of age, is in a short scene inRocky II, playing a multi-fracture patient who asks for Rocky's autograph on his head cast ("Hey Rocky...sign my head!").

With an abundance ofred hair, McCrane portrayed the earnest Montgomery MacNeil inFame. 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?" He also had a solo in "I Sing the Body Electric".

Later, he played confused Frank Berry inThe Hotel New Hampshire, murderous Emil Antonowsky inRoboCop, followed by astronautPete Conrad inFrom the Earth to the Moon, Guard Trout inThe Shawshank Redemption,cancer-absorbingmutantLeonard Betts inThe X-Files. After a recurring role as the snarky Dr.Robert "Rocket" Romano onER, he became a regular cast member (1997–2003) and returned for one episode during its 15th and final season (2008). McCrane guest-starred in24 Seasons 5 and6 asGraem Bauer. He has also appeared onUgly Betty andCSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

In 2011, McCrane took on the recurring role of Assistant District Attorney Josh Peyton in theNBC television programHarry's Law, a project of producerDavid E. Kelley. McCrane won the 2011Emmy Award for Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in the role.^[4] In 2019, he was cast in a recurring role on theCBS TV seriesAll Rise.

• Fame (soundtrack), 1980 soundtrack album to the musical filmFame. Vocals on: "Is It Okay If I Call You Mine?", "Dogs in the Yard", and "I Sing the Body Electric"

• Paul McCrane atIMDb

• 1961 births
• Male actors from Philadelphia
• American male film actors
• American male stage actors
• American male television actors
• American television directors
• Living people
• Primetime Emmy Award winners
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from January 2023
• Articles with hCards