McCrane was born on January 19, 1961,[1] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Eileen C. (née Manyak) and James J. McCrane, Jr.[2] His family moved to Richboro, Pennsylvania, where he lived until he moved to New York City after graduating from Holy Ghost Preparatory School in 1978.
Later, he played confused Frank Berry in The Hotel New Hampshire, 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).
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.