Lorcan Cranitch is an Irish actor. He became known for playing Jimmy Beck in the British series Cracker (1993-1995) and has had many roles in British television. More recently, he was seen in series 3 of the Northern Irish police drama series Blue Lights in November 2025.
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Early life and education
Born in Dublin, Lorcan Cranitch became involved in drama while a student. He attended secondary school at Terenure College.
In 1980 he moved to London, where he trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Career
Cranitch had a role on British television in a series eventually presented on Masterpiece Theater, Parnell and the Englishwoman, a 1991 BBC drama series, with his portrayal of Tim Healy being his first television role. He had a recurring role in the British series Cracker, and it was through his prtrayal of the troubled DS Jimmy Beck (1993-1995) that he became a familiar face to viewers. He then played a recurring rile in the series Ballykissangel, which marked his return to the BBC, in the role of Sean Dillon, a part specially written for him.
In 2001 he starred in the short-lived drama series McCready and Daughter, taking on a role originally intended for his former Ballykissangel co-star, Tony Doyle, who died shortly before the series was due to be filmed. Cranitch appeared in the American series, Rome, in 2005, in the villainous role of the underworld baron Erastes Fulmen, an HBO/BBC production. He played Melvin in the series, New Tricks (episode, "Communal Living"), in 2008, and in the 2009 BBC drama, Best: His Mother's Son, he played Dickie Best, the father of footballer George Best. In 2011 he appeared as Liam Cullen in the episode "The Gift of Promise", in the series, Lewis. He appeared in the BBC series Death in Paradise, 2016, and in 2017 he played Assistant Chief Constable Nicholls in the first part of the final series of the BBC drama ,Inspector George Gently.
In February 2021, Cranitch took a lead role as Detective Chief Superintendent Jackie Twomey in the BBC crime drama series Bloodlands.
Cranitch has appeared in several other British television dramas, including briefly
as DI Littlejohn in the Sky Atlantic series Fortitude, and as Deacon Brodie (with Billy Connolly), Shackleton (as Frank Wild) with Kenneth Branagh, Omagh, Hornblower (with Ioan Gruffudd), The Street, Waking the Dead, Spooks, Silent Witness, and New Tricks.
Other work
Film
He has appeared in feature films, including Dancing at Lughnasa with Meryl Streep, as well as in The Playboys, and Titanic Town.
Stage
Cranitch has combined his on screen work with stage work, including with The Royal National Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Donmar West End, The Abbey and The Gate Theatre in Dublin.
Personal life
Cranitch married Susan Jackson, a journalist and newsreader with RTÉ. They adopted an Ethiopian child in 2010, but separated in 2016.
