Michael Cronin

Michael Cronin (born 1942) is a British actor. Personal life Born in Cranfield, Bedfordshire during World War II, he was educated at St Brendan's College by the Christian Brothers in Bristol, and at the University of London where he studied English. He is married and has two sons. Acting career Cronin is a television and stage actor, particularly remembered for his role as the tough but fair PE teacher Geoff 'Bullet' Baxter in the television series Grange Hill between 1979 and 1986. He also made a cameo appearance as Baxter in a 2000 edition of The Grimleys. He also appeared in Fawlty Towers as Irish cowboy builder Lurphy (whom Manuel memorably called a "hideous orangutan"), and as Eliphaz in the 1977 television miniseries Jesus of Nazareth. He has appeared in episodes of Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders, The Gentle Touch, The Sweeney and Bergerac, and played Vyacheslav Molotov in the 1989 TV movie Countdown to War. In 1990 he played Alfred Inglethorp in the Agatha Christie's Poirot film The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and played Sergei in the 2000 television adaptation of Anna Karenina. He also occasionally appeared in the BBC television programme Merlin (2008), as the character Geoffrey of Monmouth. He also made an appearance in the second episode of the second series of Citizen Khan as a friend of Naani's who turns out to be gay. Other television work includes: Marie Curie, The Chinese Puzzle, Midnight at the Starlight, Invasion, Tiny Revolutions, Glorious Day, The Bill, Wycliffe, The History of Tom Jones: a Foundling, Shakespeare Shorts, Our Mutual Friend, Goodnight Mr Tom, My Dad's the Prime Minister, Law & Order: UK, and Mayor of Casterbridge. His film appearances include roles in The Sexplorer (1975), Secrets of a Superstud (1976), What's Up Nurse! (1977), Under the Bed (1977), Le Pétomane (1979), Hopscotch (1980), Captive (1986), The Hour of the Pig (1993), The Grotesque (1995), Double Identity (2009), The Wolfman (2010), The Raven (2012), In Secret (2013) and In the Heart of the Sea (2015).