Overview (4)

Mini Bio (1)

John Mahoney was an award-winning American actor. He was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, the seventh of eight children of Margaret and Reg, a baker. His family was evacuated to the sea-side resort to avoid the Nazi bombing of their native Manchester. The Mancunian Mahoneys eventually returned to Manchester during the war. Visiting the States to see his older sister, a "war bride" who had married an American, the young Mahoney decided to emigrate and was sponsored by his sister. John eventually won his citizenship by serving in the U.S. Army.



Long interested in acting, Mahoney didn't make the transition to his craft until he was almost forty years old. Mahoney took acting classes at the St. Nicholas Theater and finally built up the courage to quit his day job and pursue acting full time. John Malkovich, one of the founders of the Second City's distinguished Steppenwolf Theatre, encouraged Mahoney to join Steppenwolf, and in 1986, Mahoney won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in John Guare's American Playhouse: The House of Blue Leaves (1987).



Mahoney made his feature film debut in 1980, but he was best known for playing the role of the father of the eponymous character Frasier (1993) from 1993 until 2004. He later concentrated on stage work back in Chicago, and appeared on Broadway in 2007 in a revival of Prelude to a Kiss (1992).



John died on February 4, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Jon C. Hopwood

Trade Mark (2)

Gravelly voice



Often played men older than his real-life age.



Trivia (31)



Although he later played Frasier's father Martin Crane on Frasier (1993), John Mahoney appeared on a 1992 episode of Cheers (1982) as a pianist who was hired to write a jingle for the bar.

Lost his English accent after he joined the U.S. Army.



Received a bachelor of arts degree from Quincy College (Quincy, Illinois, now Quincy University) and a masters in English from Western Illinois University (Macomb, Illinois).





Met actor John Malkovich in a Chicago acting class, who encouraged him to join the Steppenwolf theatre company.

Was a member of the Stretford Civic Theatre in Manchester, England in his teens.





After Frasier (1993) ended, Mahoney claims he was approached for other TV series offers, but declined. Citing that Frasier (1993) comfortably gave him enough money, he wanted to return to the theater, which he considers his home.



Won Broadway's 1986 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for American Playhouse: The House of Blue Leaves (1987).

Came to the United States to visit his sister who was a war bride



He was formerly an English professor who taught at many colleges.



While approaching middle age, he finally decided to become an actor by quitting his job as a medical journalist and enrolling in acting classes at the St. Nicholas Theater, which has since closed.





His favourite sitcom is Rising Damp (1974).

He joined the Army after he moved to the U.S. Once out of the service, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Quincy College and a Master of Arts degree in English from Western Illinois University.



He joined the ensemble at Steppenwolf Theatre in 1979 and has appeared in over 20 productions there, including "The Dresser," "I Never Sang For My Father," "The Drawer Boy," "Balm in Gilead," "Orphans," "Of Mice and Men," "Born Yesterday," "The Song of Jacob Zulu," "Death and the Maiden." "Supple in Combat," and "The Man Who Came to Dinner". He made his Steppenwolf directing debut in 1994 with "Talking Heads".





He was nominated for a 1980 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in "Death of a Salesman" at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois.



He was nominated for a 1984 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for "The Hothouse" at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.



He was nominated for a 1989 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role for "After the Fall" at the National Jewish Theater in Chicago, Illinois.



He was nominated for a 2004 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for "I Never Sang for My Father" at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois.

Is the uncle of Illinois State Senator John Sullivan.



He was nominated for the 2011 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for "The Outgoing Tide" at the Northlight Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.



Did not start acting until he was 37 years old.





Best known by the public for his starring role as Martin Crane on Frasier (1993). He was only 15 years older than Kelsey Grammer when he played his father.

Playing 'Sir' in "The Dresser" at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago [November 2004]



Lives in Oak Park, Illinois [May 2003]



Starring in Roundabout Theater Company production of "Prelude to a Kiss" at the American Airlines Theater in New York. [February 2007]





Having wrapped up Frasier (1993), he returned to Chicago to play Tom Garrison in Steppenwolf Theatre Company's "I Never Sang for My Father." Mahoney is an ensemble member of Steppenwolf. [May 2004]

In Dreamworks Antz he provided the voice of the Drunk Scout while David Hyde Pierce who plays his youngest son on Frasier voiced the character Slim in the rival Disney/Pixar movie A Bug's Life.



His favourite episode of Frasier was season one's 'Travels with Martin'.





In 1987, he appeared in two films with Cher Moonstruck (1987) and Suspect (1987).

Continued to live full time in Chicago upon establishing himself as a Hollywood film/TV and New York stage actor. In particular was uncomfortable living among LA's film/TV industry culture, and preferred the anonymity afforded him by continuing to live in Chicago.



Personal Quotes (3)

(on his decision to pursue an acting career) So I was the associate editor of a medical journal in Chicago, and I was thirty seven, and all of a sudden I just sort of started going through this dark night of the soul... where I just... . Is this going to be it for me, am I going to be spending the rest of my life writing about cataracts and hemorrhoids... and... . just not what I wanted to do, and I was just intensely depressed all the time.



People say there's no trace of an accent anymore, and there isn't because I worked very hard to lose it. And the reason I did that is a British accent in America is a real status symbol.



I just wasn't happy. I didn't go home at night and bang my head against the wall, but I was smoking a lot and drinking a lot and it all sort of caught up with me in this dark night of the soul. I finally thought, before I get too old, I've got to try it, and if it doesn't work out, at least I'm not going to be 65 years old, looking back over my life and saying, 'God, why didn't I at least try?'.

