John Mahoney was born June 20, 1940 in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. Mahoney left the United Kingdom after finishing school and moved to the United States where he joined the Army. He persevered to lose his British accent while in the service and also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Quincy College and a Master’s degree in English from Western Illinois University. He found work as a teacher and magazine editor after leaving the Army, but decided to try acting in his search for something more fulfilling. He took acting classes at St. Nicholas Theater in Chicago and met actor John Malkovich, who invited Mahoney to join the Steppenwolf Theater Company. Mahoney has since appeared in over 30 of their productions and went on to win a Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role – Play) in 1986, for his work on House of Blue Leaves. In 1993, he landed his most famous role to date, as Martin Crane, on the comedy, Frasier.

Martin Crane, played by John Mahoney on Frasier, is a war veteran and a former detective, and the father of snobbish but good-natured psychiatrist brothers, Frasier and Niles Crane. He is as different from his sons as night is to day. While Niles and Frasier have elegant and sophisticated tastes, Martin is a down-to-earth regular guy who prefers the simpler things in life. He lives with his son, Frasier and his dog, Eddie.


(Photo courtesy of NBC)