‘Remember him well’
Actor played cranky, lovable dad on TV classic
Friends and colleagues are paying tribute on social media and elsewhere to John Mahoney. The actor best known as the cranky, blue-collar dad on the TV sitcom Frasier has died at 77.
John Cusack, who appeared with Mahoney in the 1989 film Say Anything, tweeted that he was a great actor and a “lovely kind human — any time you saw him you left feeling better.”
Frasier co-star Peri Gilpin tweeted: “John singing at my wedding. Watch Moonstruck, Say Anything and/or Frasier or anything you can with him in it and raise a glass to John. Remember him well.”
Actor John Ross Bowie found inspiration in Mahoney ’s career path, tweeting: “John Mahoney was 37 when he started acting. Thirty-seven. Go do that thing you’re thinking about. #RIP.”
Mahoney died Feb. 4 in Chicago after a brief hospitalization, said Paul Martino, his manager for more than 30 years.
In Frasier, the hit Cheers spinoff that aired from 1993 to 2004, Mahoney played Martin Crane, a disabled ex-policeman who parked himself in a battered old armchair in Frasier’s chic Seattle living room. Kelsey Grammer’s Frasier and David Hyde Pierce’s Niles, both psychiatrists with lofty views of their own intellect, squabbled constantly with their dad but, when needed, the family closed ranks.
He was a two-time Emmy nominee for Frasier, won a 1986 Tony Award and worked steadily in movies.
Recent TV credits included a recurring role as Betty White’s love interest on Hot in Cleveland and a 2015 guest appearance on Foyle’s War.
Charles John Mahoney was born June 20, 1940 in Blackpool, England, during the Second World War.
That’s where his pregnant mother had been evacuated for safety from Nazi attacks, but the family soon returned to its home in Manchester.
After moving to the U.S. and settling in the Chicago area, he turned to acting in midcareer, quitting his job as editor of a medical journal after taking acting classes.
John Malkovich encouraged him to join Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company.
“I give up nothing (professionally) by being in Chicago,” said Mahoney in 2015, at the time preparing to rehearse a Steppenwolf production of The Herd.
The theatre cancelled a performance Feb. 5 in his honour, tweeting: “It is with our deepest sorrow that we share the news that ensemble member of 39 years John Mahoney passed away. Tonight’s opening night performance of You Got Older has been cancelled. We are instead inviting all to gather in Front Bar this evening. All are welcome to join us. John’s impact on this institution, on Chicago theatre and the world of arts and entertainment are great and will endure.”