"Martin and Frasier are still trying to figure each other out," says John Mahoney of his character, Martin Crane, the ex-cop father of psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer). "Martin's a fish out of water in his own family, which had three psychiatrists - his wife and two sons - and there's a great deal of bad blood that he and Frasier have tried to cleanse living together."
The Tony-winning actor (House of Blue Leaves) may be remembered by audiences as the college professor who was splashed in the face with a drink in Moonstruck. Ironically, teaching is one of the professions he tried before becoming an actor.
Born in Manchester, England, Mahoney emigrated to the United States after high school and joined the Army, where he worked on losing his British accent. He received a B.A. from Quincy College and an M.A. in English from Western Illinois University. However, he did not decide to pursue acting until after trying a variety of other careers, including college professor, hospital orderly and medical-journal editor, all of which left him unfulfilled.
At age 37, Mahoney enrolled in classes at Chicago's St. Nicholas Theatre co-founded by David Mamet - where he performed opposite John Malkovich, who invited him to join the Steppenwolf Theater Company. Mahoney has since appeared in more than 30 Steppenwolf productions.
In addition to a Tony, he received a Clarence Derwent Award and a Drama Desk nomination for his performance in House of Blue Leaves. He received his second Drama Desk nomination and a Theatre World Award for his portrayal of Harold in the off-Broadway production of Orphans. In 1994, he made his directorial debut at Steppenwolf with the production of Talking Heads, a play made up of a series of monologues. Mahoney was seen on stage at Steppenwolf in The Man Who Came to Dinner, a production of the 1939 comedy of errors directed by James Burrows. The following July, the entire cast reprised their roles in England at London's Barbican Centre.
Mahoney's feature-film credits include She's the One, The American President, Primal Fear, Barton Fink, Suspect, The Russia House, Frantic, Betrayed, Eight Men Out, Say Anything, The Manhattan Project, Article 99, Striking Distance, The Hudsucker Proxy, Reality Bites and In the Line of Fire.
On television, he has starred on the series The Human Factor, H.E.L.P. and Lady Blue; in the NBC miniseries Favourite Son; and in such television movies as Will, Dinner at Eight, The Image, The Killing Floor, First Step and David Mamet's The Water Engine.
His performance as Martin, the Crane patriarch on Frasier, earned him a Golden Globe nomination as Best Supporting Actor.
Mahoney lives in Chicago.
His birthday is June 20.