Tony Award-winner and Emmy Award-nominee John Mahoney portrays Frasier’s (Kelsey Grammer) widowed father, Martin Crane. Forced into retirement after being shot on duty, Martin begrudgingly moved in with his son Frasier, whose well-cultured and sophisticated attitude clashes with his own ordinary, blue-collar ways.
Mahoney’s role as Martin Crane has earned him a second Emmy nomination in 2003 for “Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.” His first Emmy nomination came in 1999, which was followed by a Golden Globe nomination in 2000.
Critics and audiences alike comment on John Mahoney's versatility as an actor. He has captivated film, television and stage audiences equally through his brilliant performances ever since he began his acting career.
Mahoney’s film work first came to the attention of critics in 1986 when he was widely praised for his performance as Richard Dreyfuss' aluminum siding sales partner in Barry Levinson's "Tin Men." Following his appearance as the drink-splashed college professor in "Moonstruck," he went directly into Peter Yates' "Suspect," as the sinister judge out to foil a public defender, played by Cher. Other screen credits include such notable films as Ben Stiller's Generation X anthem "Reality Bites," as Annette Bening’s boss in Rob Reiner’s “The American President,” the Coen brothers' "The Hudsucker Proxy," with Tim Robbins and Paul Newman and "Barton Fink," "The Russia House," "Frantic," "Betrayed," "Eight Men Out," "Say Anything," "Code of Silence," "The Manhattan Project," "Streets of Gold," "Article 99," "Striking Distance," "In The Line of Fire” with Clint Eastwood, squaring off against Richard Gere in the murder drama “Primal Fear,” in Ed Burns’ “She’s the One” and “The Broken Hearts Club” with Dean Cain, Matt McGrath and Nia Long. Other film work was in the independent film “Almost Salinas,” with Lindsay Crouse and Virginia Madsen.
His voice has been heard in such popular animated films as “Antz,” “Iron Giant,” and “Atlantis: The Lost Empire,” with Michael J. Fox, James Garner, Leonard Nimoy and Jim Varney.
Mahoney's work in the theatre won him a Tony Award, a Clarence Derwent Award and a Drama Desk nomination for his portrayal of 'Artie Shaughnessy' in the Broadway production of "House of Blue Leaves." He was also honored with a Theatre World Award and a second Drama Desk nomination for his performance as 'Harold' in the off-Broadway production of "Orphans."
Born in Manchester, England, Mahoney developed an early interest in the stage when, between the ages of ten and thirteen, he performed classics with the Stratford Children's Theatre. After graduating from high school, he was briefly associated with the Birmingham Reperatory Company.
At the age of nineteen he moved to the United States where he served a brief stint in the U.S. Army. Mahoney then settled in Chicago where he still makes his home, and where he earned a Bachelor's degree in English literature at Quincy College and a Master's degree from Western Illinois University. He then took a position as an editor of medical trade publications for doctors and college professors.
However, at the age of 37, Mahoney decided it was time to pursue his life-long love for the theatre as a career. After watching some dramatic performances at Chicago's St. Nicholas Theatre, co-founded by David Mamet, he enrolled in classes there. Later that year, Mamet cast him in the world premiere of "The Water Engine" (a role he later recreated for TNT's televised version of the play). He hasn't stopped working since.
In 1978, Mahoney began his still-flourishing association with Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, where he has appeared in nearly thirty plays, including the 2001 production of Michael Healy’s “The Drawer Boy,” in which he co-starred with Frank Galati and Johnny Galecki. He appeared in 2002 at the Galway Arts Festival in Ireland in the above-mentioned play with performances in both Dublin and Galway.
In 2000, Mahoney starred in Chicago’s Irish Repertory Company’s production of O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” which they also took to Ireland for the 2000 Galway Arts Festival. Mahoney has been nominated four times for Chicago's coveted Joseph Jefferson Awards, three times for Best Actor for his roles in "The Hothouse," "Taking Steps" and "After the Fall," and once for Best Supporting Actor in Arthur Miller's " Death of a Salesman."
Mahoney's other stage work includes starring roles in the off-Broadway revival of "The Subject Was Roses," "Uncle Vanya" at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre as well as “Death and the Maiden” and "Wrong Turn at Lungfish," and “The Man Who Came To Dinner” (directed by James Burrows), at the Steppenwolf Theatre. In addition the entire Chicago cast of “The Man who Came to Dinner” reprised their work in England, at London’s Barbican Center.
Mahoney has also appeared in numerous telefilms such as "The 10 Million Dollar Getaway" for the USA Network, TNT's "Dinner at Eight" with Lauren Bacall, Charles Durning and Marsha Mason, HBO's "The Image" alongside Albert Finney and Swoosie Kurtz, the NBC mini-series "Favorite Son," as well as roles in "Will," "Listen to Your Heart," "The Killing Floor," "Through Naked Eyes," "First Step" and "Dance of the Phoenix." His television series include "H.E.L.P.," "Lady Blue," and "The Human Factor." He also starred in the BBC productions of "Two Lumps of Ice," and "Buying a Landslide."
