John Mahoney Biography

Date of Birth: June 20, 1940

Tony Award-winner John Mahoney is most familiar to television audiences from his role as Martin Crane on Frasier.

Born in Manchester, England, Mahoney began performing as a young boy with several theatrical companies. After moving to Chicago, he earned a Bachelor's at Quincy College and a Master's from Western Illinois State and worked as an trade publication editor.

Then Mahoney, at age 37, enrolled in classes at Chicago's St. Nicholas Theatre and within a year, award-winning playwright David Mamet cast him in the world premiere of The Water Engine. In 1978, the actor began a still-flourishing association with Chicago's acclaimed Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where he has appeared in more than 30 plays.

Mahoney's list of feature film credits includes She's the One, Antz (as the voice of Drunk Scout), Primal Fear, In the Line of Fire, Reality Bites, The American President, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, The Russia House, Suspect, Moonstruck and Dan in Real Life.

He received the Tony Award for his portrayal of Artie Shaughnessy in Jerry Zaks' Broadway revival of House of Blue Leaves (for which he also received a Clarence Derwent Award and a Drama Desk nomination).

When Frasier finished its lengthy run on television, Mahoney turned down offers for several other TV shows, because he wanted to concentrate on theater. Since then, he's played in Steppenwolf Theatre Company's I Never Sang for My Father and The Dresser, as well as starring in Roundabout Theater Company's production of Prelude to a Kiss at the American Airlines Theater in New York. He has also made time to appear in movies such as Dan in Real Life (2007) and Rob Reiner's Flipped (2010).