John Mahoney: 7 things we didn't know about the 'Frasier' actor

Like many theatergoers, I first encountered John Mahoney in the acclaimed 1986 revival of John Guare's dark comedy "House of Blue Leaves" at Lincoln Center. He was part of a dream cast that included Swoosie Kurtz, Stockard Channing, Julie Hegarty, Christopher Walken and a newcomer by the name of Ben Stiller. 

Within months, Mahoney, who died this week at 77, popped up in Barry Levinson's "Tin Men" with Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito. He turned in two even showier performances in "Suspect" and "Moonstruck," both in 1987 and both starring Cher.

In "Suspect" Mahoney played a judge who develops a seemingly adversarial relationship with an attorney(Cher) who is defending a homeless man (Liam Neeson) suspected of murder.

The actor shined even brighter in "Moonstruck" as Perry, the romance-hungry professor who strikes out with one of his students, before striking up a flirty friendship with an older, married woman in a restaurant. (The woman, played by Montclair native Olympia Dukakis, isn't looking for an affair, but has dinner with him and flirts back.)

Other memorable supporting roles followed, in "The American President" and "She's the One," but by this point, Mahoney had already achieved small-screen immortality as Martin Crane, the crusty, retired cop of two effete sons on "Frasier."

Martin was a tough guy from the Midwest who seemed as uncomfortable in Seattle — the setting for the series — as his plaid recliner seemed in Frasier's tastefully-appointed living room.

Though he excelled at playing salt-of-the-earth Americans, Mahoney was more like Perry in "Moonstruck" than Martin. Some things we didn't know about him:

1. Mahoney was born in Blackpool, England and grew up in Manchester.

2. Although he played Polonious in a kids production of "Hamlet" when he was 11, Mahoney didn't seriously consider an acting career until relatively late in life — well into his 30s, in fact.

3. Mahoney moved to Illinois at age 19, to be closer to his sister, who had married an American GI. It was there that he perfected the mid-western speech pattern that would serve him so well on "Frasier."

4. Like Perry, Mahoney was a teacher. After graduating from college he taught English literature at Western Illinois University.

5. Although he enjoyed the theater, he didn't consider it a career option until he returned to England in 1977 and saw a production of "Uncle Vanya" starring Albert Finney. (He reportedly like the show so much, he saw it again the following day.)

6. Mahoney's biggest step toward a theater career came when he became involved, in the late 1970s, with Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater, working with such future stars as John Malkovich, Ed Harris, Tracy Letts and Laurie Metcalf.  (Mahoney would go on to appear in more than 30 Steppenwolf productions.)

7. Although Mahoney loved almost everything about his time on "Frasier," he despised having to work in Los Angeles. "I'm immensely proud of being on a show that has been so honored," he said, in an interview, "but at the same time, it's not where I live and that drives me crazy. If the show shot in Chicago, I'd shoot it for 20 years. But I miss home so much."

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Mahoney died on Sunday from complications from throat cancer. He had gone into hospice care in his beloved Chicago.