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You are here: Home / Absent Friends / RIP / John Mahoney RIP

John Mahoney RIP

by @heymistermix.com|  February 5, 20189:30 pm| 37 Comments

This post is in: RIP

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He was much more than Frasier’s dad, but here’s a clip from his favorite episode of that series. Open thread.

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Reader Interactions

37Comments

  1. 1.

    PST

    February 5, 2018 at 9:42 pm

    I saw Mahoney perform several times here in Chicago, most recently in 2015 at Steppenwolf. I had no idea until today that he grew up in England. I always thought of him as a local. Oddly enough, the play we saw that year, The Herd, takes place in London, and my wife and I both noticed that unlike the rest of the cast, Mahoney didn’t speak with a British accent. Very sorry to see him pass, especially since 77 doesn’t seem all that old to me anymore.

  2. 2.

    Mnemosyne

    February 5, 2018 at 9:49 pm

    I knew him slightly and had dinner (in a group) with him a couple of times. Really nice guy. His health hadn’t been good for a while so we were expecting this news, but it’s still sad.

    @PST:

    He worked really hard to lose his accent. And the original Steppenwolf theater was in the basement of my (now-gone) Catholic school in Highland Park.

    (The Steppenwolfers who say it was in the basement of Immaculate Conception church in Highland Park are misremembering — it was in the basement of the adjacent parochial school, which is now condos.)

  3. 3.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    February 5, 2018 at 9:50 pm

    So many good character parts that I would see him in, a lot of times recognizing him in rematches after he blew up on Frazier

    @PST: I always wanted to see him on stage, sad I won’t now

  4. 4.

    PhoenixRising

    February 5, 2018 at 9:54 pm

    Moonstruck. “I’m too old for me; that’s my predicament.”

    Genius.

  5. 5.

    Mnemosyne

    February 5, 2018 at 9:55 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    We saw him in 2001 at the Geffen. He was good, but Lindsay Crouse blew everyone else off the stage.

  6. 6.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    February 5, 2018 at 9:56 pm

    I remember a story that Oprah wanted to have the whole cast of Frazier on during the last season, but he thought it was a silly idea and wouldn’t do it

  7. 7.

    SiubhanDuinne

    February 5, 2018 at 10:01 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    He lived in Oak Park.

  8. 8.

    Tenar Arha

    February 5, 2018 at 10:02 pm

    This made me sad. The clip referenced in this tweet reminded me so much of my Dad (though there would have been more words & wordplay).

  9. 9.

    Schlemazel

    February 5, 2018 at 10:03 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:
    Always enjoyed his work, now I like him a whole lot more.

  10. 10.

    satby

    February 5, 2018 at 10:04 pm

    I always thought if my dad had lived long enough he would have been very much like Martin Crane. Mahoney wasn’t born there, but he was a Chicagoan through and through.

  11. 11.

    Tokyokie

    February 5, 2018 at 10:04 pm

    He was one of my favorite character actors, able to convey genuine warmth or quiet menace with equal ability, depending on the nature of the role.

  12. 12.

    OldDave

    February 5, 2018 at 10:04 pm

    Mahoney also voiced General Rogard in one of my favorite Brad Bird animations, “The Iron Giant”.

  13. 13.

    satby

    February 5, 2018 at 10:10 pm

    @Tenar Arha: That’s what I mean too, that’s so like my dad. Mahoney did that so well, and then could turn around and radiate menace in a role on Burn Notice.

  14. 14.

    WaterGirl

    February 5, 2018 at 10:15 pm

    @satby: Hi satby!

    This is said. He was one of thereat character actors. Now I want to find an episode of Burn Notice where he is a menace.

  15. 15.

    Mnemosyne

    February 5, 2018 at 10:16 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    That’s exactly why I was acquainted with him, but I really don’t want to get too specific online. If your email is back up, feel free to email me for exact OP locations.

  16. 16.

    SiubhanDuinne

    February 5, 2018 at 10:20 pm

    @Mnemosyne:
    No email until I can afford to repair or replace defunct iPad, but you can PM me through the FB messenger app. Now I’m intrigued!

  17. 17.

    PST

    February 5, 2018 at 10:22 pm

    @WaterGirl: if you want to see Mahoney radiate menace watch Primal Fear, a film with lots of Chicago color.

  18. 18.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    February 5, 2018 at 10:25 pm

    @satby: That was a fun show, and I was so happy when he turned up in that role.

  19. 19.

    PST

    February 5, 2018 at 10:29 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    We saw him in 2001 at the Geffen. He was good, but Lindsay Crouse blew everyone else off the stage.

    Funny to see her name in this context. I was trying to think of times I saw Mahoney on stage, and one was a two man play with Mike Nussbaum, a great Chicago actor even older than him. Nussbaum was in the cast of House of Games with Lindsay Crouse, a movie with scenes that have stayed with me a long time.

  20. 20.

    John Revolta

    February 5, 2018 at 10:32 pm

    “Beer and pretzels, that’s our game, C-H-E-R-S!”

  21. 21.

    Miss Bianca

    February 5, 2018 at 10:33 pm

    @satby: ooh! Was he “Management”, by chance?

    (Been binge-watching “Burn Notice” because I am a huge Bruce Campbell freak, but been loving the rest of the casting!)

  22. 22.

    satby

    February 5, 2018 at 10:39 pm

    @WaterGirl: Hey lady! He was in the 2009 and 2010 season finales of Burn Notice, his character was referred to only as “Management”.

  23. 23.

    satby

    February 5, 2018 at 10:41 pm

    @Miss Bianca: Yes, that’s him!

  24. 24.

    WaterGirl

    February 5, 2018 at 10:46 pm

    @satby: Right! I may have to take to watching that again. I wonder if it’s on Netflix.

  25. 25.

    Ruckus

    February 5, 2018 at 10:46 pm

    @Tenar Arha:
    He did make that show. Without him it would just have been 2 pompous idiots who wanted to be assholes but didn’t have the upbringing.

  26. 26.

    NotMax

    February 5, 2018 at 10:47 pm

    Liked him in “The House of Blue Leaves.” He won a Tony for that, IIRC.

  27. 27.

    Miss Bianca

    February 5, 2018 at 10:52 pm

    @NotMax: Did he play Artie?

    (I actually played Bunny Flingus my sophomore year in high school. Looking back on it, I still can’t believe the administration let my drama teacher direct that play! Kind of racy for high school.)

  28. 28.

    oatler.

    February 5, 2018 at 10:55 pm

    Look for Ken Levine’s post tomorrow morning.
    http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/

  29. 29.

    NotMax

    February 5, 2018 at 11:07 pm

    Here he is in Star Trek: Voyager.

    Sort of.

    @

    Yup.

  30. 30.

    NotMax

    February 5, 2018 at 11:09 pm

    My bad. Fix.

    @Miss Bianca

    Yup.

  31. 31.

    Tehanu

    February 5, 2018 at 11:29 pm

    He was absolutely brilliant as William Faulkner in the Coen Bros. movie Barton Fink. I’m so sorry he’s gone, what a shame.

  32. 32.

    Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)

    February 5, 2018 at 11:43 pm

    I never watched Frasier, but I liked him as Kid Gleason in Eight Men Out.

  33. 33.

    Mathguy

    February 5, 2018 at 11:54 pm

    He was great as the father in Say Anything.

  34. 34.

    mainmata

    February 6, 2018 at 12:05 am

    So sad to hear. I loved his character on Frasier. Didn’t know about his other work. RIP.

  35. 35.

    John Revolta

    February 6, 2018 at 12:20 am

    @Tehanu: Oh fuck, I TOTALLY MISSED THAT THAT WAS HIM!! Daaaammmmnnnnn………….

  36. 36.

    Skippy-san

    February 6, 2018 at 2:50 am

    “There is never an egg timer around when you need one.”-from his role in The American President.

  37. 37.

    maurinsky

    February 6, 2018 at 1:25 pm

    I saw him in The House of Blue Leaves, also. What a great actor.

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