# John Mahoney of Frasier dead at 77 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [February 5, 2018, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266 "2018-02-05T23:25:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/21 "2018-02-06T08:48:52Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Born in England yes but moved to the US in his teens and purposely lost his accent before he became an actor. He was in the Army and got tired of being teased about his accent. > > As for being gay I don’t believe he ever officially came out. He had colon cancer years ago which meant he had to live with a colostomy bag and had several other health issues. I remember seeing him interviewed and when asked about his personal life he basically said his health issues had kept him from being in a relationship for years. Other than that he was very private. So what are you saying… that he wasn’t really British and wasn’t really gay? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/22 "2018-02-06T09:21:45Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > So what are you saying… that he wasn’t really British and wasn’t really gay? Or, more that, neither being British, nor being gay, were particularly significant parts of his public persona. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/23 "2018-02-06T12:49:40Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > So what are you saying… that he wasn’t really British and wasn’t really gay? Sort of. 😃 American citizen with American accent born in England. Rumored to be gay and probably was but he was a private person who never talked about his private life and to my knowledge never publicly acknowledged his sexuality one way or the other. ---
**Author:** ![Eclipse\_Chaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Eclipse\_Chaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eclipse_Chaser)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/24 "2018-02-06T13:24:56Z")
I think he was also in The American President as the Annette Bening character’s boss. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/25 "2018-02-06T14:10:36Z")
My favorite episode of his was the one in which he told a guy he’d been an astronaut. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/26 "2018-02-06T14:36:37Z")
Sad to hear, especially because he was so young. He basically seemed 75 when he was still on Frasier. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/27 "2018-02-06T15:35:03Z")
Outside of ‘Frazier’ the thing I most remember him for was a SNL short (1987) where he played the manager of a goofy bowling prodigy (Ben Stiller). (It was a parody of “The Color of Money” with bowling instead of pool. Mahoney in the Newman role and Ben Stiller was the Cruise role.) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/28 "2018-02-06T15:42:26Z")
> [@Eclipse\_Chaser](#): > > I think he was also in The American President as the Annette Bening character’s boss. He was. “There’s never an egg timer around when you need one.” ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/29 "2018-02-06T16:13:34Z")
Was Grammer the only straight guy on the show? (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/30 "2018-02-06T16:28:55Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > He was also the ever-caring but ultimately duplicitous father of Ione Skye’s character in _Say Anything…_ A great character actor who nailed every role I ever say him play. > > Stranger > [@Jack\_Burden](#): > > Came in to mention this role. So strong in his justification of his crimes and ultimately forced to face the reality of prosecution and everything it costs him. The scene where his credit cards get declined, and the prison scene with Cusack, are just brilliantly played. “I’m incarcerated, Lloyd!” Perfect delivery. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/31 "2018-02-06T16:59:24Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > I was about to say my wife and I were just talking about him because we were watching _Moonstruck_ and pointed him out. He’s also in _Primal Fear_, remember that? Doing the heavy drama thing with no comedy tied in. The police commissioner or something like that? Anyway, he’ll be missed; rest well, John. The best thing about that is, he has to completely nail the over-dinner-and-drinks monologue as The Guy — The Guy who gets called if there’s a thing with a building contractor or if there’s a riot downtown or if there’s a problem with the city’s water pipes, and The Guy who is now going to amiably transition to a conversational chat about whether your client is honoring the terms of an agreement — and we also have to believe it when Richard Gere then casually shrugs it off upon noting that he’s heard that exact speech from him one too many times before. Like, you have to believe that it _would’ve_ worked, if you’d been in the other guy’s shoes; and you also have to believe that it’s _actually_ falling flat. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/32 "2018-02-06T17:16:02Z")
He seemed to be the go-to actor whenever a show called for a police sergeant, and it’s mostly how I remember him. Even in Frasier, he was a retired police sergeant. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/33 "2018-02-06T18:26:19Z")
He was also one of Michael Westen’s handlers in _Burn Notice_. I remember that scene where Michael dives out of the helicopter into the bay. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/34 "2018-02-06T19:24:43Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Was Grammer the only straight guy on the show? (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Of the male, primary cast I believe he was. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/35 "2018-02-06T20:10:50Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Of the male, primary cast I believe he was. The primary cast was Frasier, Niles, Martin, Roz and Daphne. They were in all 263 episodes. I was surprised to see that Bulldog was in only 53 episodes and many of those were a line or two. I don’t think that low a percentage of appearances could bump him up to primary cast. And he was the most frequent reoccurring guest. So only 3 males in the primary cast. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/36 "2018-02-06T20:48:07Z")
Frasier is one of my favorite shows and I also liked him in Say Anything. He started acting at 37 because he was miserable in his day job. It’s never too late to do what you love if you have the opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/37 "2018-02-06T21:27:21Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Love that show in its early seasons. > > Am I right that he was playing against his actual personality in that show? I want to say I heard he was the actual smart, well-read, and erudite one on the set. He definitely sounds different in this [interview bit I found](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Acgxt9Ww0M). Not that different a voice (though less gruff), but definitely more thoughtful and less cranky. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/38 "2018-02-06T22:00:29Z")
Brilliant supporting role in Barton Fink has a Faulkneresque writer on an alcoholic decline. I didn’t know that was him until today. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/39 "2018-02-06T23:28:35Z")
> [@Jack\_Burden](#): > > The scene where his credit cards get declined, Yes! This is what I came in to mention. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266/40 "2018-02-06T23:33:23Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I thought he died quite a while ago. Weird. Frasier only said that because they had had a fight. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mahoney-of-frasier-dead-at-77/808266.md?page=3)