British-born actor John Mahoney, who starred as Martin Crane in hit US sitcom Frasier, has died, his manager said.
The 77-year-old, who appeared in the long-running show between 1993 and 2004, died in Chicago.
Mahoney earned legions of fans for his portrayal of the cranky Marty, father of Kelsey Grammer’s Frasier.
The great John Mahoney passed away today at age 77. I've not known a kinder man nor more brilliant actor. We were all blessed to have spent 11 glorious years together. pic.twitter.com/hn3SZwuEy4
The sitcom’s casting director, Jeff Greenberg, tweeted: “I’ve not known a kinder man nor more brilliant actor. We were all blessed to have spent 11 glorious years together.”
Born in Blackpool in 1940 to a family evacuated from wartime Manchester, Mahoney later emigrated to the US where he was granted citizenship after service in the military, according to a biography on online entertainment database IMDb.
The actor most recently appeared on TV screens in 2015, when he portrayed businessman Andrew Del Mar in an episode of ITV drama Foyle’s War.
