John Mahoney, Steppenwolf and 'Frasier' actor, dead at 77

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The actor John Mahoney, a longtime Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member and a performer known to millions for his work on the NBC sitcom "Frasier," died Sunday at the age of 77. Mahoney's death was confirmed Monday by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Mahoney, who long has lived in Oak Park, was born to British parents and grew up in Manchester, England. He first came to Illinois in the 1950s at 11 years old, to visit his sister, a war-bride. That visit made such an impression, Mahoney found his way back eight years later, under the sponsorship of his sister.

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Unusually, Mahoney became a professional actor only in his 40s, after John Malkovich and Gary Sinise invited him to join their nascent Steppenwolf — then populated mainly by people 15 or 20 years younger. But Steppenwolf needed someone who could play older roles. "By the time I started my career, most people had given up and started selling insurance," he told the Tribune in 2004, "I didn't have so much competition."

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