John was maybe the nicest, most easy-going man on the planet. And what a sensational actor. I had the privilege to both write for him and direct him. The consummate professional, John always knew his lines, was always there for rehearsal, always cheerful, always generous.
Off the set he was quiet, private, and almost shy. You don’t hear of many actors referred to as “shy.” But that was John. You could really get him talking however if you brought up football. He was a huge football fan. So it was even more tragic for him to die on Super Bowl Sunday.
I first met John on CHEERS. David and I had an episode where we needed a middle-aged jingle writer. A real Tin Pan Alley guy. We had another actor, but after the dress rehearsal he just freaked out with such a case of stage fright that he drove off the lot and never returned. Obviously, we couldn’t shoot that part that night, but we re-cast and shot it the following week. John Mahoney was hired to fill that role. And crushed it.
At the time, Peter Casey, David Lee, and David Angell were casting their pilot of FRASIER. They saw the CHEERS episode with John and thought he might be a good choice to play Martin. The rest is history. Crazy how these things work out sometimes.
John was a gentle soul with a twinkle in his eye. He was equally gifted at comedy and drama. And he made it look easy. To me he was the real key to the success of FRASIER. He was voice of the common man who never let the brothers get too full of themselves. And yet his love for them, and theirs for him was evident in every moment of every episode.
Everyone in the FRASIER family, from the writers to the cast to the Teamster drivers loved John. We have a large body of his work, both in TV and films (particularly SAY ANYTHING) to enjoy and appreciate for years to come. John Mahoney was special. One of a kind. No one will ever be able to fill his chair.
from By Ken Levine
Comments
Post a Comment