Mahoney moved to the United States when his older sister, Vera, who had moved to Illinois when she got married, agreed to be his sponsor. Mahoney studied at Quincy University in Illinois where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree. In order to speed up his citizenship process, Mahoney joined the United States Army. It was while in the army that Mahoney worked to lose his English accent.

Following his stint in the army, Mahoney moved back to Illinois and taught English at Western Illinois University in the 1970s after receiving his master’s degree in English from the same university. He then became an associate editor for a medical journal publisher, also in the 1970s. Toward the end of the 1970s, Mahoney began to grow bored with the dry and technical aspects of his work and went through somewhat of a mid-life crisis.

To jazz up his life, Mahoney began taking acting classes at St. Nicolas Theater. His enjoyment of acting caused him to quit his job as editor and pursue acting full time. Mahoney began his career on the stage and it was fellow actor and friend, John Malkovich, who talked Mahoney into joining the Steppenwolf Theatre. In 1986, Mahoney won a Tony award as Best Actor for his role in the Broadway play The House of Blue Leaves.

Mahoney began his career in film in 1980 and began receiving supporting roles in films like Suspect in 1987, starring Cher and Dennis Quaid; Moonstruck in 1987, starring Cher and Nicolas Cage; and Primal Fear in 1996, starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney, and Edward Norton. Mahoney has also provided his voice for several animated films, including Antz in 1998, starring Sharon Stone, Woody Allen, Dan Aykroyd, Christopher Walken, Jennifer Lopez, and Danny Glover.

In 1993, Mahoney landed a role on the hit television sitcom Frasier. The show co-starred Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpin, and David Hyde Pierce and Mahoney received many Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his performances on the show. The final season of the Frasier aired in 2004.

Following the finale of Frasier, Mahoney was reportedly offered other deals for TV shows. He turned them all down stating that he had made more than enough money on Frasier and now felt comfortable enough to return to his first love, the theater.

Currently, Mahoney has returned to Chicago, which he now calls home, to continue working with the Steppenwolf Theatre.

YUDDY