A versatile and prolific character actor of stage, film and TV, Mahoney has been particularly convincing as charming drunks, seasoned cops and sinister professionals. The British native came to the US after graduating from high school, served in the army and worked for several years as an English teacher and editor before pursuing an acting career at the age of 37. A veteran of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater, Mahoney appeared in the world premiere of David Mamet's "The Water Engine" (1977) and gained fame on Broadway as the melancholy zoo-keeper in John Guare's "The House of Blue Leaves"