Anglo-American actor John Mahoney was BOTD in 1940. Born in Blackpool in England to a working-class family, he grew up in Manchester. In 1959, aged 18, he moved to the United States, studying at Quincy University before joining the US Army. After being discharged, he attended West Illinois University and became a high school English teacher. By the mid 1970s, he left teaching to pursue a career as an actor, joining the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago alongside John Malkovich and Laurie Metcalf. He won a Tony Award in 1986 for his performance in Steppenwolf’s Broadway revival of The House of Blue Leaves. He is best known for his recurring role in TV sitcom Frasier, appearing in all 11 seasons from 1993 to 2004, and earning two Emmy Award nominations. He also appeared in supporting roles in the films Suspect, Moonstruck, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy and Primal Fear. A devout Catholic and discreetly gay, he never publicly discussed his sexuality, but played many gay roles, notably an ageing drag queen in TV medical drama ER, a closeted business executive In Treatment and a gay elder in 2000 rom-com The Broken Hearts Club. He died in 2018 aged 77. Many of his obituaries obliterated all references to his sexuality.