Quotes by John Mahoney

“And then I went to visit my sister in the states and all of a sudden it was just like, its like... its like the movie Wizard of Oz when all of a sudden it changes from Black and White to glorious Technicolor.”

“I was going to be living there and I didnt want to sound like a foreigner all my life.”

“It doesnt matter whether you come from Bradford or whether you come from Liverpool or whether you come from London or... . It doesnt matter. All they have to hear is that British accent and they immediately think that youre brilliant beyond belief... . and talented beyond compare.”

“But it was just like life was waiting for me to make that decision, and when I finally made it, it just took me places I never even believed existed.”

“People say theres no trace of an accent anymore, and there isnt because I worked very hard to lose it. And the reason I did that is a British accent in America is a real status symbol.”

“When I got out of the army I went to college, and I got a Bachelors degree in English, and then I went to University, and I got a masters degree in English. Because I thought I wanted to teach English. So I did teach English at Western Illinois University for a couple of years, and it was just horrible, it wasnt what Id expected.”

“He had me arrested one morning at two oclock in the morning. I was asleep. Banging on my door, and I opened the door and these big, burly Chicago coppers were there, and they said, JOHN MAHONEY, and I said, yes, thats me... . YOURE UNDER ARREST and I said, what for and they said FOR IMPERSONATING AN ACTOR.”

“So I was the associate editor of a medical journal in Chicago, and I was thirty seven, and all of a sudden I just sort of started going through this dark night of the soul... where I just... . Is this going to be it for me, am I going to be spending the rest of my life writing about cataracts and hemorrhoids... and... . just not what I wanted to do, and I was just intensely depressed all the time.”

“It was post war. It was very gray, very dreary. Everything was still rationed when I first saw the United States in 1951. I went over to visit my sister who was a war bride.”

“We have been frustrated that there are a number of incumbents in Maryland offices who have been in office for years and years and show no movement or desire to pass the torch.”

It was post war. It was very gray, very dreary. Everything was still rationed when I first saw the United States in 1951. I went over to visit my sister who was a war bride.

I didnt want to be the archetypal sponging brother-in-law, so I didnt go into acting when I got to the States. I thought, No, Ill go to school and then Ill be an English teacher; thatll be fun. But I was horrible as a teacher. As hard as I tried, I just couldnt inspire those kids to take an interest in Milton and Shakespeare and Donne.