These Two Mahoney Guys Are Not Related

Q: We very much enjoy "Frasier" and wonder whether John Mahoney is related to movie star Jock Mahoney. Is his leg injury authentic or just for TV?

A: John Mahoney is a longtime character actor whose past credits include "Moonstruck," "Barton Fink," "Reality Bites," "In the Line of Fire," "She's the One," "Primal Fear," "The American President" and "Antz." He assumes a limp only for his TV role. Born in Manchester, England (home of "Frasier's" Daphne), Mahoney is not a relative of Jock Mahoney, the Hollywood stunt man who played Tarzan in the movies and Yancy Derringer on TV in the 1950s. Jock Mahoney, who died in 1989, does have a famous relation, though. He was stepfather to Sally Field.

Q: I say Perry Mason and Della Street were married in one of the later Perry Mason movies. My friend says no. Can you settle this?

A: Though private secretary Della Street was with lawyer Mason through all the reincarnations of the show from 1957 until 1993, the two never married. The last of the Perry Mason movies starring Raymond Burr, "The Case of the Killer Kiss," aired after his death in 1993. Barbara Hale, who played Della, is the last surviving original cast member from the show.

Q: What can you tell me about Jan Smithers, who played Bailey Quarters on "WKRP in Cincinnati?" Is she still acting? Has she done anything notable since leaving the series?

A: Smithers has done very little acting since "WKRP" left the air in 1982. Her last credit was in the 1987 movie "Mr. Nice Guy." She was married to actor James Brolin for nine years before they divorced in 1995. They have a 10-year-old daughter named Molly. Internet fans of Smithers report she lives a quiet life in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she celebrated her 50th birthday July 3. Meanwhile, "WKRP" reruns joined the Nick at Nite lineup earlier this month.

Q: Please give me a short bio on John Henson from E!'s "Talk Soup." What is he going to be doing now that he's left the show? I'm going to miss him.

A: The former "Talk Soup" host grew up in Connecticut and attended Boston University to study acting. Instead, he got hooked on performing stand-up and left school at the age of 20 to hit the comedy club circuit. He landed the "Talk Soup" gig in 1995 after Greg Kinnear left the show for a late-night network talk show. Now Henson, 32, hopes to follow in Kinnear's footsteps again. He's working on an unnamed project for ABC that may turn out to be a late-night talk show for the alphabet network. Meanwhile, comic Hal Sparks has taken the reins at "Talk Soup."

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