Martin Crane (born c. May 1930s;[a] died 2023) is a fictional character from the American television show Frasier, and was played by John Mahoney.
After returning home Martin joined the Seattle Police Department, and would remain in this capacity until being forced to retire due to being shot in the hip in 1991, at age 59.
Martin blamed himself for his wife's infidelity, which occurred about 30 years before the timeline of the show, and initially tells his sons that he had been the adulterer.
Martin and Walt are estranged, thanks to Zora's hostility toward Frasier's meddling in Nikos' life (encouraging him to follow his dream of becoming a professional juggler, rather than the more reputable profession his domineering mother wanted for him).
[15] In 1991, Martin was looking forward to retirement when he was shot by a man named David Hicks in the line of duty after interrupting a robbery attempt in a convenience store.
[18] The resolution brings a long-awaited measure of satisfaction and peace of mind to Martin, who had made a vow to the victim's mother that he'd find and apprehend the killer, and was becoming concerned that she would die of old age before he did.
[23] In the earlier seasons especially, most of the comedy and drama of the series stems from the culture clashes between the refined sons and the blue-collar father (the sons frequently considering themselves superior in both taste and intellectual matters to their father, Niles once admitted that he often does not listen to Martin's advice because he "doesn't have any credentials"), and the struggles between Frasier and Martin in sharing an apartment.
Initially Frasier figures the perfect present for his father is to purchase him an expensive leather recliner that replaces Martin's old one.
This greatly upsets Martin when he explains the sentimental value of the chair to Frasier, who feels extreme guilt and proceeds to get the recliner back for his father and returns the new one.
In one of the series' final episodes, Martin sits in the leather recliner Frasier originally picked and admits he likes it after all.
Martin also frequently clashed with and was vocally dismissive of both of his sons' romantic interests (in particular their wives, Maris and Lilith), which also added to the bad feeling between the men.
Because they share similar blue collar, easygoing personalities, as well as an interest in sports, Martin gets along very well with Frasier's close friend Sam Malone.
In the episode "Breaking the Ice", for example, he finds it easier to say the words "I love you" to both his dog Eddie and Duke than he does to either of his sons; when he finally does so, Martin has first heavily imbibed of alcohol, and cannot look Frasier or Niles in the eye as he does so.
He has stated that he believes justice should be the same for everyone when he refused to help Niles take care of a legal problem for Maris; he has, nevertheless used his position as an ex-policeman for preferential treatment on occasion, such as when he flashed his badge to a border guard in order to alleviate his suspicions.
He is usually enthusiastic about making new friends, and although he may find it difficult to express his feelings to his sons, he clearly loves them both, remaining proud of and devoted to them, and bitterly resenting any implication that this might not be the case.
Martin quickly cuts him off, angered at being portrayed "as a drunken judgmental jackass", and tells Niles that, while he and Frasier were not what he was expecting, he has always been proud of them.