well as the owner of the family bar. Mace is a typical Irish Catholic patriarch: he frequently drinks beer, won't change his viewpoint or choices for others, and wants his son to marry a Catholic girl. Mace and Philip both disapprove of Bobby and Liz' relationship, and hate each other as well. Mace will frequently call Philip and Simon various demeaning names, such as "Pixie Sticks" or "The Notorious G.A.Y.". In the first part of the series, Mace is extremely homophobic; however, these tendencies were suppressed as the show went on (although he does still continue to call them names). When Mace does not get his way, he usually yells "Fine!" and walks away. Harriet Sansom Harris as Audrey O'Neill (née Corrigan): Bobby's mother and Mace's wife, who helps him run the bar. Audrey only wants the best for Bobby and Maddy, and her desires and decisions usually conflict with Mace's. Although Audrey is at first on the same page with Mace regarding the Stoddard-Banks family, she eventually warms up to Simon. Later episodes also show Audrey gaining more confidence in herself and her beliefs and desires. John Benjamin Hickey as Philip Stoddard: Liz's adoptive father, who serves as the patriarch of the Stoddard-Banks family. Philip is portrayed as an effeminate, OCD-ridden art gallery owner. Philip has several phobias and ticks that usually annoy the others (especially Mace and Simon), such as: having different napkins for spills and eating, not allowing Liz and Simon to get dogs due to their "filthiness" (even going as far as lying to both of them for many years about having a terrible allergy), etc. Like Mace disapproves of the relationship between Bobby and Liz, Philip is also the more vocal one of the couple of his disapproval; he is usually saying insults (and sometimes trying) to get Bobby and Liz broken-up. A running gag on the series is Philip's three-times divorced mother, Lillian, an overbearing woman who causes both Philip and Simon grief, and is on her fourth marriage to a millionaire in Florida. Christopher Sieber as Simon Banks: Liz' adoptive father, who serves as the matriarch of the Stoddard-Banks family. Simon is a third-grade teacher, who is portrayed as more masculine than Philip, although he usually takes care of more of the household chores, such as cooking. However, Philip is also very much more laid-back than Philip. Like Audrey, Simon is also on