Donald Moffat
Donald Moffat | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 26, 1930 |
| Died | December 20, 2018(aged 87) |
| Education | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art(BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1956–2005 |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 4 |
Donald Moffat(December 26, 1930 – December 20, 2018) was a British-American actor with a decades-long career in film and stage in the United States. He began his acting career on- and off-Broadway,which included appearances inThe Wild DuckandRight You Are If You Think You Are,earning Tony Award nominations for both, as well asPainting Churches,for which he received anObie Award.Moffat also appeared in several feature films, includingThe Thing(1982),The Right Stuff(1983) and, in a rare leading role on film, as a tenuously-recovering alcoholic inOn the Nickel(1980). Moffat also made guest appearances in numerous television series, including such shows asLittle House on the Prairie,Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,andThe West Wing.He also was a principal in the 1993 TV miniseriesTales of the City.
Early life[edit]
Moffat was born inPlymouth,Devon,the only child of Kathleen Mary (néeSmith) and Walter George Moffat, an insurance agent. His father wasScottish.His parents ran a boarding house inTotnes.Completing his studies at the localKing Edward VI Schoolandnational servicein theArmyfrom 1949 to 1951, Moffat trained at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic ArtinLondon.[1][2]
Career[edit]
Stage[edit]
Moffat began his career as a stage actor inLondonandNew York City.His first work was at theOld Vic TheatreCompany in London.[3]
After moving to the United States, Moffat worked as a bartender and a lumberjack inOregon,his wife's home state. "After six months," he said, "I realized that I was an actor and I would always be an actor. And an actor must act. So I started acting again."[4]His first acting job in the United States was inPrinceton, New Jersey.He worked as a carpenter, and his wife did ironing in order to supplement his $25 per week pay.[2]
He joined APA (The Association of Producing Artists), a repertory company onBroadway,and was nominated for a Tony for Best Actor in a Play in 1967 for his roles in revivals ofHenrik Ibsen'sThe Wild DuckandPirandello'sRight You Are If You Think You Are.[5]
He was nominated forDrama Desk Awardsfor Outstanding Actor in a Play for his work inPlay Memory(1984) and for Outstanding Featured Actor in the revival ofEugene O'Neill'sThe Iceman Cometh(1986) withJason Robards.[6]He won anObieforPainting Churches.[7]In 1998, he was nominated for aGemini Awardfor his performance as attorney Joe Ruah in theCBCminiseriesThe Sleep Room.[8]He also appeared in manyBroadwayand Off-Broadway plays, including John Guare'sA Few Stout Individuals(asUlysses S. Grant),[9]The Heiress,[10]The Cherry Orchard,[11]Much Ado About Nothing,[12]The School for Scandal,[12]The Affair[13]andHamlet.[14]
Film[edit]
Among Moffat's best-known film roles are asLyndon B. JohnsoninThe Right Stuff(1983), the corrupt U.S. president inClear and Present Danger,and as Garry, the station commander inThe Thing.[15]
Television[edit]
Moffat played Enos in the CBS western miniseriesThe Chisholms,[16]Lars Lundstrom in the ABC dramaThe New Land.[17]and Rem in the CBS science-fiction seriesLogan's Run.[18]He also appeared inColumbo,The West Wing,Dr. Quinn, Medicine WomanandTales of the City,in which his performance as dying executive Edgar Halcyon earned him many new fans. One of his final roles was as Baseball CommissionerFord Frickin theHBOmovie,61*.[15]Moffat's last role was as a judge in an episode ofLaw & Order: Trial by Juryin 2005.[19]
Personal life[edit]
Moffat married actress Anne Murray in 1954;[1]they had a daughter, Wendy, and a son, Gabriel, before divorcing in 1968.[2]He later married actressGwen Arner.[4]
Moffat died on December 20, 2018, inSleepy Hollow, New Yorkdue to complications from astroke,six days before his 88th birthday.[1]
Selected TV and filmography[edit]
- The Battle of the River Plate(U.S. titlePursuit of the Graf Spee) (1956) as Swanston,Lookout,HMSAjax(uncredited)[20]
- Rachel, Rachel(1968) as Niall Cameron[15]
- R. P. M.(1970) as Perry Howard[15]
- The High Chaparral(1970) as Henry Simmons
- Mission Impossible(1971) as Alex Pierson
- Night Gallery(1971) "Pickman's Model"as Uncle George[21]
- The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid(1972) as Manning[15]
- Showdown(1973) as Art Williams[15]
- Gunsmoke(1974) "The Foundling" (S19E18) as Joseph Graham
- The Terminal Man(1974) as Dr. Arthur McPherson[15]
- Earthquake(1974) as Dr. Harvey Johnson[22]
- The Call of the Wild(1976) as Simpson[15]
- Ebony, Ivory & Jade(1976) as Ian Cabot[23]
- The Waltons(1977) as Mr. Morgan
- Family(1977) as Philip Raskin
- Exo-Man(1977) as Wallace Rogers[15]
- Logan's Run(1977–1978) as Rem[22]
- Little House on the Prairie(1978) as Mr Mears (2 episodes)
- Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years(1977) asHarry Hopkins[15]
- Land of No Return(1978) as Air Traffic Controller[22]
- The Word(1978) as Henri Aubert[22]
- Promises in the Dark(1979) as Dr. Walter McInerny[15]
- On the Nickel(1980) as Sam[15]
- Popeye(1980) as the Taxman[15]
- The ChisholmsCBS miniseries(1980) as Enos[15]
- The Thing(1982) as M.T. Garry[15]
- The Right Stuff(1983) as U.S. Vice PresidentLyndon B. Johnson[15]
- License to Kill(1984) as Webster[15]
- Alamo Bay(1985) as Wally
- The Best of Times(1986) as the Colonel[15]
- Monster in the Closet(1986) as General Franklin D. Turnbull[15]
- The Bourne Identity(1988) as David Abbott; in the2002 film versionthe role is re-imagined as Deputy Director Ward Abbott (played byBrian Cox)[15]
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being(1988) as Chief Surgeon[15]
- Far North(1988) as Uncle Dane[15]
- Music Box(1989) as Harry Talbot[15]
- The Bonfire of the Vanities(1990) as Mr. McCoy[15]
- Class Action(1991) as Quinn[15]
- Regarding Henry(1991) as Charlie Cameron[15]
- Babe Ruth(1991) asJacob Ruppert[15]
- Housesitter(1992) as George Davis[15]
- Love, Cheat & Steal(1993) as Frank Harrington[15]
- Clear and Present Danger(1994) as the fictional President Bennett[15]
- Trapped in Paradise(1994) as Clifford Anderson[22]
- The Evening Star(1996) as Hector Scott[15]
- The Sleep Room(1998) as Joe Ruah[24]
- Cookie's Fortune(1999) as Jack Palmer[15]
- 61*(2001) asFord Frick[15]
- The West Wing(2003) as Talmidge "Tal" Cregg (C.J.'s Father)[19]
- Law & Order: Trial by Jury(2005) as a Judge[19](final appearance)
References[edit]
- ^abcMcFadden, Robert D. (December 20, 2018)."Donald Moffat, 87, a Top Actor Who Thrived in Second Billings, Dies".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
- ^abcGlover, William (March 28, 1967)."He's Still Broke But Has Grown As Actor".The Danville Register.Associated Press.p. 9.RetrievedAugust 11,2017– viaNewspapers.
- ^"Familiar Face".The Irish Times.Dublin.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
- ^ab"Waiting for Rem".San Antonio Express.August 25, 1977. p. 2B.RetrievedAugust 11,2017– via Newspapers.
- ^Peikert, Mark (March 21, 2018)."Two-Time Tony Nominee Donald Moffat Dead at 87".Playbill.RetrievedMarch 25,2022.
- ^"Donald Moffat".Playbill.Archived fromthe originalon August 12, 2017.RetrievedAugust 12,2017.
- ^"1980s: Winners".OBIE Awards.Archived fromthe originalon August 12, 2017.RetrievedAugust 12,2017.
- ^Hannant, Larry (December 1999)."The Man Who Might Have Been: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Herbert Norman produced by Louise Lore and Gerry Flahive, The Sleep Room produced by Bernard Zukerman, The Un-Canadians produced by Joanne Smale (review)".Canadian Historical Review.80(4): 698–705.
- ^Isherwood, Charles (May 13, 2002)."A Few Stout Individuals".Variety.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
- ^Winer, Laurie (September 13, 1996)."Cruelty Forges a Shining 'Heiress'".Los Angeles Times.ISSN0458-3035.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
- ^Loehlin, James N. (September 14, 2006).Chekhov: The Cherry Orchard.Cambridge University Press. p. 119.ISBN978-0-5218-2593-1.
- ^abCriscitiello, Alexa (December 20, 2018)."Award-Winning Actor and Director Donald Moffat Passes Away At Age 87".Broadway World.Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^Bordman, Gerald (November 21, 1996).American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1930-1969.Oxford University Press, USA. p. 382.ISBN978-0-1950-9079-6.
- ^Adams, Val (May 22, 1964)."C.B.S. Series Plans Part Of 'The Brig'; Play Will Be a Segment of 'Look Up and Live'".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
- ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafag"Filmography for Donald Moffat".Turner Classic Movies.Archived fromthe originalon April 6, 2019.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
- ^Terrace, pp. 185–186.
- ^Terrace, p. 755.
- ^Terrace, pp. 617–618.
- ^abcLincoln, Ross (December 21, 2018)."Donald Moffat, 'The Right Stuff' and 'The Thing' Actor, Dies at 87".TheWrap.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
- ^"The Battle of the River Plate".Trailers from Hell.July 22, 2017.RetrievedDecember 22,2018.
- ^Skelton, Scott (1999).Rod Serling's Night Gallery: An After-hours Tour.Syracuse University Press. p. 206.ISBN9780815627821.RetrievedDecember 22,2018.
- ^abcde"Donald Moffat List of Movies and TV Shows".TV Guide.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
- ^"Ebony, Ivory and Jade(1979)".Turner Classic Movies.RetrievedDecember 22,2018.
- ^"The Sleep Room (1998)".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedDecember 22,2018.
Bibliography[edit]
- Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014).Encyclopedia of television shows, 1925 through 2010(2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland.ISBN978-0-7864-6477-7.
