Donald Moffat

The face everyone knew without knowing his name

Donald Moffat was never a poster star, but his face was as familiar as the living room sofa. He was born in Plymouth in 1930 and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. That gave him a technical foundation that many method actors secretly envied.

In 1956, he decided to cross the pond and try his luck in Oregon, working as a waiter and a lumberjack.

And the gamble paid off.

He soon moved to New York to make his Broadway debut in Under Milk Wood. He wasn't chasing quick fame. Film wasn't his first choice, and he always preferred the craftsmanship of the stage. But television started knocking on his door with roles as serious, stiff and sometimes dangerous men.

In 1982, he played Garry in The Thing (John Carpenter), and his face of barely contained panic during the blood test scene became burned into the memory of horror fans. That role as the commander of the Arctic station gave him a visibility that theater could not offer.

So Hollywood gave in to his sobriety.

The President the Industry Needed

Moffat wore a suit and tie well. He had a natural air of authority that casting directors exploited for decades. In 1983, he played Lyndon B. Johnson in Hearts of the West…

He was a supporting player of the highest caliber.

He appeared in Popeye (1980) by Robert Altman and in Clear and Present Danger (1994), where he played a corrupt president who put Harrison Ford in a tight spot. His ability to convey contempt with a single raised eyebrow was astonishing. He worked in more than eighty productions across film and television over the course of his life.

In 1967, he took part in A Doll's House and earned a Tony nomination. He never gave up the stage, because he said theater was the only place where an actor had total control. But the general public will always remember him for his roles as tough, no-nonsense bosses.

He died on December 20, 2018 in Sleepy Hollow, New York, from complications of a stroke.