Moultrie Patten
Encyclopedia
Moultrie Patten was an American
actor
and jazz musician. Patten was perhaps best known for his role as Walt the trapper on the American television series, Northern Exposure
, which aired from 1990 until 1995. Patten appeared as Walt Kupfer from 1993 until the show's ending in 1995.
, where he worked a local theater and studied the piano. Patten attended Brown University
, where he continued to pursue acting
.
He was drafted into the United States military during World War II
. He served as a tank commander during the Battle of Monte Cassino
, for which he received a Silver Star
for heroism in 1944.
following the end of World War II to pursue his acting career. He would spend more than fifty years performing in Broadway theater, regional theater, film, television, and even vaudeville
. Patten once described his favorite theater roles as The Hostage
, The Andersonville Trial
, and Noises Off
.
Patten's earliest television credits included Route 66
, Philco Television Playhouse and Hallmark Hall of Fame
. His film roles included The Temp
, Free Willy
and The Favor
.
Patten moved to Portland, Oregon
, in 1990, and later relocated to Beaverton, Oregon
. He was cast as Walt Kupfer on the hit television show Northern Exposure
, from 1993 until 1995. His character quickly became a fixture on the show and a fan favorite. Fans of Northern Exposure still sought out Patten for his autograph
years after the show's production ended in 1995.
Patten continued acting, especially in television commercials, into his 80s.
He also pursued a career as a jazz musician and played the piano at jazz club
s throughout the American Midwest and East Coast
. Patten released a CD featuring his favorite recordings in 1997.
in Beaverton, Oregon
, on March 18, 2009, at the age of 89. He was survived by his daughter, Sarah Goforth; son, Moultrie Patten Jr.; a sister, Jane Dias; and his former wife, Teena Patten.
Patten's funeral was held at the Ross Hollywood Chapel in Portland, Oregon
, on March 27, 2009. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery
with full military honors on May 28, 2009.
In an interview
with The Oregonian
following his death, Patten's daughter, Sarah Goforth, explained her father's acting philosophy
saying, "Anyone who pursues the arts
is really creating another world for themselves, because the one they are faced with does not, in some way, suit them."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and jazz musician. Patten was perhaps best known for his role as Walt the trapper on the American television series, Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes.-Overview:The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a...
, which aired from 1990 until 1995. Patten appeared as Walt Kupfer from 1993 until the show's ending in 1995.
Early life
Moultrie Patten was born on June 10, 1919. He was raised in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, where he worked a local theater and studied the piano. Patten attended Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, where he continued to pursue acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
.
He was drafted into the United States military during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He served as a tank commander during the Battle of Monte Cassino
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
, for which he received a Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
for heroism in 1944.
Career
Patten moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
following the end of World War II to pursue his acting career. He would spend more than fifty years performing in Broadway theater, regional theater, film, television, and even vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
. Patten once described his favorite theater roles as The Hostage
The Hostage (play)
The Hostage is a loose 1958 English version, with songs, adapted in a much longer text from a one-act Irish language play An Giall, by its author, Brendan Behan.-Plot:...
, The Andersonville Trial
The Andersonville Trial
The Andersonville Trial was a television adaptation of a 1959 hit Broadway play by Saul Levitt, presented as an episode of PBS's 1970-71 season of Hollywood Television Theatre....
, and Noises Off
Noises Off
Noises Off is a 1982 play by English playwright Michael Frayn. The idea for it was born in 1970, when Frayn was standing in the wings watching a performance of Chinamen, a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave...
.
Patten's earliest television credits included Route 66
Route 66 (TV series)
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod...
, Philco Television Playhouse and Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
. His film roles included The Temp
The Temp (film)
The Temp is a 1993 thriller film about a cookie company executive whose temp starts killing his employers. The film stars Timothy Hutton, Lara Flynn Boyle and Faye Dunaway...
, Free Willy
Free Willy
Free Willy is a 1993 family film directed by Simon Wincer, and released by Warner Bros. under its Family Entertainment label. The film stars Jason James Richter as a young boy who befriends an orca whale, named "Willy."...
and The Favor
The Favor
The Favor is a romantic comedy film directed by Donald Petrie and written by Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon.-Plot:Kathy has seemingly been happily married to Peter, but their relationship has grown routine. She cannot help but wonder what would happen if she ever got together with her high...
.
Patten moved to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, in 1990, and later relocated to Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
. He was cast as Walt Kupfer on the hit television show Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes.-Overview:The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a...
, from 1993 until 1995. His character quickly became a fixture on the show and a fan favorite. Fans of Northern Exposure still sought out Patten for his autograph
Autograph
An autograph is a document transcribed entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by an amanuensis or a copyist; the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph.Autograph also refers to a person's artistic signature...
years after the show's production ended in 1995.
Patten continued acting, especially in television commercials, into his 80s.
He also pursued a career as a jazz musician and played the piano at jazz club
Jazz club
A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is the performance of live jazz music. Jazz clubs have been in large rooms in the eras of Orchestral jazz and big band jazz and when its popularity as a dance music was common...
s throughout the American Midwest and East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. Patten released a CD featuring his favorite recordings in 1997.
Death
Moultrie Patten died from pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
, on March 18, 2009, at the age of 89. He was survived by his daughter, Sarah Goforth; son, Moultrie Patten Jr.; a sister, Jane Dias; and his former wife, Teena Patten.
Patten's funeral was held at the Ross Hollywood Chapel in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, on March 27, 2009. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
with full military honors on May 28, 2009.
In an interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
with The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
following his death, Patten's daughter, Sarah Goforth, explained her father's acting philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
saying, "Anyone who pursues the arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
is really creating another world for themselves, because the one they are faced with does not, in some way, suit them."