Moffat Johnston

Moffat Johnston (1886–1935) was a Scottish-born stage actor whose career spanned both British and American theatre, with Broadway appearances from 1922 until his death in 1935. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to John Moffat Johnston and Margaret Parke (Boyd), he received his education at Watson's School and the University of Edinburgh.

Johnston made his stage debut in 1905 at the Theatre Royal in Manchester as part of Frank Benson's company, through which he accumulated more than 200 Shakespearean roles. In 1914, he organized and toured with his own theatre company in Germany, a venture cut short by the outbreak of World War I. He served during the war as a Lieutenant with the 8th Sherwood Foresters before returning to theatrical work afterward. He also taught at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

His American debut came in 1922 in the world premiere of George Bernard Shaw's Back to Methuselah. Throughout the 1920s, Johnston appeared in several notable Broadway productions, including R.U.R., Six Characters in Search of an Author, and the 1923 production of John Barrymore's Hamlet. During the summers of 1925, 1926, and 1927, he was a member of the Elitch Theatre's summer stock cast in Denver, Colorado. His Broadway credits also included Times Have Changed, The Lady from the Sea, and The Shatter'd Lamp.

Among his most significant stage achievements was creating the role of Oscar Jaffe in the 1932 play Twentieth Century, a production that was later adapted into both a film and a musical. In 1934, he appeared alongside Lillian Gish in Within the Gates. His final role was in The Flowers of the Forest, which featured Burgess Meredith and Katharine Cornell.

Johnston's wife Winifred, also an actor who performed under the name Winifred Johnston, appeared with him on Broadway on occasion, including in the 1923 production of King Lear and the 1931 production of The Streets of New York, or Poverty is No Crime. Their son Peter Johnston also performed on Broadway during the 1930s.

Despite his extensive stage career, Johnston appeared in only two films: a 1911 silent Shakespearean production of Richard III starring Frank Benson, and the 1934 sound drama Midnight. He died in 1935 following surgery for appendicitis.