Moultrie Patten

Moultrie Patten (June 10, 1919 – March 18, 2009) was an American actor and jazz musician born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, where he worked at a local theater and studied piano. He attended Brown University, where he continued pursuing acting. During World War II, Patten was drafted into the United States military and served as a tank commander at the Battle of Monte Cassino, earning a Silver Star for heroism in 1944.

Following the war, Patten relocated to New York City to build his acting career. His Broadway work spanned from 1954 to 1985 and included productions such as Boy Meets Girl, Secret Service, The Andersonville Trial, The Disenchanted, and One Eye Closed, among others. He counted The Andersonville Trial among his personal favorite stage roles, alongside The Hostage and Noises Off. Over the course of his career, Patten performed across Broadway, regional theater, film, television, and vaudeville.

His early television appearances included The Philco Television Playhouse, Hallmark Hall of Fame, and Route 66. On the film side, his credits included The Temp, Free Willy, and The Favor. Patten is perhaps most widely recognized for his role as Walt Kupfer on the television series Northern Exposure, which he joined in 1993 and remained with through the show's conclusion in 1995. He continued acting in television commercials into his eighties.

Alongside his acting work, Patten pursued a career as a jazz pianist, performing at clubs throughout the Midwest and East Coast. In 1997 he released a CD of his favorite recordings. He moved to Portland, Oregon, in 1990 and later settled in Beaverton, Oregon, where he died of pneumonia on March 18, 2009, at the age of 89. He was survived by his daughter, Sarah Goforth; sons Moultrie Patten Jr. and Henry Bigelow Patten; a sister, Jane Dias; and his former wife, Teena Patten. His funeral was held at the Ross Hollywood Chapel in Portland on March 27, 2009, and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors on May 28, 2009.