'The Thing' Actor Donald Moffat Dies at 87

Actor Donald Moffat, famous for roles in films such as Clear and Present Danger and The Thing, passed away on Thursday.

Moffat's daughter Lynn said he died after complications suffered from a recent stroke. The actor passed away in hospice care at Kendal on Hudson, a retirement community located in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

The British-born actor moved to the United States in the '50s and began working on screen and on the stage. Moffat's daughter Lynn told the New York Times that his arrival in the states was a dream come true.

"One reason he was anxious to leave England was the class system," she said. "He hated it. And he loved Americans. He met many American G.I.s in Totnes, in Devonshire, where he lived as a boy. It was in the American sector for the D-Day invasions. He also met many Americans after the war at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he studied, including his first wife, Anne Murray."

Moffat played Garry in The Thing, directed by John Carpenter. Garry was the commander of Outpost 31, overseeing the facility where the alien organism breaks free and attempts to replicate and replace the occupants.

In Clear and Present Danger, Moffat played President Bennett, a scheming politician who often came into conflict with Harrison Ford's character Jack Ryan. The movie, based on Tom Clancy's novel, earned Moffat critical acclaim for his portrayal of the devious president.

The actor's last credits were on the television series The West Wing as Talmidge Cregg in 2003, and Law & Order: Trial By Jury as Judge Matthew Sherwood in 2005. Though

He was born in Plymouth, England on December 26, 1930. Moffat is survived by his wife Gwen Arner; his children Lynn, Kathleen, Gabriel, and Catherine; 10 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.