Patrick W. Moore

Moore, Patrick W. (91)
Patrick William Moore, child star of silent films appeared in more than thirty films alongside such personalities as May McAvoy, Gloria Swanson, Wallace Reed, Rudolph Valentino and Clara Bow, passed away April 25, 2004 of natural causes. Pat started his lengthy film career in 1917 in a western filmed in Santa Barbara. When his parents moved to Hollywood in 1918, he was discovered by Cecil B. DeMille who cast him as Little Hall in the acclaimed second version of "The Squaw Man." Under DeMille's guidance, Moore's career included roles as Valentino (as a boy) in the 1921 features "The Young Rajah" and "Blood and Sand"; the prince in the 1922 "The Queen of Sheba," the Pharaoh's son in the original 1923 "The Ten Commandments;" and as Clara Bow's brother in "The Primrose Path" in the late 1920s. He was the last living cast member of "The Ten Commandments." Born Patrick Sheffield in Bristol, England in 1912, he changed his name to his mother's maiden name "Moore" at the suggestion of DeMille. Moore legally adopted the name before retirement from the screen in the early thirties. He is a graduate of John Muir High School in Pasadena. Following his acting career, Pat moved his skills behind the silver screen and worked for the balance of his half-century in the motion picture industry. Music editor for twenty years, Pat worked on "Bonanza", Doris Day's "Teacher's Pet," Burt Reynolds' "Longest Yard," and Dustin Hoffman's "Marathon Man." As an assistant editor, Moore worked on many films including "War of the Worlds," "Place in the Sun," and "When Worlds Collide." He was sound editor for the Academy Award winning film, "Lost Weekend," starring Ray Milland. In his early production days, Moore worked in the property and wardrobe department at Paramount where he met wardrobe mistress Irmgard Bachler, or "Imy." They were married in 1940. Pat retired from the studio in 1980. Pat served two terms as president of the Paramount Studio Club in the sixties. In the eighties, Moore co-founded "Friends of Ferndell" and was an energetic board member of the Los Feliz Improvement Association for more than 18 years. Pat was active in both organizations to the end. Pat is survived by his only brother, Micky Moore, child actor and second-unit director; his wife, Irmgard; two daughters, Sharon Tate-Kline and Melissa Karimi-Swanson; and four grand children, Allison Tate, Kevin Tate, Bijan Karimi, and Shirin Karimi. Pat requested that there be no funeral services and asked than any donations in his memory be made to the Motion Picture and TV Country Home.