Mark Moses
With a face you know from a hundred shows, this character actor mastered the art of playing smarmy, ambitious, and quietly desperate men.
Born 1958 (age 68)·American actor·Birthday: February 24·Baby Boomers
Biography
Mark Moses possesses one of those instantly recognizable faces that has populated American television for decades. He didn't burst onto the scene as a star, but rather built a formidable career through a succession of perfectly pitched supporting roles. He first gained wide attention as the doomed Lieutenant Kelly in the harrowing Vietnam film *Platoon*. Television, however, became his domain. He brought a specific brand of suburban unease to Paul Young, the mysterious neighbor on *Desperate Housewives*, and delivered a career-defining performance as the tragically alcoholic ad executive 'Duck' Phillips on *Mad Men*. Moses has a knack for finding the vulnerability and complexity within characters who are often outwardly unlikable, making them compelling and human. His filmography is a map of premium television's golden age, with guest spots on everything from *The West Wing* to *Homeland*.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Mark was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mark Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Mark's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Portrayed the recurring role of Herman 'Duck' Phillips across multiple seasons of the critically adored series *Mad Men*.
- Played a central role as mysterious neighbor Paul Young in the first season of the global hit *Desperate Housewives*.
- Appeared in Oliver Stone's seminal war film *Platoon* as Lieutenant Wolfe, a role that introduced him to a wide audience.
Did You Know?
He played two different characters on the series *Homeland*: a CIA director in season one and a Russian diplomat in a later season.
Moses is a graduate of the University of Maryland and the University of California, Berkeley.
He had a recurring role as a lawyer on the David E. Kelley legal drama *The Practice*.
“I find the complexity in characters who believe they are doing the right thing, however wrong it may be.”
