Moira Kelly
Encyclopedia
Moira Kelly is an American actress. She is best known for playing single mother Karen Roe on the teen drama
One Tree Hill
. She also directed two episodes of the series: "Resolve" (2007) and "I Slept with Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me" (2006). In the fifth season, she ceased to be a regular cast member, but made guest appearances in the 100th episode and the sixth season finale.
. She was brought up Roman Catholic. Kelly attended Connetquot Senior High School
in Bohemia, Long Island
, graduating in the class of 1986. Later she attended Marymount Manhattan College
.
In her youth, Kelly was cast in a small role in her high school's 1984 production of Annie
. Due to illness, the girl playing Miss Hannigan was replaced, causing a series of cast changes leading to her choice of career. A faithful Catholic, Kelly had to decide between acting and her childhood ambition of becoming a nun
.
, playing a teenage murderer. She went on to have small roles in the films The Boy Who Cried Bitch
and Billy Bathgate
before being cast as Donna Hayward
in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. For that film, she went home and got permission from her priest because of an explicit sex scene. In the same year, she starred opposite D. B. Sweeney
in the romantic comedy The Cutting Edge
and played two roles opposite Robert Downey, Jr. in Chaplin. According to a TV Guide interview, before taking on her role in Daybreak, Kelly once again asked her priest for advice: "Being a Catholic, I wondered if it would be against my religion to play a girl who has premarital sex." The priest told her "it was okay, as long as my artistic intentions were true and I wasn't doing it for the notoriety or the money."
She has since appeared in the movies With Honors, Little Odessa
, The Tie That Binds and Dangerous Beauty
amongst others, and provided the adult voice of Nala in Disney's The Lion King
, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
, and The Lion King 1½
. In her independent film career, Kelly had the starring role of activist Dorothy Day
in Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story
and starred alongside Glenn Close
in The Safety of Objects
. She played Helen Keller
in the made-for-TV movie Monday After the Miracle, which broadcast on November 15, 1998 on CBS
.
Kelly starred in the CBS drama To Have & to Hold
opposite Jason Beghe
before playing Mandy Hampton
in the first season of The West Wing. In 2003, Kelly began playing single mother Karen Roe on the teen drama
One Tree Hill
. She also directed two episodes of the series: "Resolve" (2007) and "I Slept with Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me" (2006). In the fifth season, she ceased to be a regular cast member, but made guest appearances in the 100th episode and the sixth season finale.
In 2007, Kelly appeared in the independent teen drama film Remember The Daze
. In 2009, she joined the cast of Heroes
, and will star in the epic dark comedy/mystery, City of Shoulders and Noses.
Teen drama
A teen drama is a dramatic television series with a major focus on teenage characters. The genre was relatively non-existent for the first 45 years of television; it came into prominence in the early 1990s...
One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
. She also directed two episodes of the series: "Resolve" (2007) and "I Slept with Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me" (2006). In the fifth season, she ceased to be a regular cast member, but made guest appearances in the 100th episode and the sixth season finale.
Early life
Kelly was born in Queens, New York, the daughter of Irish immigrants. Her father, Peter, was trained as a concert violinist, and her mother, Anne, is a nurse. Kelly is the third of six children and was raised in RonkonkomaRonkonkoma, New York
Ronkonkoma is a census-designated place on Long Island in the Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 20,029 at the 2000 census...
. She was brought up Roman Catholic. Kelly attended Connetquot Senior High School
Connetquot High School
Connetquot High School is a public high school serving students from the communities of Bohemia, Sayville, West Sayville, Oakdale and Ronkonkoma in the ninth through twelfth grades located in Bohemia, New York and is part of the Connetquot Central School District.-Athletics:The school competes in...
in Bohemia, Long Island
Bohemia, New York
Bohemia is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 9,871 at the 2000 census.Bohemia is in the Town of Islip.The main school district in the town is the Connetquot School District...
, graduating in the class of 1986. Later she attended Marymount Manhattan College
Marymount Manhattan College
Marymount Manhattan College is an urban, coeducational, independent, private, liberal arts college located in Manhattan, New York City, New York with a focus in performing arts. The mission of the College is to educate a socially and economically diverse student body by fostering intellectual...
.
In her youth, Kelly was cast in a small role in her high school's 1984 production of Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
. Due to illness, the girl playing Miss Hannigan was replaced, causing a series of cast changes leading to her choice of career. A faithful Catholic, Kelly had to decide between acting and her childhood ambition of becoming a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
.
Career
Kelly made her professional acting debut in the made-for-TV movie Love, Lies and MurderLove, Lies and Murder
Love, Lies, and Murder is a 1991 miniseries starring Clancy Brown, Sheryl Lee, Moira Kelly, Tom Bower, John Ashton, and Cynthia Nixon. It is based on the 1985 murder of Linda Bailey Brown. The names were not changed for the film. The miniseries is four hours long and aired on NBC in two parts, the...
, playing a teenage murderer. She went on to have small roles in the films The Boy Who Cried Bitch
The Boy Who Cried Bitch
The Boy Who Cried Bitch is an independent film released in 1991 and directed by Juan Jose Campanella. It stars Harley Cross, Jason Biggs , Jesse Bradford and Karen Young.-Plot:...
and Billy Bathgate
Billy Bathgate
Billy Bathgate is a 1989 novel by author E. L. Doctorow that won the 1989 National Book Critics Circle award for fiction for 1990 and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and was the runner up for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize...
before being cast as Donna Hayward
Donna Hayward
Donna Hayward is a fictional character from the television series Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost.Donna is the best friend of Laura Palmer, and after her death she is obsessed with finding out who killed her and why, with the help of James Hurley,...
in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. For that film, she went home and got permission from her priest because of an explicit sex scene. In the same year, she starred opposite D. B. Sweeney
D. B. Sweeney
Daniel Bernard "D. B." Sweeney is an American actor.-Early life:Sweeney was born on Long Island, New York and raised in Shoreham by an educator father and a municipal government employee mother. He attended Shoreham-Wading River High School and both Tulane and New York University...
in the romantic comedy The Cutting Edge
The Cutting Edge
The Cutting Edge is a 1992 romantic comedy film directed by Paul Michael Glaser and written by Tony Gilroy. The plot is about a very rich, spoiled figure skater who is paired with a has-been ice hockey player for Olympic figure skating...
and played two roles opposite Robert Downey, Jr. in Chaplin. According to a TV Guide interview, before taking on her role in Daybreak, Kelly once again asked her priest for advice: "Being a Catholic, I wondered if it would be against my religion to play a girl who has premarital sex." The priest told her "it was okay, as long as my artistic intentions were true and I wasn't doing it for the notoriety or the money."
She has since appeared in the movies With Honors, Little Odessa
Little Odessa
Little Odessa is an American crime film released in 1994 by James Gray, featuring Tim Roth, Edward Furlong, Moira Kelly and Vanessa Redgrave.The film earned a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Critic Prize at the Deauville Film Festival...
, The Tie That Binds and Dangerous Beauty
Dangerous Beauty
Dangerous Beauty is a biographical drama film directed by Marshall Herskovitz. It is adapted from the non-fiction book The Honest Courtesan, by Margaret Rosenthal, , about the life of Veronica Franco , a courtesan in 16th century Venice.A stage musical version of the film premiered on July 25,...
amongst others, and provided the adult voice of Nala in Disney's The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated film released by Walt Disney Home Video on October 27, 1998. The film is the sequel to the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King...
, and The Lion King 1½
The Lion King 1½
The Lion King 1½ is a 2004 American direct-to-video animated film released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment on February 10, 2004. The film is the third installment in the Lion King series. The DVD went to the Disney Vault in January 2005...
. In her independent film career, Kelly had the starring role of activist Dorothy Day
Dorothy Day
Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist and devout Catholic convert; she advocated the Catholic economic theory of Distributism. She was also considered to be an anarchist, and did not hesitate to use the term...
in Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story
Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story
Entertaining Angels: the Dorothy Day Story is a 1996 independent film about the life of Dorothy Day, the journalist turned social activist and founder of the Catholic Worker newspaper. The film stars Moira Kelly as Day, Heather Graham, Lenny Von Dohlen and Martin Sheen.Both Kelly and Sheen are also...
and starred alongside Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
in The Safety of Objects
The Safety of Objects
The Safety of Objects is a 2001 independent film based upon a series of short stories written by A. M. Homes about four suburban families who find that their lives become intertwined. The film was directed by Rose Troche, and has many characters. It is often considered an "intellectual film" in the...
. She played Helen Keller
Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
in the made-for-TV movie Monday After the Miracle, which broadcast on November 15, 1998 on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
.
Kelly starred in the CBS drama To Have & to Hold
To Have & to Hold
To Have & to Hold was a short-lived American television series that aired on CBS during the fall of 1998.The drama series starred Moira Kelly as Annie Cornell, an attorney, and Jason Beghe as her husband, an Irish police officer, Sean McGrail...
opposite Jason Beghe
Jason Beghe
Jason Beghe is an American film and television actor and critic of Scientology. As a young man he attended the Collegiate School in New York City, where he became best friends with John F. Kennedy, Jr. and David Duchovny. Beghe is married and lives in Los Angeles, California.Beghe starred in the...
before playing Mandy Hampton
Mandy Hampton
Dr. Madeline 'Mandy' Hampton is a fictional character played by Moira Kelly on the American serial drama television series The West Wing. She was White House media consultant during the first season of the show, and the former girlfriend of Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, with whom...
in the first season of The West Wing. In 2003, Kelly began playing single mother Karen Roe on the teen drama
Teen drama
A teen drama is a dramatic television series with a major focus on teenage characters. The genre was relatively non-existent for the first 45 years of television; it came into prominence in the early 1990s...
One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
. She also directed two episodes of the series: "Resolve" (2007) and "I Slept with Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me" (2006). In the fifth season, she ceased to be a regular cast member, but made guest appearances in the 100th episode and the sixth season finale.
In 2007, Kelly appeared in the independent teen drama film Remember The Daze
Remember the Daze
Remember the Daze is a 2007 drama film released in theatres in April 2008. The film was directed by Jess Manafort. The plot of the movie has been described as "a glimpse into the teenage wasteland of suburbia 1999 that takes place over 24-hours, and the teenagers who make their way through the last...
. In 2009, she joined the cast of Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
, and will star in the epic dark comedy/mystery, City of Shoulders and Noses.
Personal life
In 2000, Moira Kelly married Steve Hewitt, a Texas businessman. They have two children, Ella and Eamon.Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Boy Who Cried Bitch The Boy Who Cried Bitch The Boy Who Cried Bitch is an independent film released in 1991 and directed by Juan Jose Campanella. It stars Harley Cross, Jason Biggs , Jesse Bradford and Karen Young.-Plot:... |
Jessica | |
| Love, Lies and Murder Love, Lies and Murder Love, Lies, and Murder is a 1991 miniseries starring Clancy Brown, Sheryl Lee, Moira Kelly, Tom Bower, John Ashton, and Cynthia Nixon. It is based on the 1985 murder of Linda Bailey Brown. The names were not changed for the film. The miniseries is four hours long and aired on NBC in two parts, the... |
Cinnamon | TV movie | |
| Billy Bathgate Billy Bathgate (film) Billy Bathgate is a 1991 American crime film directed by Robert Benton, starring Loren Dean as the titular character and Dustin Hoffman as gangster Dutch Schultz. The film co-stars Nicole Kidman, Steven Hill, Steve Buscemi, and Bruce Willis. It is based on the novel of the same name by E.L.... |
Rebecca | ||
| 1992 | Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me | Donna Hayward Donna Hayward Donna Hayward is a fictional character from the television series Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost.Donna is the best friend of Laura Palmer, and after her death she is obsessed with finding out who killed her and why, with the help of James Hurley,... |
|
| The Cutting Edge The Cutting Edge The Cutting Edge is a 1992 romantic comedy film directed by Paul Michael Glaser and written by Tony Gilroy. The plot is about a very rich, spoiled figure skater who is paired with a has-been ice hockey player for Olympic figure skating... |
Kate Moseley | ||
| Chaplin | Hetty Kelly / Oona O'Neill Oona O'Neill Oona, Lady Chaplin was the daughter of Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eugene O'Neill and writer Agnes Boulton, and the wife of British actor, director and producer Charlie Chaplin.... |
||
| 1993 | Daybreak | Blue | TV movie |
| 1994 | The Lion King The Lion King The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series... |
Adult Nala | (voice) |
| With Honors | Courtney Blumenthal | ||
| 1995 | The Tie That Binds | Dana Clifton | |
| Little Odessa Little Odessa Little Odessa is an American crime film released in 1994 by James Gray, featuring Tim Roth, Edward Furlong, Moira Kelly and Vanessa Redgrave.The film earned a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Critic Prize at the Deauville Film Festival... |
Alla Shustervich | ||
| 1996 | Unhook the Stars Unhook the Stars Unhook the Stars is a 1996 drama film starring Gena Rowlands, Marisa Tomei, and Gerard Depardieu. The movie was directed by Nick Cassavetes, son of Gena Rowlands. Rowlands and Tomei both received SAG Award nominations for their performances... |
Ann Mary Margaret | |
| Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story Entertaining Angels: the Dorothy Day Story is a 1996 independent film about the life of Dorothy Day, the journalist turned social activist and founder of the Catholic Worker newspaper. The film stars Moira Kelly as Day, Heather Graham, Lenny Von Dohlen and Martin Sheen.Both Kelly and Sheen are also... |
Dorothy Day Dorothy Day Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist and devout Catholic convert; she advocated the Catholic economic theory of Distributism. She was also considered to be an anarchist, and did not hesitate to use the term... |
||
| Changing Habits | Susan "Soosh" Teague | ||
| 1998 | To Have & to Hold To Have & to Hold To Have & to Hold was a short-lived American television series that aired on CBS during the fall of 1998.The drama series starred Moira Kelly as Annie Cornell, an attorney, and Jason Beghe as her husband, an Irish police officer, Sean McGrail... |
Annie Cornell | 13 episodes |
| Love Walked In Love Walked In (1997 film) Love Walked In is a 1997 American film noir drama/thriller film directed by Juan José Campanella, based on the novel Ni el Tiro del Final by Argentine novelist and political columnist José Pablo Feinmann.- Plot :... |
Vera | ||
| Hi-Life | Susan | ||
| The Lion King II: Simba's Pride The Lion King II: Simba's Pride The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated film released by Walt Disney Home Video on October 27, 1998. The film is the sequel to the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King... |
Adult Nala | (voice) | |
| Dangerous Beauty Dangerous Beauty Dangerous Beauty is a biographical drama film directed by Marshall Herskovitz. It is adapted from the non-fiction book The Honest Courtesan, by Margaret Rosenthal, , about the life of Veronica Franco , a courtesan in 16th century Venice.A stage musical version of the film premiered on July 25,... |
Beatrice | ||
| Monday After the Miracle | Helen Keller | TV movie | |
| 1999–2000 | The West Wing | Mandy Hampton Mandy Hampton Dr. Madeline 'Mandy' Hampton is a fictional character played by Moira Kelly on the American serial drama television series The West Wing. She was White House media consultant during the first season of the show, and the former girlfriend of Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, with whom... |
22 episodes |
| 1999 | Henry Hill | Cynthia | |
| Drive, She Said | Nadine Ship | ||
| 2002 | The Twilight Zone The Twilight Zone The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist... |
Elizabeth Wicker | Episode: "Found and Lost Found and Lost "Found and Lost" is the twenty-second episode of the science fiction television series 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone. The episode aired November 27, 2002 on UPN.- Opening Narration :- Synopsis:... " |
| Hack | Vanessa Griffin | Episode: "My Brother's Keeper" | |
| 2003 | The Safety of Objects The Safety of Objects The Safety of Objects is a 2001 independent film based upon a series of short stories written by A. M. Homes about four suburban families who find that their lives become intertwined. The film was directed by Rose Troche, and has many characters. It is often considered an "intellectual film" in the... |
Susan Train | |
| 2003–2009 | One Tree Hill One Tree Hill (TV series) One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster... |
Karen Roe | starring, 90 episodes |
| 2004 | The Lion King 1½ The Lion King 1½ The Lion King 1½ is a 2004 American direct-to-video animated film released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment on February 10, 2004. The film is the third installment in the Lion King series. The DVD went to the Disney Vault in January 2005... |
Adult Nala Nala Nala , a character in Hindu mythology, is the king of Nishadha Kingdom, son of Virasena. Nala is known for his skill with horses and culinary expertise. He marries princess Damayanti, of Vidarbha Kingdom, and their story is told in the Mahabharata. His main weakness is gambling... |
(voice) |
| 2006 | Two Tickets to Paradise Two Tickets to Paradise (film) Two Tickets to Paradise is a 2006 movie starring John C. McGinley, D. B. Sweeney, Paul Hipp, Moira Kelly and Ed Harris. It was written and directed by Sweeney.-Plot:... |
Kate | |
| 2007 | Remember The Daze Remember the Daze Remember the Daze is a 2007 drama film released in theatres in April 2008. The film was directed by Jess Manafort. The plot of the movie has been described as "a glimpse into the teenage wasteland of suburbia 1999 that takes place over 24-hours, and the teenagers who make their way through the last... |
Mrs. Ford | alternate title: The Beautiful Ordinary |
| 2008 | Law & Order Law & Order Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,... |
Catherine Donovan | Episode: "Betrayal" |
| 2009 | Heroes Heroes (TV series) Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the... |
Abby Collins | Episode: "Chapter Three: Building 26 Building 26 *For the historic Art Deco building in Dayton Ohio where the Bombe was developed see Schenck & Williams"Building 26" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of the science fiction drama series Heroes and fiftieth episode overall. The episode aired on February 16, 2009 on the NBC network in the... " |
| 2010 | Numb3rs NUMB3RS Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes... |
Mary Paulson | Episode: "Growin' Up" |
| City of Shoulders and Noses | Mary Oliveri |