Michael Moriarty (born April 5, 1941) is an American-Canadian actor. He received an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
and
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
for his role as a
Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
SS officer in the 1978 miniseries ''
Holocaust
The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
'' and a
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
in 1974 for his performance in the play ''Find Your Way Home''. He starred as Executive Assistant District Attorney
Benjamin Stone for the first four seasons (1990–1994) of the television show ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...
.'' Moriarty is also known for his roles in films such as ''
Bang the Drum Slowly'', ''
Who'll Stop the Rain'', ''
Q: The Winged Serpent'', ''
The Stuff
''The Stuff'' is a 1985 American satirical science fiction horror film written and directed by Larry Cohen and starring Michael Moriarty, Garrett Morris, Andrea Marcovicci, and Paul Sorvino. It was also the last film of Alexander Scourby. The ...
'', ''
Pale Rider
''Pale Rider'' is a 1985 American Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars in the lead role. The title is a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as the pale horse's ghost rider (Eastwood) represents D ...
'', ''
Troll
A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...
'', ''
Courage Under Fire
''Courage Under Fire'' is a 1996 American war drama film directed by Edward Zwick, and starring Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan. It is the second collaboration between Washington and director Zwick. The film was released in the United States ...
'', and ''
Shiloh''.
Early life
Michael Moriarty was born in
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, on April 5, 1941. He is the son of Eleanor (
''née'' Paul) and George Moriarty, a surgeon. His grandfather
George Moriarty
George Joseph Moriarty (July 7, 1884 – April 8, 1964) was an American third baseman, umpire (baseball), umpire and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1903 to 1940. He played for the Chicago Cubs, New York High ...
was a
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...
,
umpire
An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection.
The term derives from the Old French , , and , : (as evidenced in cricke ...
, and
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
in major-league baseball for nearly 40 years.
Moriarty attended middle school at
Cranbrook School in
Bloomfield Hills
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Detroit on the Woodward Corridor, Bloomfield Hills is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, and is surrounded on most sides by Bloomfi ...
before transferring to the
University of Detroit Jesuit High School
The University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy was founded in 1877, and is one of two Jesuit high schools in the city of Detroit, Michigan, the other being Loyola High School. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, the sc ...
, graduating in 1959. He then matriculated at
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
, where he was a theatre major, in the class of 1963. After receiving his
bachelor of arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree, he left for London, England, where he enrolled in the
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...
, having received a
Fulbright Scholarship
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...
.
Acting career
Before gaining fame in films, Moriarty worked for several years as an actor at the
Guthrie Theater
The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The concept of the theater was born in 1959 in a series of discussions among Sir Tyrone Gut ...
in Minneapolis.
In 1973, Moriarty was cast as the egocentric baseball player
Henry Wiggen
Henry Wiggen was a fictional baseball player who was the subject of four novels by Mark Harris: ''The Southpaw'' (1953), '' Bang the Drum Slowly'' (1956), ''A Ticket for a Seamstitch'' (1957), and ''It Looked Like For Ever'' (1979). Wiggen, who ...
in ''
Bang the Drum Slowly'' opposite
Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...
as a slow-witted,
terminally ill
Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, rather than fatal injur ...
catcher. In the same year, Moriarty starred in a TV movie adaptation of
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...
' ''
The Glass Menagerie
''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his histrionic mo ...
'' with
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...
. Coincidentally, the film also featured
Sam Waterston
Samuel Atkinson Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is an American actor. Waterston is known for his work in theater, television, and film. He has received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actor ...
, who later replaced Moriarty as the Executive Assistant District Attorney on ''Law & Order''. Moriarty's role in ''The Glass Menagerie'' (as Jim, the Gentleman Caller; Waterston played the son Tom) won him an
Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He had a small part in ''
The Last Detail
''The Last Detail'' is a 1973 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby, from a screenplay by Robert Towne, based on the 1970 novel by Darryl Ponicsan. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, Clifton James, and Caro ...
'', which was nominated for several
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
. In 1974, Moriarty starred as rookie detective Bo Lockley in the acclaimed police drama ''
Report to the Commissioner
''Report to the Commissioner'' is a 1975 American crime drama film based on James Mills' 1972 novel. It involves a rookie cop ( Michael Moriarty) in the New York City Police Department who is assigned a special missing person case, which in fact ...
''.
Moriarty won a
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
in 1974 for his performance in the play ''Find Your Way Home''. His career on the screen was slow to develop, while his theatre career was flourishing. He played the lead character in ''
Report to the Commissioner
''Report to the Commissioner'' is a 1975 American crime drama film based on James Mills' 1972 novel. It involves a rookie cop ( Michael Moriarty) in the New York City Police Department who is assigned a special missing person case, which in fact ...
'' and had a significant role in ''
Who'll Stop the Rain''. He starred as the German
SS officer Erik Dorf in the television miniseries ''
Holocaust
The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
'', which earned him another Emmy. Through the 1980s, Moriarty starred in such
Larry Cohen
Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American filmmaker. He originally emerged as the writer of blaxploitation films such as ''Black Caesar (film), Black Caesar'' and ''Hell Up in Harlem'' (both 1973), before becomin ...
movies as ''
Q'', ''
The Stuff
''The Stuff'' is a 1985 American satirical science fiction horror film written and directed by Larry Cohen and starring Michael Moriarty, Garrett Morris, Andrea Marcovicci, and Paul Sorvino. It was also the last film of Alexander Scourby. The ...
'', ''
It's Alive III: Island of the Alive'', and ''
A Return to Salem's Lot
''A Return to Salem's Lot'' is a 1987 American vampire film co-written and directed by Larry Cohen and starring Michael Moriarty, Andrew Duggan, Samuel Fuller, Evelyn Keyes, and June Havoc. A theatrical sequel to the 1979 miniseries '' Salem's L ...
'' (much later, he appeared in ''
Pale Rider
''Pale Rider'' is a 1985 American Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars in the lead role. The title is a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as the pale horse's ghost rider (Eastwood) represents D ...
'' and ''
The Hanoi Hilton
''The Hanoi Hilton'' is a 1987 war film which focuses on the experiences of U.S. prisoners of war who were held in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi during the 1960s and 1970s and the story is told from their perspectives. It was directed by ...
'', as well as the ''
Masters of Horror
''Masters of Horror'' is a horror anthology television series created by director Mick Garris for the Showtime cable network.
Origin
In 2002, director Mick Garris invited some director friends to an informal dinner at a restaurant in Sherm ...
'' episode "
Pick Me Up", directed by Cohen. In 1986, he starred in the fantasy science-fiction movie ''
Troll
A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...
'', playing the role of Harry Potter, Sr. (unrelated to the
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
series).
In 1989, Moriarty starred in the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
production ''
Tailspin: Behind the Korean Airliner Tragedy'', which dramatized the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
's shoot-down of
Korean Air Lines flight 007
Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (KE007/KAL007)In aviation, two types of Airline codes, airline designators are used. The flight number KAL 007, with the ICAO code for Korean Air Lines, was used by air traffic control. In ticketing, however, IAT ...
in 1983. He portrayed
U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...
Major
Major most commonly refers to:
* Major (rank), a military rank
* Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits
* People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames
* Major and minor in musi ...
Hank Daniels, who was largely ignored (if not ridiculed) for showing how the ill-fated airliner had strayed off course into air space known by the Soviets to be used by U.S. Air Force electronic surveillance planes as they approached Soviet air space.
From 1990 to 1994, Moriarty starred as Executive Assistant District Attorney
Ben Stone on ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...
''. He left the show in 1994, alleging that his departure was a result of his threatening a lawsuit against then-Attorney General
Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer and public official who served as the 78th United States Attorney General, United States attorney general from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. A member of ...
, who had cited ''Law & Order'' as offensively violent. Moriarty criticized Reno's comment and claimed that she wanted to censor not only shows such as ''Law & Order'', but also such fare as ''
Murder, She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...
''. He later accused ''Law & Order'' executive producer
Dick Wolf
Richard Anthony Wolf (born December 20, 1946) is an American billionaire and television producer, best known for his ''Law & Order'' franchise. Since 1990, the franchise has included six police/courtroom dramas and four international spinoffs. ...
of not taking his concerns seriously and claimed that Wolf and other network executives were "caving in" to Reno's "demands" on the issue of TV violence. On September 20, 1994, on ''
The Howard Stern Show
''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was radio syndication, nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WINS-FM, WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The sho ...
'', he made an offer to NBC, claiming that he would return to his role on the show if Wolf was fired. Moriarty published a full-page advertisement in a Hollywood trade magazine calling upon fellow artists to stand up with him against attempts to censor TV show content. He subsequently wrote and published ''The Gift of Stern Angels'', his account of this time in his life. In the fictional ''Law & Order''
universe
The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...
, Ben Stone resigns from the D.A.'s office in 1994 after a witness in one of his cases is murdered. The February 7, 2018, episode of ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' shows Sam Waterston's character,
Jack McCoy
John James McCoy is a fictional character in the American television drama ''Law & Order''. He was created by Dick Wolf and Michael S. Chernuchin and has been portrayed by Sam Waterston during the show's original run from 1994 to 2010 and agai ...
, delivering a eulogy at Stone's funeral.
Wolf and others working on ''Law & Order'' contradict Moriarty's account of how he left the series. On November 18, 1993, Moriarty and Wolf, along with other television executives, met with Reno to dissuade her from supporting any law that would censor the show. Wolf said that Moriarty overreacted to any effect the law was likely to have on the show. ''Law & Order'' producers claim they were forced to remove Moriarty from the series because of "erratic behavior", an example of which reportedly happened during the filming of the episode "Breeder", when, according to the episode's director Arthur Forney, Moriarty began muttering to himself with a vacant look in his eyes, was unable to deliver his lines with a straight face, and had to be taken to a doctor. Series and network officials deny any connection between his departure and Janet Reno. Wolf also denies that the show has become less violent, graphic, or controversial since 1994.
Moriarty acted in ''
The Last Detail
''The Last Detail'' is a 1973 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby, from a screenplay by Robert Towne, based on the 1970 novel by Darryl Ponicsan. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, Clifton James, and Caro ...
'', ''
Courage Under Fire
''Courage Under Fire'' is a 1996 American war drama film directed by Edward Zwick, and starring Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan. It is the second collaboration between Washington and director Zwick. The film was released in the United States ...
'', ''
Along Came a Spider'', ''
Shiloh'', ''
Emily of New Moon
''Emily of New Moon'' is the first in a series of novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery about a Canadian orphan girl growing up in Prince Edward Island. Montgomery is also the author of ''Anne of Green Gables'' series.
It was first published in 1923.
...
'', and ''
James Dean
James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, despite a career that lasted only five years. His impact on cinema and popular culture was p ...
'', for which he won his third Emmy. In 2007, he debuted his first feature-length film as screenwriter and performed the role of a man who thinks he is
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
in ''
Hitler Meets Christ''.
Other ventures
In addition to his acting career, Moriarty is a semiprofessional
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
pianist and singer, as well as a classical composer. He has recorded three jazz albums (although the first, ''Reaching Out'', went unreleased). He has regularly performed live in both New York City and
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
with a jazz trio and quintet. In a 1990 concert review, ''New York Times'' reviewer
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic.
Biography
Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...
called Moriarty "a jazz pianist of considerable skill, an oddball singer with more than one vocal personality, and a writer of eccentric, jivey jazz songs."
Moriarty is politically active, describing himself as a "centrist" and sometimes as a "realist". Moriarty announced his intention to run for the presidency in 2008 in an interview in the November 2005 issue of ''Northwest Jazz Profile'', but he never formally declared his candidacy. He later endorsed fellow former ''Law & Order'' actor
Fred Thompson
Freddie Dalton Thompson (August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, actor, and radio personality. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as a Unite ...
for the presidency during the 2008 Republican primaries, as well as
Carly Fiorina
Cara Carleton "Carly" Fiorina (; ; born September 6, 1954) is an American businesswoman and politician, known primarily for her tenure as chief executive officer (CEO) of Hewlett-Packard (HP) from 1999 to 2005. Fiorina was the first woman to le ...
during the 2016 primary election cycle. He has been a frequent contributor of numerous political columns to the Enter Stage Right online ''Journal of Conservatism''.
Moriarty was a member of the Writers and Artists for Peace in the Middle East, a pro-Israel group. In 1984, he signed a letter protesting German arms sales to
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
.
Personal life
Shortly after leaving ''Law & Order'', Moriarty moved to Canada, declaring himself a political
exile
Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...
. He lived for a time in
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
, where he was granted Canadian citizenship, living in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
before settling in
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
.
In 2006, in the blog ''Enter Stage Right'' Moriarty wrote that he was a "very bad drunk", but as of 2004, he had been sober for two years.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moriarty, Michael
1941 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American male musicians
20th-century American pianists
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century American pianists
Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
American bloggers
American emigrants to Canada
American jazz pianists
American male bloggers
American male film actors
American male jazz pianists
American male television actors
Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
Dartmouth College alumni
Jazz musicians from Michigan
Jazz musicians from New York (state)
Male actors from Detroit
Michigan Republicans
Musicians from Detroit
Naturalized citizens of Canada
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners
Tony Award winners
University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy alumni