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Moira Kelly
Born (1968-03-06) March 6, 1968 (age 57)
Other names Moira Hewitt
Education Connetquot High School
Alma mater Marymount Manhattan College
Occupation Actress
Years active 1988–present
Spouse(s)
Steve Hewitt
(m. 2000)
Children 2

Moira Kelly (born March 6, 1968) is an American actress famous for many roles on screen and for her voice work. Many people know her as the voice of the adult Nala in Disney's classic movie The Lion King. She also starred as Kate Moseley in the popular ice-skating movie The Cutting Edge.

On television, she is well-known for playing Karen Roe, a single mother, on the teen drama series One Tree Hill. Some of her other famous roles include playing Mandy Hampton in the political show The West Wing and Donna Hayward in the movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.

From New York to Hollywood

Moira Kelly was born in Queens, New York, on March 6, 1968. Her parents, Peter and Anne, had moved to the United States from Ireland. Her father was a talented violinist, and her mother was a nurse. Moira grew up in a big family in Ronkonkoma, New York, as the third of six children.

Her interest in acting started in high school. In 1984, she had a small part in her school's play, Annie. A surprising change in the cast gave her a bigger opportunity, which made her realize she wanted to be an actress. For a time, she thought about another career path, but she ultimately chose to follow her passion for acting. After graduating from Connetquot High School in 1986, she went to Marymount Manhattan College to study her craft.

A Career on Screen

Early Roles and Big Breaks

Moira's professional acting career began in 1991 with the TV movie Love, Lies and Murder. She then appeared in several films, including Billy Bathgate.

Her big break came in 1992. She starred as the determined figure skater Kate Moseley in the romantic comedy The Cutting Edge. While filming, she broke her ankle, which meant she couldn't take a role in the baseball movie A League of Their Own. That same year, she played two different characters in the movie Chaplin and took on the role of Donna Hayward in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.

Famous Films and TV Shows

One of Moira's most beloved roles is providing the voice for the adult Nala in Disney's animated classic The Lion King (1994). She returned to voice the character in the sequels, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and The Lion King 1½.

Throughout the 1990s, she starred in many other films, such as With Honors, Little Odessa, and Dangerous Beauty. She also played the main character, activist Dorothy Day, in the movie Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story.

In 1999, Moira joined the cast of the popular TV show The West Wing for its first season. She played Mandy Hampton, a media consultant who advises politicians.

One Tree Hill and Beyond

In 2003, Moira Kelly began her famous role as Karen Roe, a kind and strong single mother, in the teen drama One Tree Hill. She was a main character for the first four seasons and returned for special guest appearances later in the series. She also stepped behind the camera to direct two episodes of the show, showing her talent in another area of filmmaking.

Since One Tree Hill, Moira has appeared in many TV shows like Heroes and Law & Order, as well as several TV movies. In 2023, she brought Nala to life again, voicing the character for the video game Disney Dreamlight Valley.

Personal life

Moira Kelly married Steve Hewitt, a businessman from Texas, on August 5, 2000. Together, they have two children, a daughter named Ella and a son named Eamon. The family lived in Wilmington, North Carolina, where One Tree Hill was filmed, for many years.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1991 Boy Who Cried ..., TheThe Boy Who Cried ... Jessica Rosenberg
Billy Bathgate Becky
1992 Thirty Below Zero Lucy Short
Cutting Edge, TheThe Cutting Edge Kate Moseley
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me Donna Hayward
Chaplin Hetty Kelly / Oona O'Neill
1993 Cannibal! The Musical "The Dropout" Credited under "M.K.", dropped out early in production
1994 With Honors Courtney Blumenthal
Lion King, TheThe Lion King Adult Nala (voice)
Little Odessa Alla Shustervich
1995 Tie That Binds, TheThe Tie That Binds Dana Clifton
1996 Unhook the Stars Ann Mary Margaret "Annie" Hawks
Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story Dorothy Day
1997 Love Walked In Vera
Changing Habits Soosh Teague
Drive, She Said Nadine Ship
1998 Dangerous Beauty Beatrice Venier
Hi-Life Susan
Lion King II: Simba's Pride, TheThe Lion King II: Simba's Pride Nala (voice) Video
1999 Henry Hill Cynthia
2001 Safety of Objects, TheThe Safety of Objects Susan Train
2004 Woman Reported, AA Woman Reported Woman Short
Lion King 1½, TheThe Lion King 1½ Nala (voice) Video
2006 Two Tickets to Paradise Kate
2007 Remember the Daze Mrs. Ford
2014 Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces Donna Hayward Deleted Scenes from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1991 Love, Lies and Murder Cinnamon Brown TV miniseries
1993 Daybreak Blue TV film
1998 Monday After the Miracle Helen Keller TV film
To Have & to Hold Annie Cornell Main role
1999-2000 West Wing, TheThe West Wing Mandy Hampton Regular role
2002 Hack Vanessa Griffin "My Brother's Keeper"
Twilight Zone, TheThe Twilight Zone Elizabeth Carter "Found and Lost"
2003-2009 One Tree Hill Karen Roe Main role
2008 Law & Order Katherine Donovan "Betrayal"
2009 Heroes Abby Collins "Building 26"
2010 Numb3rs Mary Paulson "Growin' Up"
2012 Smile as Big as the Moon, AA Smile as Big as the Moon Darcy Kersjes TV film
Taken Back: Finding Haley Karen TV film
2013 Drop Dead Diva Cindy Kasper "50 Shades of Grayson"
2017 Deadly Sorority Prof. Amy Thomas TV film
2018 Girl in the Bunker Madeline Shoaf TV film
2019 The Resident Annie 3 episodes
Christmas In Louisiana Charlotte Winter TV film
2021 Panic Laura Cortez 7 episodes
2022 My Southern Family Christmas Jennifer Bergeron TV film (Hallmark Channel)
2023 Citadel Joe 5 episodes
2025 Love of the Irish Helen TV film (Hallmark Channel)

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2023 Disney Dreamlight Valley Nala (voice) Character added in an April 2023 update

As a director

Year Title Notes
2006-07 One Tree Hill Television series; 2 episodes

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Moira Kelly para niños

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