Moira Kelly facts for kids

Moira Kelly (born March 6, 1968) is an American actress. She is famous for playing Kate Moseley in the 1992 movie The Cutting Edge and for her role as the single mother Karen Roe on the TV show One Tree Hill.

Many people also know her as the voice of the adult Nala in Disney's The Lion King. She also played Donna Hayward in the movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. Some of her other roles include Dorothy Day in Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story and Mandy Hampton in the first season of The West Wing.

Early Life and Education

Moira Kelly was born in Queens, New York. Her parents, Peter and Anne, were immigrants from Ireland. Her father was a violinist, and her mother was a nurse. Moira is the third of six children and grew up in Ronkonkoma, New York.

She went to Connetquot Senior High School and graduated in 1986. After high school, she attended Marymount Manhattan College. When she was young, she was in her high school's play, Annie. A problem with the cast led to her getting a bigger part, which helped her decide to become an actress.

Acting Career

First Roles

Moira's first professional acting job was in the TV movie Love, Lies and Murder. She played a teenager named Cinnamon Brown. After that, she had small parts in movies like Billy Bathgate.

Her big break came in 1992. She starred as a figure skater in the romantic comedy The Cutting Edge. That same year, she played two different characters in the movie Chaplin alongside Robert Downey Jr.. She also took on the role of Donna Hayward in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, a movie that served as a prequel to the popular TV show.

Famous Roles

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

She also appeared in movies like With Honors, Little Odessa, and Dangerous Beauty. She played the main character, activist Dorothy Day, in the movie Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story. In 1998, she played Helen Keller in the TV movie Monday After the Miracle.

Television Success

From 1999 to 2000, Moira played Mandy Hampton, a media advisor, in the first season of the political drama The West Wing.

In 2003, she began one of her most well-known roles, playing Karen Roe on the teen drama One Tree Hill. She was a main character for the first four seasons and returned as a guest for special episodes later on. She even directed two episodes of the show.

Over the years, Moira has made guest appearances on popular TV shows like Heroes, Law & Order, and Numb3rs. She also reprised her voice role as Nala for the video game Disney Dreamlight Valley in 2023.

Personal Life

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

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

As a director

See also

In Spanish: Moira Kelly para niños