Moira Kelly
 

The vibrant Moira Kelly was born on March 6, 1968 in Queens, New York. She is the third of six children. Her parents are Irish immigrants. Her father, Peter, was trained as a concert violinist while her mother, Anne, is a nurse. Moira was raised in Ronkonkoma, New York, USA. Influenced by a father who is a professional violinist, Moira has become an accomplished violinist, drummer, and flutist. She grew up mostly with classical, big band, and a lot of
Irish music and did not encounter rock and roll music until she was 16 years old. Now, she listens to all kinds of music except rap, which all sounds the same to her. But what she always likes to sing blues and cabaret style. In high school, she competed in opera. She finished high school at the Connetquot Senior High School in 1986. In College Moira attended Marymount Manhattan College in New York City with many kids whose parents paid their way. Recognizing that her parents cannot afford to send all 6 children to school, she had different jobs--as a waitress, a nanny, among
others, in order to push her way all through college. Moira, however, had big breaks that she "never had to pound the pavement and really struggle after college." (Moira Kelly, People Magazine, December 1992). In 1984, Moira was cast in a small role in Connetquot Senior High School's production of Annie. Due to illness, the young woman playing Miss Hannigan was replaced, causing a series of cast changes. From originally a small role, Director Eric Martinsen chose to recast Moira as Grace Farrell. Kelly who belongs to an Irish Catholic family has an interesting heart's desire.
Up until in the eighth grade, Kelly wanted to be a servant of the Lord by being a nun. When she started working on her first picture, she went to a priest and confessed,"I'm still torn between becoming a nun and working in the
film business." (Catholic Workers, 1996)"Do you think that maybe this (referring to film industry) is the medium that
God wants to use you in to get the message across?" was the remark of Kelly's priest confessor which finally made let go of the call to be a nun and set her foot to work on her first picture. Her first major part was a role in Richard Attenborough's Chaplin in 1992. This was followed by "With Honors" and "Cutting Edge", and, most recently, Kelly was the voice of Nala in Disney's "The Lion King". It was Kelly's Catholicism and her aspiration to play Joan of Arc which convinced producer, Fr. Kieser, to offer her the role of Dorothy Day in Entertaining Angels. Kelly has also narrated/read/performed several audio books. To date, Moira has been cast in numerous roles. She takes pride in being very flexible, and her track record proves that. She's had a wide variety of roles, and it's a testament
to her ability and desire to succeed. Moira wants to be remembered as one who could do it all. In terms of popularity, her greatest success has been "The Cutting Edge", which was her first lead role. Moira responded with enthusiasm and passion rarely seen on the screen today. She could have become a household name in the United States, but soon after shooting Chaplin, she left Hollywood, and went back to live in New York. (KD Lucas, 1998) Moira attended Marymount Manhattan College in New York City with many kids whose parents paid their way. Recognizing that her parents cannot afford to send all 6 children to school, she had different jobs--as a waitress, a nanny, among others, in order to push her way all through college. Moira, however, had big breaks that she "never had to pound the pavement and really struggle after college."

(Moira Kelly, People Magazine, December 1992)