Michael Moriarty Bio
Michael Moriarty (born April 5, 1941) is an American-Canadian actor and musician whose work spans theatre, film and television. He won a Tony Award in 1974 for Find Your Way Home and earned Emmy and Golden Globe recognition for his portrayal in the 1978 miniseries Holocaust, and he is widely known for the role of Executive Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Stone on Law & Order from 1990 to 1994.
Early Life and Background
Michael Moriarty was born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 5, 1941, the son of Eleanor Moriarty (née Paul) and George Moriarty. His family background included a grandfather who worked in Major League Baseball, and his parents separated when he was a child.
Moriarty attended Cranbrook School for middle school before transferring to and graduating from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School in 1959. He majored in theater at Dartmouth College, receiving a bachelor of arts degree in 1963, and later studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art on a Fulbright scholarship, building formal dramatic training that prepared him for stage and screen work.
Path to Celebrity
Moriarty began his professional stage career in regional theatre, including work at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, which provided sustained classical and contemporary stage experience. His early stage success culminated in a Tony Award in 1974 for Best Actor for the play Find Your Way Home, establishing him as a distinguished theatre performer.
Transitioning from stage to screen during the early 1970s, Moriarty took roles in feature films and television that broadened his public profile. His stage grounding, classical training and experience in repertory settings informed the disciplined approach he brought to character roles across film and television through the 1970s and 1980s.
Michael Moriarty Career
Early Career (1971–1979)
Moriarty’s screen career began in the early 1970s after a period of steady stage work. One of his first widely seen film roles was as Henry Wiggen in the 1973 baseball drama Bang the Drum Slowly, opposite Robert De Niro. In the same period he appeared on television and in TV films, including a noted television adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie with Katharine Hepburn, a performance that earned him early Emmy recognition.
Throughout the 1970s Moriarty continued to move between stage, television and film, consolidating a reputation for intense, literate characterizations. His Tony Award in 1974 marked a major milestone and helped sustain a range of opportunities on stage and screen during the decade.
Breakthrough (1978–1994)
Moriarty achieved significant visibility for his portrayal of German SS officer Erik Dorf in the 1978 television miniseries Holocaust, a performance that brought him a Golden Globe Award and Emmy recognition and heightened his profile in both dramatic television and feature film casting. The miniseries role is commonly cited as one of his most prominent early screen achievements and expanded his opportunities in prime-time television and prestige projects.
In the 1980s Moriarty balanced mainstream and genre films, working in projects such as Q: The Winged Serpent, The Stuff and Pale Rider, ranging from independent productions to films with established directors. He continued to accept diverse supporting and leading roles that demonstrated a willingness to work across styles and budgets, maintaining visibility through varied film work.
From 1990 until 1994 Moriarty starred as Executive Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Stone on Law & Order, originating the role for the show’s first four seasons and becoming widely identified with the series. His departure from the show in 1994 was public and contested; Moriarty cited creative and professional disagreements with network and production decisions, and his exit was discussed widely in entertainment coverage at the time.
Notable Works and Milestones
Signature screen work for Michael Moriarty includes Bang the Drum Slowly, Holocaust and his tenure on Law & Order, while his stage career was recognized with a Tony Award for Find Your Way Home. Across decades he has worked in both mainstream studio pictures and smaller independent films, and he has maintained a parallel career as a performing jazz pianist and composer.
Michael Moriarty Award Nominations
Over the course of his career Michael Moriarty has received multiple industry nominations and recognitions for stage and screen work. His early and mid-career performances prompted Emmy and Golden Globe attention for television work and he earned nominations and consideration tied to his theatre and film projects.
Michael Moriarty Awards Won
Michael Moriarty won the Tony Award for Best Actor in 1974 for Find Your Way Home. He also received Emmy and Golden Globe recognition for his performance in the 1978 miniseries Holocaust, and his work on television and stage earned him further industry accolades at various points in his career.
Michael Moriarty Family
Michael Moriarty is the son of Eleanor Moriarty (née Paul) and George Moriarty. His grandfather, also named George Moriarty, was involved in Major League Baseball as a third baseman, umpire and manager.
Personal Life
Moriarty has had a complex public personal life that includes multiple marriages and long-term partnerships. He married Francoise Martinet in 1966 and they had one son before divorcing in 1978; he married Anne Hamilton Martin in 1978 and they divorced in 1997; he married Suzana Cabrita in 1998 and they divorced in 1999. He later entered a long-term relationship with his manager, Margaret Brychka.
After leaving Law & Order, Moriarty relocated to Canada and later obtained Canadian citizenship, residing at various times in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in other Canadian cities. Outside of acting he has worked as a semiprofessional jazz pianist and composer and has been publicly active in political commentary and writing. He has discussed past struggles with alcohol and has at times written and spoken about sobriety and personal recovery.